György Szondy
| Szondy György | |
|---|---|
Statue of Szondy on Kodály körönd, Budapest
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Suhó |
| Born | 1500 Turóc County |
| Died |
9 July 1552 Drégely Castle |
| Buried | Drégelypalánk, Nógrád County, Hungary |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Hungary
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 37 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Infantry |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Mohács (29 August 1526) Drégely Castle (July 1552) |
| Relations | Jakab Szondy (brother) |
György Szondy (Slovak: Juraj Šucha, 1500 – 9 July 1552) was a Hungarian soldier and the captain of Drégely Castle. He was a respected soldier, even by his Turkish foes, whose recognition can be seen by his burial by Hadim Ali Pasha with full military honours.
Szondy's origin is obscure. He probably had Slovak ancestry and he either came from a peasant or a civic family. According to other sources, he was a yeoman of Turóc County. After the sudden death of his mother he joined the army at the age of 15 with his younger brother Jakab where he met Ferenc Révay, a general officer from a prominent Hungarian noble family.
Révay saw great potential in Szondy and took him under his wing. Révay made Szondy into a lieutenant of the Hungarian Hussars at the age of 21. After taking part in campaigns against the Ottoman Turks in Serbia and Transylvania, where he and his brother both served, Szondy decided that he should spend the rest of his service as an infantryman. Szondy became a Captain after he showed his military genius and courage in a courageous night assault at a Turkish camp, in an attempt to demoralise the Turkish forces after the catastrophic Battle of Mohács.
After becoming the captain of Drégely Castle in 1544, which had a small garrison of only sixty men, six small cannon and twelve castle guns, Szondy was faced with the task of defending it. Drégely Castle was of strategic importance not only to the Hungarians but also to the Turks as a base for raids into Upper Hungary. After hearing that a Turkish force of great numbers was heading towards Drégely, Szondy sent a letter to Erasmus Teuffel, the Captain of the castle in Léva (today Levice, Slovakia), to send reinforcements. Teuffel could only supply him with 146 soldiers.
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Wikipedia