Siege of Belgrade (1717)

Siege of Belgrade

The head of Belgrade in 1717.

Date	July 16, 1717 – August 17, 1717
Location	Belgrade, Sanjak of Smederevo
Result	Austrian victory

Belligerents

Austria

Bavaria

Ottoman Empire

Commanders and leaders

Eugene of Savoy

Hacı Halil Pasha
Mustafa Pasha

Strength

100,000 men

30,000 men

Casualties and losses

5,400 killed and wounded,
30,000 dead from illness

20,000 casualties (of whom 5,000 killed and wounded)

The siege of Belgrade in 1717 occurred during the Austro-Venetian-Ottoman war (1714-1718), after the Austrian victory of Petrovaradin. The siege ended on August 17, 1717 with the conquest of the stronghold by Austrian troops under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy.

After the success of his 1716 campaign, Eugene of Savoy had one main objective: the conquest of the fortress of Belgrade. The city is located exactly at the confluence of the Sava river and the Danube, and its fortress, on an arm of the former river, could be attacked from the south. Its walls could resist both attacks from the south-east and those from the north-west, and this made it a key to the Balkans for both the Austrians and the Ottoman Empire. In 1688, Belgrade was wrested from the Ottomans after a siege, but two years later, the Ottoman Empire recaptured it. Prince Eugene was seriously wounded during the first siege and now strongly supported the need for a river flotilla on the Danube as being essential for the conquest of Belgrade.

The mission of the fleet was to provide assistance and support to the imperial army. Eugene managed to enlist the Emperor's support, and the crew for the ships was hastily recruited in the Netherlands.

The allies of Austria were Russia, which limited itself to a prudent line of defense, and Poland, both still militarily engaged in the Great Northern War against Sweden and Charles XII. Meanwhile, the states of the Holy Roman Empire provided only a modest cash contribution and Bavaria joined the side of Austria.

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