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Siege of Belgrade (1717)

Siege of Belgrade
Part of Austro-Turkish War of 1716–1718
Belagerung belgrad 1717.jpg
The head of Belgrade in 1717.
Date July 16, 1717 – August 17, 1717
Location Belgrade, Sanjak of Smederevo
Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire Austria
Bavaria Bavaria
Ottoman Empire 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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