Prince Eugene's baptism of fire ⚔️ The Great Siege of Buda, 1686 ⚔️ DOCUMENTARY

It is the late 17th century. Europe is divided. To the east, the powerful Ottoman Empire is at the zenith of its power. Its great vizier, Kara Mustafa, pursued an ambitious foreign policy against the Habsburg lands. The Habsburg dynasty, one of Europe's leading and most powerful monarchies, did all they could to prepare for the inevitable, upcoming, decisive war. This was a theatre where the great powers fought over, and decided, the course of history. Among the many heroic stories of individuals, one man emerged as a brilliant military commander. Just 22 years old, at the iconic siege of Buda, the young Eugene of Savoy rapidly made a name for himself. Rejected for military service by the French king, he decided to try his luck with its rival, the Habsburg monarchy, and with considerable success. During his lifetime, he participated in nearly every iconic battle the Habsburg monarchy fought. The war against the Ottomans was just the beginning, for he fought all over Europe, including against the French king, satisfying his personal vengeance. He stood at the forefront as history was written, and his name echoed down the centuries, for even Napoleon referred to him as one of the greatest generals of all time. In this documentary series, History Marsh and House of History will shed light on the life of one of the most accomplished military commanders of his time, from his beginnings, all the way to his end. and 5,000 articles on all of your devices. Best of all, with 2 new programs and 15 new podcast episodes every week, it's safe to say that History Hit is the true Netflix for history. I recommend the Essex Dogs, in which historian and author Dan Jones sets out on a journey across northern France, meticulously following in the footsteps of the English army, on their Crécy campaign, one of the earliest and bloodiest raids of the Hundred Years' War. Dan goes in-depth not just about the princes and lords in charge of the campaign, but the common soldiers of King Edward III's army. And you can see this excellent series with History Hit's exclusive offer available to fans of History Marsh. Click the link below to visit History Hit, and use the code HISTORYMARSH In 1663, Eugene was born in Paris as the fifth son of Eugene Maurice of Savoy, and his wife Olympia Mancini. When he was 10 years old, his father passed away. Due to intrigues at the French court, his gambling-addicted mother fled the kingdom to Brussels, continuing her life in exile. The Savoy children were raised by their grandmother, Maria of Bourbon, and Aunt Louise-Christina of Savoy. Eugene's family was among the top European nobility. For example, his oldest brother, Louis Thomas, was a potential candidate for the Polish throne in 1674. However eccentric as he was, his family disowned him after marrying a common girl. As the youngest of the family, it was expected of Eugene to pursue a clerical career path. However, when he turned 19, he decided he wanted a military career like his father and grandfather before him. Thanks to intrigues at the French court and King Louis XIV's personal interference, he could not find placement in the French army. In his autobiography, Eugene reflected on Louis preventing him from pursuing a future in France. There is not a Huguenot expelled by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, who hated Louis XIV more than I did. Therefore, when Louvois heard of my departure, saying, so much the better, he will never return into this country again, I swore never to enter it but with arms in my hands. I have kept my word. Eugene travelled to Frankfurt. It just so happened that Europe stood at the brink of a major war against the Ottoman Empire. In Frankfurt, he learned of the Ottomans laying siege to Vienna. He also learned of his brother entering Imperial service to fight the Ottomans, and his death soon after. This did not deter the young man. In August, he arrived at Emperor Leopold's quarters at Passau to offer his services to the Habsburg Monarchy. His first appointment was as the bodyguard of Charles of Lorraine, commander of the Imperial Army. After the 1683 siege of Vienna, lasting for two months, by September 12th, the Christian coalition emerged victorious over the Ottomans. Eugene distinguished himself during the siege and battle of Vienna. The Emperor rewarded him with command over the Kufstein Dragoon Regiment and several commendations. Eugene was poised for a Geopolitical developments rapidly followed each other up. The Ottoman failure of the second siege of Vienna marked the start of the Great Turkish War. The victors established the Holy League in March 1684. Its members, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Republic of Venice, agreed to drive the Ottomans from Europe entirely. That same year they led an assault against Buda, a city that had been under Ottoman rule for 145 years. The siege ended in failure, and after nearly four months, the Holy League had to withdraw, suffering heavy losses. But Eugene continued his rise through the ranks. By 1685 he was promoted to Major General, with many surviving accounts of his superiors remarking, the young man was poised for great things. In 1686, the Holy League decided to try and relieve Buda once more. They mustered up a much larger multinational army. Up to 100,000 men from all over Europe travelled to the Habsburg lands to relieve the city from the Ottoman yoke. The Holy League's commanders were told the objective was not just to relieve Buda, but the ruin of the Ottoman Empire. On June 12th, long columns departed on both banks of the Danube. When they approached Buda four days later, engineers built bridges and soldiers dug trenches around the city, to cut it off from Ottoman lines entirely. Meanwhile, the Ottomans prepared for the impending siege their scouts warned them of, inside Buda. Their commander, Abdi Pasha, the Albanian, gave a speech to all his troops, telling them, the Sultan instructed them to defend Buda to the last drop of their blood. The Ottoman garrison numbered some 13,000 men, including Janissaries, Sipahis, and 2,000 inhabitants. Buda's central feature was, without a doubt, Buda Castle, strategically built on a outcrop. Around the castle was the higher town. Below that, the lower town, built on the banks between the river and the castle's slope, protected the gates and citadel's ports. The lower town's walls were still battered from the siege two years before, though the Ottomans had made many repairs. Upon their arrival, the Allied army seized the empty pest across the Danube, and dug their trenches. The Ottomans' artillery occasionally fired at them. However, the occasional skirmishes with Sipahis, storming from the city's gates, failed to cause a real dent in the Holy League's process. On June 21st, the Allied batteries launched their first volleys against the lower town. The Ottomans failed to return fire, and after two days of the assault, the first breaches emerged. On June 24th, the Bavarians launched the first assault through the breach. They charged towards the city, leapt through the wall, and… faced surprisingly little resistance. Sure, minor skirmishes followed, but the Bavarians soon discovered that most of the Ottoman garrison fortified themselves in the city above. Seizing the lower city was an early and, frankly, an easy victory. Moreover, the Holy League received news of their irregulars capturing a boat with the Pasha's family down the river towards Belgrade. Things were looking good. Having secured the lower town, the offensive focused on Buda Castle and the fortified high town. Using Pest as a springboard, the Alliance seized St. Gellert's Hill. Their heavy artillery was ideal for bombarding the Ottoman positions accurately. The Ottomans were surrounded, and they felt it from every angle. But the Ottomans were tenacious. Throughout the siege, they followed a rather clear pattern. Near Daly, the Holy League focused on different areas to concentrate their attacks. The Ottomans sent their vanguard to fight in the front lines, while others put up palisades behind them. Once these were up, the front line disengaged, and the attackers were left far in advance, subject to accurate fire. Often, upon the Allied retreat, Janissaries launched a lightning charge against their trenches. Savage, brutal, close combat followed, rarely resulting in the Allies gaining the upper hand. Allied casualties mounted without any real progress. Even personal accounts describe the Ottoman steadfastness. We could not force the palisaded retrenchment of the besieged behind the breach, and our chief officers were all either wounded or killed by the continued firing of the enemy. It was thought convenient for our assailants to retreat, though they had fought like lions. Even the compact, fast-firing Turkish bow proved a better weapon than the musket. Weeks of this pattern followed. During one of the skirmishes, Eugene was shot by a Turkish arrow through his hand. Slowly, an Allied strategy crystallized. Their attacks concentrated against the city gate, convinced this was the crucial point where they could achieve victory. The alliance got lucky a few times. A mortar shell blew up a powder magazine one month after the siege commenced. The blast killed as many as 1,000 defenders. The Duke hoped this was a watershed moment, and sent an emissary with a summons to surrender. But Abdi Pasha's response was for the Duke to come rested from his hands. There seemed no end in sight. When the pattern of battle repeated itself in July, the alliance was caught off guard in their trenches. They suffered over 3,000 casualties, a significant blow for the Allies. But whereas the alliance suffered heavily, the Ottomans were hard-pressed as well. When rumours reached the Duke of descent among the Ottoman lines, he sent an emissary for surrender. The emissary returned with an answer, hinting at the Pasha trying to find an honourable way out of the impasse. However, the Pasha was in no position to surrender. Doing so against the Grand Vizier's orders would cost him his life. So they reached no solution, and the artillery bombardment and occasional charges continued. On August 13th, the Duke received news from his scouts. An Ottoman army numbering some 40,000 troops marched towards Buda. Their Tatar cavalry was already harassing the alliance's supply lines. In response, the Duke collected all of his cavalry, among which Eugene's dragoons and a sizable portion of his infantry, and embarked on a march south to meet the main Ottoman army. Not many details survive of the subsequent battle, except that the Hungarian Hussar vanguard ran into the Ottoman main army. They feigned a retreat, allowing the remainder of their cavalry to flank the Ottomans. Surviving witness statements revealed they were, massacred like wild beasts that fell into the hunter's net. The fighting continued all day. By nightfall, 3,000 Ottomans lay dead on the battlefield, and the remainder of the army was in full retreat. When the Duke returned to the trenches, he ordered his army to display the colours and standards from the slain Ottomans. He hoped this would unnerve the defenders enough to reach the siege's end. But no such thing happened. Quite the contrary, the Ottomans resisted with more determination. On the outskirts of the trenches, Allied encampments were harassed by loosely organised Ottoman skirmishers. Though not numerous enough to impact the outcome of the siege, they certainly contributed to the bloodshed. Again, this continued for weeks. Finally, on August 30th, 5 infantry regiments and 25 cavalry squadrons arrived, to reinforce the Allies. The following day, the Duke and his generals agreed there wasn't enough progress, and they were in an ideal position to strike decisively. On the morning of September 2nd, the Ottomans saw a lot of movement in the Allied camp. Rumours reached them the day before of the Allied army marching south, against the Grand Vizier's army. A small siege party would be left to keep them in check. It appeared the defenders would finally enjoy some breathing room. The Allied army took up positions in three columns, seemingly ready to leave Buda behind. But then horns sounded, and battle cries emerged from the Allied lines. The soldiers suddenly turned around. As the enormous Allied army stormed the city's gate, the Allied artillery opened fire. Brutal fighting broke out, as the three assault columns reached the Ottomans defending the front lines. Their numerical superiority and the weariness of the defenders allowed them to swiftly overrun the initial lines. Combat continued, and slowly but surely the Allies pushed up the city's hill. Several defenders surrendered, but to no avail. It was an incredible slaughter. The Duke and Elector of Bavaria sent direct orders for the soldiers not to massacre any surrendering prisoners. On the walls of the higher town, the Pasha met his end. Eyewitness accounts state he died bravely upon the breach, where he defended himself valiantly with his scimitar in his hand, scorning to retreat or demand quarter. In total, no more than 2,000 of the 13,000 defenders survived. The Allied victory was a significant military triumph for the Christians, after 145 years of Ottoman rule. Prince Eugene played a minor role during this epic siege, but it was just the beginning of his military career. The Siege of Buda and subsequent military campaigns exemplify the tumultuous time that marked Eugene's legendary career. If you've made it this far into the video, thank you for watching, and if you'd like to support our work like all these amazing people do, head over to our Patreon page, where you can get ad-free early access to our videos for as little as 1$! Or you can support us by subscribing to our channel and leaving a comment as a sacrifice to the algorithm. As always, we'll see you in the next one.