Battle of Trencín
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Trencsén was a battle between the Hungarian Kuruc
forces of Francis II Rákóczi
and the Imperial Army of the Habsburg
s. The battle caused great losses for the Kuruc army, forcing them to give up their plans of obtaining allies in the War of the Spanish Succession
against the Habsburgs. The battle also meant that the Habsburgs maintained their positions as the Kings of Hungary.
, to pave the way for the plans of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia to take the Hungarian crown
, thus reinforcing the Silesian Protestants as well. His army started to march down the Váh
river, and planned to pass by the town of Trencsén on their way to Moravia
. However, Trencsén was in the hands of a reinforced Habsburg garrison. At first, Rákóczi had no intention to besiege Trencsén, as to not weaken his army, but under pressure of other Kuruc commanders, he decided to do so. The commander of the garrison, Sigbert Heister
, found out about the moves of the Kuruc army, and started preparing his soldiers for the attack.
Kuruc army was composed of light cavalry and part of the infantry under command of Lőrinc Pekri. The middle was composed by the artillery, protected by the German cavalry, as well as with the Polish and German carabinier
s under command of colonel de la Motte. The left wing was made out of the rest of the infantry. The terrain ahead of them, however, was unclear, with moats going through it. When Sigbert Heister saw the number of Kuruc troops, and their advantageous standing, he decided to retreat into Trencsén Castle. At the moment of giving this order, the Kuruc artillery started firing, with Pekri's wing advancing to attack the Habsburg soldiers while they were still organising.
But the terrain was unsuitable for attack. The terrain was rugged, with two man-made ponds being next to each other, with an embankment between them. Pekri's cavalry started to go through the embankment at the trot. Meanwhile, Pekri was warned that the narrow passage might cause difficulties; he therefore decided to retreat from those positions. While his cavalry started to turn back, it became disorganized, of which the troops of Imperial commander János Pálffy - a loyalist Hungarian - took advantage; they counter-attacked, and caused the disorganized horsemen to flee.
The middle and left wing meanwhile fought off Imperial mercenaries, but the flight of the right wing brought about uncertainty among the troops. Rákóczi tried to impress his soldiers and personally entered the fight. When jumping one of the moats, however, he fell from his horse and lost consciousness. Rumours about his death started to spread between his soldiers, and even the fighting troops started to flee. Heister's cavalry broke the originally three times bigger Kuruc army during the next three hours. As a result, around 3,000 Kuruc soldiers died or were wounded, 500 were captured, along with all of their 12 cannons; Habsburg royalist losses were small in comparison.
, Hont, the town of Zólyom and at the beginning of 1709, had to retreat from Liptó.
In December 1708, Rákóczi tried to save the situation of his declining army by promising freedom and land grants to the peasants who fought by his side. However, this failed to have any notable effect, as peasants, and, even more notably, compromising nobles continued deserting from his army.
The growing defeatism and moral decline provoked by the defeat at Trencsén therefore marked the beginning of the ultimate defeat of Rákóczi's War for Independence
and the perpetuation of the Kingdom of Hungary remaining subjugated to Austrian rule.
Kuruc
The kuruc was a term used to denote the armed anti-Habsburg rebels in Royal Hungary between 1671 and 1711....
forces of Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
and the Imperial Army of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s. The battle caused great losses for the Kuruc army, forcing them to give up their plans of obtaining allies in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
against the Habsburgs. The battle also meant that the Habsburgs maintained their positions as the Kings of Hungary.
Background
In the year 1708, Francis II Rákóczi decided to march his troops into SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, to pave the way for the plans of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia to take the Hungarian crown
Hungarian Crown
The Hungarian Crown was a part of the Polish Crown Jewels. It was made in the 16th century, resembling the Crown of Saint Stephen, as a private crown of John II Sigismund Zápolya.- History :...
, thus reinforcing the Silesian Protestants as well. His army started to march down the Váh
Váh
The Váh is the longest river in entire Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
river, and planned to pass by the town of Trencsén on their way to Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. However, Trencsén was in the hands of a reinforced Habsburg garrison. At first, Rákóczi had no intention to besiege Trencsén, as to not weaken his army, but under pressure of other Kuruc commanders, he decided to do so. The commander of the garrison, Sigbert Heister
Sigbert Heister
Sigbert Graf Heister was an Imperial Field marshal.His father was Gottfried Heister , Vicepresident of the Hofkriegsrat....
, found out about the moves of the Kuruc army, and started preparing his soldiers for the attack.
Battle
At the morning of 3 August 1708, 8,000 Habsburg-Serbian soldiers faced 15,000 Kuruc soldiers, with 12 cannons. The right wing of the HungarianKingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
Kuruc army was composed of light cavalry and part of the infantry under command of Lőrinc Pekri. The middle was composed by the artillery, protected by the German cavalry, as well as with the Polish and German carabinier
Carabinier
A Carabinier was originally a cavalry soldier armed with a carbine...
s under command of colonel de la Motte. The left wing was made out of the rest of the infantry. The terrain ahead of them, however, was unclear, with moats going through it. When Sigbert Heister saw the number of Kuruc troops, and their advantageous standing, he decided to retreat into Trencsén Castle. At the moment of giving this order, the Kuruc artillery started firing, with Pekri's wing advancing to attack the Habsburg soldiers while they were still organising.
But the terrain was unsuitable for attack. The terrain was rugged, with two man-made ponds being next to each other, with an embankment between them. Pekri's cavalry started to go through the embankment at the trot. Meanwhile, Pekri was warned that the narrow passage might cause difficulties; he therefore decided to retreat from those positions. While his cavalry started to turn back, it became disorganized, of which the troops of Imperial commander János Pálffy - a loyalist Hungarian - took advantage; they counter-attacked, and caused the disorganized horsemen to flee.
The middle and left wing meanwhile fought off Imperial mercenaries, but the flight of the right wing brought about uncertainty among the troops. Rákóczi tried to impress his soldiers and personally entered the fight. When jumping one of the moats, however, he fell from his horse and lost consciousness. Rumours about his death started to spread between his soldiers, and even the fighting troops started to flee. Heister's cavalry broke the originally three times bigger Kuruc army during the next three hours. As a result, around 3,000 Kuruc soldiers died or were wounded, 500 were captured, along with all of their 12 cannons; Habsburg royalist losses were small in comparison.
Aftermath
The Kuruc troops were heavily defeated in the Battle of Trencsén, revealing that they had smaller fighting capability than their foes. Heister's troops chased the remainder of Rákóczi's soldiers, captured North-Hungarian mining towns, took Nyitra, and started to besiege Érsekújvár. By the end of the year 1708, the Kuruc rebels had lost all of North-western Hungary and part of the Kuruc soldiers joined the Habsburgs army. Soon, the rebels lost BarsBars county
Bars is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in central and southern Slovakia...
, Hont, the town of Zólyom and at the beginning of 1709, had to retreat from Liptó.
In December 1708, Rákóczi tried to save the situation of his declining army by promising freedom and land grants to the peasants who fought by his side. However, this failed to have any notable effect, as peasants, and, even more notably, compromising nobles continued deserting from his army.
The growing defeatism and moral decline provoked by the defeat at Trencsén therefore marked the beginning of the ultimate defeat of Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence was the first significant attempt to topple therule of Habsburg Austria over Hungary. The war was fought by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by Francis II Rákóczi Rákóczi's War for Independence (1703–1711) was the first...
and the perpetuation of the Kingdom of Hungary remaining subjugated to Austrian rule.