sourced story
29 August 1526Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Battle of Mohacs destroys the Kingdom of Hungary's army

A young Hungarian king drowns fleeing the field, and Suleiman's victory ends Hungary as a unified independent kingdom.

On the timeline · around 29 August 1526 · The Imperial Peak (1453-1571)The Imperial Peak (1453-1571)The Battle of Mohacs destroys the Kingdom of Hungary's army14901500151015201530154015501560

Quick facts

Sultan
Suleiman I
Hungarian king
Louis II (killed)
Date
29 August 1526
Result
Collapse of the unified Kingdom of Hungary

What happened

Suleiman the Magnificent led a large Ottoman army against Hungary in 1526, meeting the Hungarian field army under King Louis II near the town of Mohacs on 29 August. The Hungarian force, badly outnumbered by Ottoman janissaries, cavalry, and artillery, was encircled and destroyed within about two hours. Louis II was killed fleeing the battlefield, thrown from his horse. Suleiman annexed large parts of the fallen king's realm afterward, though full Ottoman control of central Hungary took additional campaigns over the following years.

Why it matters

Mohacs ended the independent Kingdom of Hungary as a unified state and opened a three-way division of Hungarian territory between Ottoman, Habsburg, and semi-independent Transylvanian rule that lasted for a century and a half. It set up Suleiman's advance toward Vienna itself three years later.

How we know

World History Encyclopedia's biography of Suleiman the Magnificent lists Mohacs in its chronology of his campaigns, and its overview of Ottoman battles and conquests describes the victory and its immediate territorial consequences in Hungary.

Sources

See something wrong? . Corrections with a source get fixed fastest.

Part of a timelineThe Ottoman Empire31 events · A frontier warband on the edge of Byzantium grows into a 600-year empire spanning three continents, then dissolves into a modern republic.View all →