Fetihname of Mohács (1526)
As an amateur historian I continue to be fascinated by the 16th century and Sultan Süleyman's attacks into Croatia and Hungary.? Following Süleyman's campaign into Hungary in 1526, which resulted in the Battle of Mohács, on August 29, Süleyman sent a fetihname (victory letter) to the governors of his empire and his allies.
This fetihname was never translated to English but I found a French and a Magyar translation of the letter.? This informal translation is based on Histoire de la campagne de Mohacz, by Kemalpa?azade,?translated to French by M. Pavet de Courteille, and T?r?k t?rténetírók. Book 1, translated to Hungarian by József Thúry.
What is most interesting are not the facts of the battle but how the story of the campaign and battle are told.? This provides an insight into the values of the time.
Fetihname of Mohács
As it is expressly (clearly) commanded, in the divine revelation, that one must fight against the idolatrous infidels and to take up arms to chastise the impious, my illustrious ancestors and of glorious memory (may Allāh illuminate their tombs!) have always made it a holy habit to amass treasures of eternal rewards in holy expeditions against the infidels.??For me, my august (princely) person, clothed with the Khilāfah (Caliphate), always assisted by the grace of the Most High, and my world-conquering imperial standards have unceasingly been associated with victory.??All this, by divine munificence, fills with gifts those that he chooses, “for that is Allāh’s bounty which he bestows with liberality to those whom he pleases” (Sūrah 57:21).??Wanting therefore to undertake Holy War, I prostrated myself at the foot of the throne of the sovereign Dispenser of Largesse.??Putting my trust in the infinite generosity of the One who said, “When you undertake an expedition (campaign), put your trust in Allāh” (Sūrah 3:153), full of hope, moreover, in the miraculous protection of the Prince of the Prophets, the guide par excellence, His Lordship Muhammad (blessed be his name forever!), I felt drawn by the desire to have my share of this magnificent promise: “Yes, Allāh loves those who fight in His Way (struggle in His Path), as though they were a solid wall (single structure) (Sūrah 61:4), and??subject to this order:??“Risk for the Faith your goods (wealth) and your very life; for nothing is more advantageous for you” (Sūrah 9:41).??Desiring to obtain a reward and renown in this world and in the next, I decided for a Holy War, and I turned the reins of my victorious princely campaign against a kingdom contiguous to the Müslüman provinces and inhabited by the wickedest of the infidels, the Magyars, those wretches who deny the apostolate (prophetic mission) of the Lord of the Two Worlds; who, misled by their errors, have lost the way to the right direction (salvation).??Strengthened by the assistance of Him who opens the gates of victory at will, I unfurled my triumphant flags (banners).?
While with my army, roaring like the sea and my braves covered with cuirasses, I traversed far and took many steps.??Preceding me by one station (one day march) was??the tiger of the castle of courage, the leopard of the woods of bravery, the hero full of holy zeal, the Rostam of the arena of victory, the lion of the lair of domination, the precious pearl of the ocean of omnipotence, the champion of faith, the be?lerbe? of Rumelia, grand vezir ?brahim Pa?a, at the head of the invincible warriors of his province.?
On our arrival at the banks of the Sava, which flows by Belgrade Castle, the abode of victory, I crossed this river on a bridge of unshakeable solidity, which had been built by my imperial order for the passage of the army, competing with the number of stars, and I entered the island of Syrmia (Srijem), whose plains and mountains were covered with an infinite number of tents.??I, whom happiness never leaves, arrived in the wake of the vanguard, accompanied by the lions of battle, by those who restore the edifice of religion and empire, and who build the foundations of glory and illustriousness, my vezirs Mustafa Pa?a and Ayas Pa?a, and the amīr of amīrs, Behram, the be?lerbe? of Anatolia, as well as other slaves of my Porte and the braves of Anatolia, I cast onto Syrmia the shadows of my fortunate standards.??
Among the strongest places of the Magyars, was the Castle of Varadin (Petrovaradin), which was famous for the strength of its ramparts, the solidity of its foundations, whose bastions reached into the sky, and whose towers, perched in the clouds, touched the constellations.??This lair of evil unbelieving spirits obstructed my path to holy war, I gave to my grand vezir an irrevocable order to go and destroy it from top to bottom, and to occupy it.??One of those whom the enemy calls?ban?(viceroy), imagining that he could somehow offer resistance to my army, innumerable like the stars, had placed a collection of wretched troops in front of the castle; but when the terrible roar of the waves of armour-clad warriors resounded in his ears, he lost his countenance, did not dare to remain, and fled to the other side of the Danube.??There he rallied his troops, and set up cannons and culverins, hoping to bar the passage of my fleet, began to fire on my ships.?
In the meantime, by the grace of the Most Supreme Allāh, about 800 of my riverboats arrived, manned by intrepid men, so that, either by land or by water, the place was surrounded on all sides with tents and ships.??Then, as if a resounding voice had called all the True Believers to arms, crying to them, “Fight against those who refuse to believe in Allāh and in the Last Day (Day of Judgment)” (Sūrah 9:29), my grand vezir, at the head of a large elite troop of faithful, rushed against the suburbs of the city, on the land side, while my boats attacked the gun batteries and entrenchments erected on the other side of the river.
Fearsome warriors with lion attacks and tiger claws, heroes running like leopards, swept down on the enemy with irresistible force making the face of the world too narrow to find refuge, and, with the help of supreme Allāh, seized the suburbs and delivered to their flaming swords all the vile rebels they found there.???For its part, my fleet, putting into action these words, “Make them into projectiles to stone (drive away) the demons” (Sūrah 67:5), rained down on the accursed infidels relentlessly the murderous hail from its cannons.??With lightning effect and thunderous sound, with the soul-killing stone balls we stoned the accursed gavurs, made their cannon batteries silent, and scattered their ranks without them having time to recognize each other.??Yielding to the suggestions of his partisans seeking escape, the ungrateful followers of the devil-possessed priest (Pal Tomori), left the water side free for us according to our wish.
However the disobedient rebels who were locked up in the castle, trusting to the solidity of their ramparts, following these words, “They believed that their walls (strongholds) would protect them” (Sūrah 59:2), continued to stand on the defensive.??Then cannon batteries were positioned at the four corners of the castle, and, firing on it night and day, riddled it with destructive blows.??The cannonballs pierced the towers and bastions that became like a sieve, the gates and walls collapsed, and the towers, under the explosions of mines, collapsed.??The brave of Islām rushed forward, full of holy ardour; coming alive at the sound of this word, “Allāh holds the keys of the future and he alone knows it” (Sūrah 6:59), and repeating with confidence, “O Allāh, make our feet firm and give us victory over the infidels” (Sūrah 2:251), the illustrious amīrs, the mighty leaders, and all the warlike heroes of the battlefield swarmed the place, swift as the prayers of the righteous rising to the sky.
Upon their arrival at the foot of the walls, they found at the breach a troop of well-armed accursed enemies, who were prepared to receive them well and who rained on them musket shots, and killed the warriors of the faith with halberds, spear thrusts, flaming pitch, rolled beams and thrown stones.??The desperate fight continued fiercely on both sides until noon.??The blood-fed arrows of the Müslümanlar, with their murderous points, seemed to say to the infidels, “Taste the punishment you deserve” (Sūrah 7:39), while the death-dealing sword and the spear carried to them this funeral message: “Death awaits you everywhere, even if you hide behind high ramparts” (Sūrah 4:78).??However, it was not within the decrees of the Eternal Lord to grant us victory on that day, and the brave saw the splendour of this verse shine in the mirror of their minds: “Ask Allāh for his support and be firm in patience” (Sūrah 7:126).
So we raised new batteries and we placed mines in various places.??On the 17th?day of the blessed month of ?awwāl (i.e. July 27, 1526), which was a Friday, the mines having been ignited, detonated, and this proud castle, which carried its head in the clouds, collapsed into the dust, as is said in this saying: “We have thrown them upside down” (Sūrah 15:74).??On each of the large breaches made in the walls shone in the distance this verse: “It is help sent from Allāh and a victory will not be long in coming” (Sūrah 61:13).??Stricken with terror, a great number of infidels, fleeing distraught before the sword and the spear, having lost their minds jumped from the top of the battlements.??Then the Champions of the Faith, fast as lightning, bursting into the castle from all sides, and without delay, put the damned men to the sword and took the women and children as their captives.
The lord of the castle and the most notable among the residents fled to refuge in a tower.??When they knocked at the door of my clemency to ask for mercy, I, in accordance with the principle that, “forgiveness and pardon (amnesty) are the alms of victory” (a hadith), bestowed upon them my highest grace, I granted them amān (safety, protection, safe conduct).??
The heralds then spread the good news of the victory across the lands; and all ears rejoiced, “We gave you [O Muhammad] a resounding victory” (Sūrah 48:1).??After having deposited the homage of my gratitude at the foot of the throne of Him who bestows his benefits on all, I entered as conqueror into the place, and I transformed the temples and the churches into mosques.??The voice of the muezzin was heard reciting adhān?(call to prayer) and Friday services were held in the main mosque.
Among the high and impregnable castles which were still in the possession of the wretches was the castle of Ilok, remarkable for the depth of its foundations and the height of its ramparts.??Its walls rested on the very center of the bowels of the earth while its towers, rising into the air, carried their cloud-crowned heads up into the heavens, and its trenches equaled in depth the most penetrating intelligences.??The most skilful engineers and the most consummate craftsmen had exhausted all the resources of their arts in these magnificent constructions.
As this castle served as a den full of infidels, the instigators of hypocrisy, heretics and rebels, my grand vezir (may God make him illustrious forever!), by my highest command, with the help of the Almighty, besieged it by land and by water to purge it of its impurities.??Fearsome cannons, with fiery mouths of dragons, were put into action, and, like a dragon, spewed the fire of war night and day.??The very vault of the sky was shaken by the noise and clamour, while the vapours rising from the blood of the enemy and the smoke of the guns filled the air, obscuring the dome of heaven.??However the troop of the lost, imprisoned inside the walls, which served as a breeding ground for delusion, realized their sad state and the truth of these words: “They press their fingers in their ears, at the sound of every thunder-clap, terrified by the flashes of the lightning, trembling in front of death” (Sūrah 2:19).??The idol-worshippers, drowning in the waves of terror, burned by the fire of anxiety, seeing the victorious flags of Islām flying in the air, these wretches, finally understanding these words, “Our soldiers will be victorious” (Sūrah 37:172-3), did not find any other way of escape than that of submission (ask for mercy). Attaching themselves to the tail of the robe of the benevolent intervention of my vezir, as wise as A?af, they humbled themselves in the dust of my throne, and asked for my clemency and my compassion.??To conform to this precept, “When you have conquered your enemy, offer clemency in thanksgiving,” I granted them amān.??On the 28th?day of the aforesaid month (August 7), the Pa?a, accompanied by his brave enemy-binding soldiers, marched to the sky-high castle.??
Having approached the gate to enter it, the unfortunate ones who had asked for amān, deeply dejected and humiliated, themselves opened the gates.??With the greatest reverence and humility, in the ears of the Müslümanlar sounded these words: “Enter it in full safety” (Sūrah 15:46).??Once masters of the city, by the grace of Almighty Allāh, they raised on the ramparts my victorious imperial flags, the churches of the gavurs were converted into mosques for the followers of the only True Religion, true worshipers of Allāh (a thousand thanks to him!), the cursed ringing of the bells of the evil gavurs was replaced by the pious songs of the muezzin, and the call to prayer was heard.
In addition to this castle, the Magyars still possessed many others, which were like the keys of the infidel provinces and which served as dens for bandits: such were Irig (ür?g), Grgurevc (Gurguricsa), ?erevi? (Cserevicz), Berkasovo (Berkasz), Sotin (Szotin), Dukin (Vekin), Erdut (Erd?d), Mitrovica (Dimitrofcsa), Nogaj (?), Vukovar (Valkó), Bevaridzs, Osijek (?szek), ?arengrad (Atya), Mladenovo (Dunab?kény), and Sremska Ra?a (Rácsa) at the confluence of the Drina and Sava Rivers, each of which served as a key to the lands of wicked infidels and as a refuge for superstitious weeds.??Their residents, frightened by the terrible sound of my conquering army, lost their heads in terror.??Some, like the stars of the Great Bear, were scattered in the valleys and in the mountains; the others dragged their foreheads (rubbed their faces) in the dust of my merciful court and asked for amān.??The named castles, together with their dependencies, and the province, were annexed to the possessions of Osmanl? ?mparatorlu?u.?
Following this victory, with my world-conquering army and the invincible warriors, I continued my journey, and I marched to meet the kral, with my army, while my fleet, the boats loaded with enemy-crushing heroes, continued up the course of the river (the Danube).??Upon my arrival on the banks of the Drava, which prevails over the Nile and the Amu Darya by the abundance of its waters, and exceeds the Euphrates by the rapidity of its course, a bridge of boats, wide and solid, was built, in two or three days, for the passage of the army.??It was on the 22nd?of the month of Zi’l-ka'dé that, followed by invincible troops, the high-flying falcon of my zeal flew forward, wings spread, over the territory of the impudent and dishonest Magyars.?
As their fertile provinces were trodden down by my cavalry, I learned of the actions the wretched enemy when they received reports about my conquering campaign.??Lajos, the kral of the Magyars, gathered around him all the cursed gavurs who were under his dominion (may they be forever disappointed in their hopes!) but as the fear of the conquering sword of the True Believers (Müslümanlar) took hold of his errant mind, he asked for help and support from the other infidel princes, and the errant group of subordinate infidels sent him auxiliary armies.
The accursed kral, finding himself at the head of about 150,000 armed ruffians covered in armour, had advanced seven or eight marches from Buda, his capital, to the field called Mohács.??It was there that, impelled by the suggestions of a mad pride (foolish mind), he had resolved to fight with arms against the soldiers of Islām.??There, he had numerous cannon batteries erected and was preparing to welcome the faithful troops with more than 10,000 musketeers.??As for me, I saw, shining in the mirror of my imperial clear mind (spirit), sanctuary of divine inspirations (revelations), these words signifying victory, “Your Lord can destroy your enemy and give you his place” (Sūrah 7:129), and the limpid crystal of my thought was illuminated by the reflection of these words: “God has given you their lands, their country, their goods as an inheritance” (Sūrah 33:27).??Putting therefore my trust in the grace of the Creator of the two worlds, having recourse to the miraculous power of the Lord of Creation (may God fill him with his blessings!), I marched against the enemy (Lajos), at the head of my troops terrible in their shock, numberless like the ants, multiplied like the stars.??It was on the 20th?of the month of Zilkade, a Wednesday, in the afternoon, that the shock took place, on the plain of Mohács.??As the torches of struggle and combat were kindled on both sides, the Müslümanlar raised to the ears of the celestial singers the harmonious sound of their invocation; the thunder-voiced cannons illustrated by the fracas the meaning of this verse, “When the earth shook in its bowels (earthquake)” (Sūrah 99:1), murderous swords fanned the fire of carnage; cruel spears shone on the battlefield, like bright fire; the cannons and muskets, made real the verse, “The lightning almost tears out their sight” (Sūrah 2:20), as they struck with their merciless blows of torture and punishment the unfortunate ones destined for hell.
In the meantime, the accursed kral, accompanied by his soldiers of perdition, swooped down on the army of Rumelia, commanded by the be?lerbe? of Rumelia, my grand vezir ?brahim Pa?a (may God eternalize his glory!).??It was then that this hero displayed all the value that is innate in him.??With shining swords that pierce cuirasses, by murderous iron the champions of Islām and empire threw the infidels to pasture; they threw them into the dust under the blows of their spears and their iron-beaked arrows; they forced them to resume with all haste the path of their sojourn of error.??The mountains and the plains, throughout the extent of the battlefield, were covered with the corpses of the errant enemy.?
The Magyars who were on the other wing, seeing this defeat, fled, like vile asses (cowardly donkeys) before lions.??Terrified by the carnage, the face of the world seemed narrow like the eye of the ant to their bewildered gaze.??After having exhausted themselves in vain efforts to struggle against their conquerors, the latter, thanks to Allāh, threw their miserable existence into the fire of annihilation and sent the reprobates destined for hell to the fires of Jahannam (Gehenna) where they will burn - what a sad crooked path.
At the end, the wind of victory seemed to whisper as it blew, “Allāh has given his help to you in many places” (Sūrah 9:25), and the Messenger of Fortune sounded in the ears of the believers the verse of triumph.??Then the cursed kral, putting into practice this saying, “The winner is the one who saves his head” fled from the battlefield.??The Müslümanlar warriors, putting themselves in pursuit of this troop of malefactors (evil army), putting the greatest number to the sword, and others were thrown into the Danube, and drowned, like Pharaoh's people.??The heads of their chiefs and their generals were delivered to the sword and cut off, those who escaped the iron were made prisoners.??The standards of these wretches have been thrown down; their weapons, their guns, their ammunition, and all kinds of military equipment were taken.??All the prisoners, of whatever condition they were, were later devoured by the sword, and their corpses became the prey of ants and serpents.??As for their kral, it is not known whether he is dead or alive.
Praise be to Allāh, the Most High!??The flags of Islām were victorious, and the enemies of the religion of the Lord of mankind have been driven from their land and crushed.??Thus the munificence of Allāh gifted to my majestic person a triumph such as neither the illustrious sultans, nor the all-powerful khaqans, nor even the companions of the Prophet, had won.??“What remained of the nation of the impious (evil race) was exterminated: praise be to Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds!” (Sūrah 6:45)
So be it!??On the very day which was favoured by this great triumph of Islām, bearers of my imperial order were dispatched to spread joy and gladness among all who follow the religion of the best of mankind.??If Allāh permits, when this news reaches you, you will celebrate it with rejoicing and feasts, in order to spread the news everywhere, and you will take care to pray and say a prayer to the Most High for my fortune and the prosperity of our empire to last forever.
In the last days of the month of Zilkade, of the year 932 (September 1- 7, 1526.)
The letter was written by Celalzade Mustafa ?elebi. He was born circa 1490, and became a scribe at the Sultan's court in 1516 and served the Grand Viziers Piri Pa?a (1518-23) and ?brahim Pa?a (1523-36) as private secretary.? He participated in the campaigns to Beograd (1521) and Rhodes (1522).?In 1525, after returning from the mission to Egypt with ?brahim Pa?a, he was promoted to Reis ül-Küttab (Chief of the Scribes).?Mustafa later comes to be known by his epithet ?oca Ni?anc? (The Great Chancellor).?