War Songs – Dalriada – About the triumph of Hunyadi and Capistrano at Nándorfehérvár
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA6TgOVYDYY
Christian John of Capistrano Franciscan friar
Set out to sad Hungary, hearing her many plight
Hearing of ugly infighting and quarrels, lack of peace
Hearing how her beset people are in a great peril
Once a stronghold, now it has been reduced to a stony rubble
Encircled, defending it was excruciating, they’ve protected it unto death
The famous governor of the country dons armor and grabs a sword,
And Hunyadi led his army to relieve the beleaguered fort.
Good Hunyadi and brave Capistrano, guide our weapons!
The night either brings our triumph or we find our death here
Three ferocious sieges, a falling soldier with a flag
Protect, my Lord, our nation!
Christian John of Capistrano, Franciscan friar
Traveling in sad Hungary, he saw its many plight,
He saw her ugly infighting, her lack of peace, and
Made the purpose of his life to help her.
He was brave, true in a battle, thousands hung on his words.
His mind was set on holy tales, and he himself was a holy friar.
Leading armies of peasants, with just a cross in his hand,
And his loyal people achieved great triumph in the name of the Lord.
Good Hunyadi and brave Capistrano, guide our weapons,
The night either brings our triumph or we find our death here
Three ferocious sieges, falling soldier with a flag,
My Lord, protect our nation!
My Lord, protect our nation!
The song is quite obviously about the Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Hungarians had defeated Ottoman army at Kruševo in 1454 AD. In order to take revenge for this, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II first captured Novo Brdo in Serbia, which was taken after 40 days of siege on 1st June 1455. In Croatia and Hungary, Ulrich II of Celje was forcibly taking over lands that were not his and Hunyadi was thus busy with him instead of thinking about defense of the kingdom. But after Dubrovnik informed Hungarian king about Ottoman intentions in 1456, and Pope sent John of Capistrano to collect money and help organize defense, Hungary could at last begin to prepare. John Hunyadi and Ulrich of Celje made peace, and nobility accepted a tax of one florint for each peasant house on their lands.
But the king and Ulrich ran away, and thus nobility too declined to participate in defense of the realm. Hunyadi, Carvajal and Capistrano organized the defense, with Hunyadi taking over immediate defense of Belgrade, Carvajal remaining in Buda to organize logistics, and Capistrano went to recruit mercenaries with papal money while also preaching the new Crusade among the minor nobility and peasantry. Capistrano indeed managed to collect a sizeable but eclectic Crusader army – majority of them citizens and peasants armed with axes and agricultural implements, supported by some 100 German mercenaries and 300 Polish troops.
Michael Szilagyi had already begun works on reinforcing the fortress as early as spring 1455. Sultan arrived to Belgrade in early days of July with army of 120 000 men, 300 cannons, 70 large and 200 small ships. City was quickly blockaded, and Sultan swore he would take Belgrade in 15 days and Buda in two months.
In the meantime, Hunyadi with his troops and Capistrano with his crusaders had arrived to Petrovaradin and Slankamen on the Danube, upstream of the Belgrade. Ottoman blockade prevented them from reaching the city, so first order of business was breaking the blockade. Hunyadi collected 200 boats which he filled with his own troops as well as better troops selected from among the Crusaders, moving downriver on 14th July, clashing with the Ottoman blockade. Ottoman blockade was broken after five hours of fighting, and Belgrade received new troops, food and ammunition. Hunyadi took command of the city whose walls by now had been seriously damaged.
Ottomans apparently received news that kings of Aragon and Neapoli were about to arrive to assist the city. Be it for this or another reason, war council of 21st July decided to mount a general assault against the city despite the walls not having been sufficiently degraded yet (some accounts state that sultan had wanted to keep bombardment up for another two weeks). Attack began on five in the afternoon and lasted until the afternoon of the next day, but defenders repelled it by the skin of their teeth. Having defeated the attack, a mass of Crusaders flooded out of the city and attacked the exhausted Janissaries in their siege works. This attack destroyed or disabled a large number of Ottoman artillery pieces, as well as killing Smail-aga and a large number of Janissaries. Only in the evening, with arrival of 6 000 Ottoman cavalry, did Capistrano and Hunyadi manage to get crusaders to retire back to the city. On the other side, Ottoman Sultan, having lost most of his artillery and Janissaries, abandoned the siege on the night of 22nd onto 23rd July. Ottomans had lost 24 000 men as well as their entire artillery, but Hunyadi did not have long to celebrate his victory. Battlefield covered with corpses rotting in the summer sun was ideal ground for disease, and Hunyadi himself died of sickness on 11th August 1456.
Song mentions only Hunyadi and Capistrano; Carvajal is not mentioned as he did not participate in the fighting, despite playing just as important role in defense of the city.
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