Prinz Eugen Franz von Savoyen-Carignan

The Prince Eugenio di Savoia (1663-1736) and the beloved Austrian Prinz Eugen. A cadet of the Savoia Royal House and a cousin of the reigning Duke of Savoia he asked, at first, to serve in the French Army but as he was nicknamed “shorty” at Versailles King Louis XIV dismissed him in a mocking way. He become so an Austrian officer and proved soon to be an outstanding soldier when (twenty) he fought in front of Vienna (Wien) against the Turks gaining the rank of colonel. It was the first of 32 campaigns under the Austrian colours; he defeated the Turks repulsing their last, great attacks against Europe winning at Zenta, Petervaradino and Belgrado during a more than thirty year war. He had the venture too to smash Louis XIV Army at Torino (Turin) on 1706 saving the Duke of Savoy and paying, with interest, that old dispute. Quite a romantic character he was able to win not only his enemies but the debatable inefficiency of the Austrian logistical system and bureaucracy too. His hobbies were architecture and to collect paintings (look at his collection, preserved at the Belvedere palace near Wien).

Battle of Zenta 1697

The Battle of Zenta or Battle of Senta, fought on September 11, 1697 just south of modern Serbian town of Senta (German: Zenta), on the east side of the Tisa (Tisza) river, was a major engagement in the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) and one of most decisive defeats in Ottoman history.

After the relief of the Habsburg capital in the Battle of Vienna of 1683, Austria enjoyed great success and by 1688 Belgrade and most of the Pannonian Plain was occupied by Habsburgs. But as the war with the French demanded more troops, and the new grand vizier reorganized and reinvigorated the Ottoman Army, the success ended. Belgrade was recaptured by the Ottomans in 1690 and the following year’s campaign was relatively indecisive.

It was possible to increase the Austrian war effort in 1697, after the defection of Savoy from France in 1696 released Imperial troops from northern Italy. The Austrians would be lead by Eugene of Savoy in his first independent command; it was not to be his last.

On 11 September a captured Pasha disclosed that whilst the Sultan and most of his heavy artillery had crossed the river the Grand Vizier with the entire infantry, part of the cavalry and more than 100 guns were still entrenched in the bridgehead. Eugene rushed his army to the high ground above Zenta.

Eugene’s right wing formed up on the river bank commanded by Heister. The centre commanded by Count Reuss with and on the left Guido Starhemberg completed the encirclement of the bridgehead with a left hook. Eugene’s second in command and cavalry commander was Prince de Commercy. Swarms of Ottoman cavalry attacked the centre but were driven off by the Imperial cavalry supported by infantry and light artillery.

The outer Ottoman defences consisted of uncompleted entrenchments. This was supported by a second line that included an old Imperial storehouse and a wall strengthened by palisades.

Eugene’s left wing infantry used a sandbank to get behind the Turkish defences and threaten access to the bridge while his right wing joined up in a wide semicircle. Both sides had reached the river some two hours before sunset. Eugene then ordered a general assault on the entrenchments. Ottoman morale was affected by the flanking attack but the Janissaries in particular fought on before breaking in panic for the river.

Some 20,000 Turks including the Grand Vizier and the Aga of the Janissaries were slaughtered and a further 10,000 drowned. Eugene’s army claimed only 300 dead.

The battle was an amazing victory for Austria; at the cost of 500 men they had inflicted the loss of 30,000 men (include some 10,000 that drowned in the River Tisa) and captured the sultan’s harem, 87 cannon, the royal treasure chest and the state seal of the Ottoman Empire. The main Ottoman army was scattered and the Austrians gained complete freedom of action in Bosnia, where Sarajevo was burnt.

By the terms of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, the Austrians forced the sultan Mustafa II to make peace with the Emperor, and to cede Transylvania and the Ottoman eyalets of Budin, Egri and Kanije, which were later transformed or integrated into Habsburg provinces known as the Principality of Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Slavonia, and the Military Frontier.

Whilst Eugene’s command achievements were considerable the superiority of the army he led owed more to the work of Raymond Montecuccoli. He improved mobility with smaller battalions and increased firepower by reducing the proportion of pikes. This work was continued after his death with the introduction of flintlocks with plug, ring and socket bayonet before most other western armies including the French. The Imperial forces in the Balkans also relied more heavily on light field artillery and up to a third of the army was cavalry. Dragoons (including Eugene’s early command) providing firepower (often on foot) with cuirassiers for shock action. The hussars who were mainly Croats as Hungary was in revolt for most of this period were used for raiding and scouting. A vital counter to the Ottoman Tartar horsemen.

The following general breakout for the Imperial forces (~31,000

men):

Infantry

- Austrian: 17 infantry regts of 2 bns ea + 1 infantry regt of 1 bn

- Saxon: 13 bns

- Brandenburg: 4 regts of 1 bn ea.

Cavalry

- Austrian: 10 cuirassier regts + 6 dragoon regts

- Saxon: 7 horse and dragoon sqdns

- Brandenburg: 1 horse regt

Artillery: probably none since the army conducted a forced march

The Ottoman armies of this period were not radically different tactically from the highpoint of Ottoman expansion. Light troops sought to goad the Imperial troops from their defensive position onto the Janissaries and the heavy artillery. However, the quality of the army had declined. The Janissaries were no longer the disciplined force of the previous century and economic pressures had undermined the Timar system and with it the Sipahis. The provincial Seratculi infantry were excellent skirmishers well suited for the endemic border warfare, but of limited value on the battlefield. The main problem was simply that the army had not adopted the advances in fire discipline which gave the Imperial army its vital cutting edge.

Less info on the Ottomans, but the following guestimations were provided as

guidelines only (~32,000 men):

Cavalry: 10 Sipahi regts (6400), 3 Kapikulu regts (2400), 2 Tatar regts

(1600), 1 Delli regt (720) (~11,120 men)

Infantry: 8 Janissary regts (8000), 5 Azar regts (5000), 5 Arnaut regts

(3000), 5 levy regts (5000) (~21,000 men)

Artillery: possibly a couple batteries deployed to cover the approaches

to the Ottoman earthworks