Battle of Mirăslău

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The Battle of Mirăslău, fought near Mirăslău (Hungarian: Miriszló), was a turning point in the history of medieval Romania. The battle took place on 18 September 1600, between the Wallachian army lead by Michael the Brave and the Hungarian noblemen supported by the Austrian general Giorgio Basta. Previously, Michael had become the prince of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania (the first time all three had been under a single ruler). Hungarian noblemen from Transylvania rebelled against him and gathered an army near Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár).

Basta had been sent by Emperor Rudolph II to Transylvania ostensibly to help Michael, but in actuality to join with the Hungarians. Michael despised Basta from their initial meetings.

Basta entered Transylvania from the north and assumed command of the Hungarian army. He marched against the Wallachian army which Michael had gathered in the small village of Mirăslău, a few kilometers north of the river Mureş. The Wallachian army numbered approximately 40,000 to 50,000 men, consisting mainly of mercenaries of different nationalities, including Szeklers, Cossacks, and Poles. Baba Novac led the cavalry at the center of the army. Basta's army of 30,000 was a combination of the Hungarian nobility, Austrians, and Saxon mercenaries.

Michael's forces began the battle with a well-positioned cannonade from a hillside, while his main troops were protected in the town by 2,000 Szekler gunmen. In this first stage, many Hungarian noblemen were killed by cannonballs, and the battle appeared to be setting itself as an easy victory for Michael.

However, Basta had set a trap for the Wallachian voivode; by pretending to retreat from his position, Basta intended for Michael to leave his defensive entrenchments and follow the Austrian. Upon viewing Basta's feigned retreat, Michael supposedly said, "Now the coward dog is running, we should follow him." Michael's army quickly left the fortifications to charge Basta's army, but the general turned his heavy cavalry on the advancing Wallachians and routed them.

This defeat caused panic to ensue in Michael's army. The Cossack mercenaries were the first to flee, leading to many of them drowning in the Mureş. Baba Novac led a determined resistance in the middle of the line with his cavalry, but it was not enough to turn the tide of the battle. Realizing the futility of continuing the battle, Michael took his horse and swam across the Mureş. The Wallachian casualties were high, with more then 5,000 men killed in action and many more prisoners, especially Szeklers, later executed by the vindictive Hungarian nobility. Basta's army lost approximately 1,000 men in the battle.

The defeat of Michael put an end to his goal of uniting the three Romanian-inhabited provinces. Basta would later have the leader assassinated on August 9, 1601.