Battle of Rozhanovce
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The Battle of Rozhanovce (Hungarian: Rozgonyi csata, Slovak: Bitka pri Rozhanovciach) was fought between King Charles I of Hungary and the family of Palatine Amade Aba on June 15, 1312[1], on the Rozhanovce field in the north-eastern part of the Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Slovakia). Chronicon Pictum described it as the "most cruel battle since the Mongol invasion of Europe". Despite many casualties on the King's side, his decisive victory brought an end to the Aba family's rule over eastern Slovakia, weakened King's major domestic opponent Matthew Csák, and ultimately secured power in the Kingdom of Hungary for the Angevin dynasty.
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[edit] Background
After the Árpád dynasty died out in 1301, the succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hungary became contested. The Pope's champion, Charles Robert of Anjou, finally drove his foreign opponents out of the country and was crowned in 1310. However, his rule remained nominal in many parts of the Kingdom because several powerful magnates still did not recognize him as the king. King's chief adversary was Matthew Csák, who controlled 14 counties in western and central Slovakia. He allied himself with the Aba family (Slovak: Omodejovci), who ruled eastern Slovakia.
In 1312, Charles besieged Šariš Castle controlled by the Abas. After the Abas received substantial reinforcement from Matthew Csák (according to Chronicon Pictum almost Matthew's entire force as well as 1,700 mercenary spearmen), the king was forced to retreat to the loyal county of Spiš, whose inhabitants subsequently reinforced his own troops. The Abas' benefited from the king's retreat. They decided to use the gathered rebel forces to attack the town of Košice because of a blood feud with the burghers and perhaps also because of Košice's strategic location and immense wealth. Charles could nothing but march on Košice and engage his adversaries before they conquer the town.
[edit] The Battle
The rebels abandoned the siege of Košice and positioned their troops on a hill near the Torysa river. King Charles was forced to dispose his troops in a flat agricultural land under that hill. Although the numbers are uncertain, the king's army consisted of his own men, an elite unit of Knights Hospitaller, and a 1,000-men strong infantry unit of Spiš Saxons. Because of the contradicting versions in the contemporary chronicles, it is not clear to what extent the Aba family was helped by Matthew Csák's forces.
The battle commenced when the rebels made a surprising attack during or just after the Mass in the king's camp. A bloody mêlée followed, causing heavy casualties among knights on both sides. At one point, even the king's battle standard was lost and Charles himself had to fight under the standard of the Knights Hospitaller. In the crucial moment of the battle, a reinforcement from Košice came and saved the king's cause. The rebel army, after it lost its commanders in the battle, was routed.
[edit] Aftermath
The key leaders of the Aba family perished in the battle and their domain was divided between the King and his loyal followers. The loss of the key ally was also an important blow to Matthew Csák. Although he managed to control much of his territories until his death in 1321, his power started to decline just after the battle and he could never again launch any major offensive against the king.
The immediate consequence was that Charles gained control over eastern Slovakia. But the long-term consequences of the victory were even more important. The battle drastically reduced magnates' opposition against him. The King extended his power base and prestige. The position of the Angevin dynasty was now secured militarily and the period of feudal anarchy in the Kingdom of Hungary came to its end.
The role of Košice's urban militia was not forgotten by the Angevin dynasty and Košice became the first town in Europe to obtain its own coat of arms.
[edit] References
- ^ Warfare in Fourteenth Century Hungary, from the Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum. De Re Militari, an international scholarly association. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
