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Description

"The Battle that saved (Western) Civilization" (Cardinal Richelieu)

Scarce early plan of the Siege of Szigetvar in 1566.

The siege of Szigetvár was a siege of the fortress of Szigetvár, in the Kingdom of Hungary.  The siege blocked the progress of Sultan Suleiman's forces from proceeding toward Vienna in 1566. Fought between the defending Habsburg force under the command of Nikola IV Zrinski and the Ottoman army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the siege was the final attempt of Suleiman push his forces to Vienna.

The siege lasted from August 5 to September 8, 1566. While the Ottoman force prevailed, both sides took large losses, with Suleiman himself dying during the siege. 

The importance of the battle was considered so great that the French clergyman and statesman Cardinal Richelieu was reported to have described it as "the battle that saved (Western) civilization". The battle is still famous in Croatia and Hungary and inspired both the Hungarian epic poem.