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1516-26 SCH-SWID-POL 1/2 GROSCHEN

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1516-26 SCH-SWID-POL 1/2 GROSCHEN

SKU: 147

$30.00

Description

  • 1516-26 Louis II of Hungary & Bohemia (Schweidnitz-Swidnica-Poland)
    1/2 Groschen
    OBV: Eagle
    REV: Crown
    After his father's death in 1516, the minor Louis II ascended to the thrones of Hungary and Bohemia
    Following the accession to the throne of Suleiman I, the sultan sent an ambassador to Louis II to collect the annual tribute that Hungary had been subjected to. Louis refused to pay annual tribute and had the Ottoman ambassador executed and sent the head to the Sultan. Louis believed that the Papal States and other Christian States including Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor would help him. This event hastened the fall of Hungary.
    The Ottoman Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Hungary.
    Louis failed to coordinate and gather his forces. At the same time, Hungary was unable to get assistance from other European states, which Louis had hoped for. Belgrade and many strategic castles in Serbia were captured by the Ottomans. This was disastrous for Louis' kingdom; without the strategically important cities of Belgrade and Å abac, Hungary, including Buda, was open to further Turkish conquests.
    After the siege of Rhodes, in 1526 Suleiman made a second expedition to subdue all of Hungary. Louis made a tactical error when he tried to stop the Ottoman army in an open field battle with a medieval army, insufficient firearms, and obsolete tactics. On 29 August 1526, Louis led his forces against Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire in the disastrous Battle of Mohács. In a pincer movement, the Hungarian army was surrounded by Ottoman cavalry, and in the center, the Hungarian heavy knights and infantry were repulsed and suffered heavy casualties, especially from the well-positioned Ottoman cannons and well-armed and trained Janissary musketeers.
    Nearly the entire Hungarian Royal army was destroyed on the battlefield. During the retreat, the twenty-year-old king died in a marsh.
    I hope you enjoy this piece of Silver history.

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