Buda, City

1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.

Buda, or Offen, the capital City of Hungary, upon the Danube. The pleasant Scituation of this City obliged the Kings of Hungary to make it their ordinary Residence. Sigismund, King of Hungary, who was Crowned King in 1387 and was afterward Emperor, beautified it with several sumptuous Palaces, and caused the Castle to be built, where afterwards his Successors kept their Court. This City passed for one of the beautifullest of the Kingdom, before the Turks had it; but whilst it was in their Possession, they suffered the finest Buildings to fall to Ruine. It is built on the Right side of the Danube, upon a Mountain which makes its Scituation very advantagious. Pest is on the other side, a little below it; and there is commonly a Bridge of 60 Boats, which serves for a Communication from the one to the other. The Lower City, called Wasserstadt, or Town of the Jews, which is like a Suburb, reacheth from the Upper City to the Danube, on the same Side. The Upper City takes up all the Declivity of the Mountain, and is fortified with good-Walls, which have Towers at certain Distances, after the ancient manner. The Castle is at the Extremity of the City Eastward, upon a Hill, which commands the greatest part of it. It is surrounded with a very deep Ditch, and defended by old fashioned Towers, and some modern Fortifications, which take up all the Hill from the Wall of the Upper City to the Danube. This City was taken by Soliman II. in 1526. Ferdinand, the Arck-Duke of Austria, re-took it the next Year after. In 1529, Soliman made himself Master of it again, after the Garison had stood eleven Assaults, and restored it to the Wayvood of Transilvania, who had lost it before. Ferdinando, in 1540 or 1541, attacked it again, when Soliman coming the third time to relieve it, raised the Siege, and made himself Master of the Place by Stratagem and Surprise, and so took it from the Queen, whom he came to assist. Matthias the Arch-Duke besieged it again in 1598, and after in 1601, but with no Success. The Duke of Lorrain sate down before it in 1684, from July 14 to November 1, but was forced to raise the Siege and leave it; but re-invested it the 15th of June 1686; but was forced to raise the Siege, and to make Peace with Mahomet III. In fine, the Imperialists took it from the Infidels the 2d of Septemb. 1686, after a Siege of two Months and a half, of which we have many Relations, the best of which seems to be that which is contained in the History of the late Troubles of Hungary, Pag. 5. The 15th of June the two Bodies of the Army advanced equally; that of the Elector of Bavaria encamped at Mohatz, and Prince Charles of Lorrain, with the Cavalry at Dotkamp, opposite to one another, the Danube lying betwixt them. The same day the Earl of Staremberg having received Orders to make the Infantry advance, and to come to encamp at Marotz, arrived there with all the Troops, and part of the Baggage of the Army which had not been imbarked. The 16th Prince Charles went to encamp with the Horse at St. Andrew, the Earl of Staremberg with the Foot at Postkam, and the Elector of Bavaria to Wailan, so that the Infidels, from the Ramparts, could see the Christians on both sides the Danube, yet they made no Motion. The 18th, all the Infantry having joyned the Army, Prince Charles ordered them to advance; and the Order was no sooner given, but the whole Army marched, and the Place was invested on all Sides. They begun the same day to make a Bridge of Boats, as well for the Passage of the Troops of Bavaria, as for Communication with the other Side of the Danube, and afterwards resolved to attack the Town in four different Places; the first Attack, on the Side of the Lower Town, was commanded by Prince Charles, and carried on by the Imperial Troops: the Second on the Side of the Castle, by the Elector of Bavaria: the Third by the Troops of Saxony, and the fourth by those of Brandenbourg. The 19th Prince Charles caused the Army to approach to the Baths, and there fixed the general Quarter with some Regiments of Foot, within a quarter of a Mile of the City. On the 21st the Elector of Bavaria marched his Troops over the Bridge, and came to encamp at the Foot of Mount St. Gerard. The 22d the Prince of Neubourg, Grand Master of the Teutonick Order, arrived in the Camp with Count Dunewald. The next day, the Christians began to batter the Wasserstad, and having made a sufficient Breach, they entered it, whilst the Infidels retired into the Upper City. On the 30th the Marquiss of Turlac arrived in the Camp with the Troops of Suedland, and at the same time arrived also the Auxiliary Troops of Franconia and Suabia, and two Companies of Passau and Ratisbonne. The 2d of July the Troops of Brandenburg arrived under the Command of the Marshal General Schonen. The 13th the Christians mounted and made themselves Masters of the Breach; but the Infidels setting Fire to a Furnace, several Volunteers of great Note, with a great Number of Soldiers, were killed or wounded. The 23d it was thought fit to summon the Besieged. The Earl of Konigseck, Ayde de Camp General, was sent with an Interpreter and a Drummer to make the Summons. The Turks came to meet him, and took the Letter, which they presented to the Commander. There was a Truce of two Hours made On both Sides. The Turks brought a Letter wrapped in Scarlet, written by the Governor, in answer to that of Prince Charles; wherein he declared that he was resolved to make a vigorous Defence. After this Answer there was great Firing made on both Sides. The 27th the Christians gave a general Assault, and became Masters of three Towers, at the three Quarters of Prince Charles of Lorrain, of the Marshall of Schonen, General of the Troops of Brandenbourg, and of the Elector of Bavaria. The 1st of August the Besieged sent two Agas, who offered, in the Name of the Visir of Buda, to remit this Place, with all its Dependencies, and what other two Towns the Emperor should make choice of, if he would make Peace; but as Prince Charles was informed that the Emperor would do nothing, but with the Consent of his Allies, he dismissed the Agas. On the 14th, the Turks, who came to the Relief of Buda, appeared in Battel Array; Prince Charles fought them, he took eight Pieces of Cannon, and forty Standards, with the loss of about 200 Men. The next day there were found in the Field 2200 dead Bodies. The 22d the Bavarians seized on one of the Towers of the Castle. The 29th the Turks made another Attempt to enter into the City, but they were repulsed by the Christians. The 31st they got Advice that the Grand Visir was extreamly dissatisfied with the 2 Bassas who commanded the Troops which the Christians had defeated the 29th, and that his Army was but of about 30000 Men. Lastly, the 2d of September was the general Assault given: The Elector of Bavaria, accompanied with the Prince of Baden begun it, by attacking the Castle. A little while after, Prince Charles of Lorrain, attended by the Princes of Croy, Newbourg, and Commerci, the Ganerals Souches, Diepenthal, Scherffemberg, and the chief Voluntiers of the Army, marched to the Assault. After a fierce Combat, which lasted an Hour, the Governor being killed upon the Breach, the Turks lost Courage, and retired in Disorder to the foot of a Wall of the Castle. The Imperialists being entered the City, made a terrible Slaughter. The Elector of Bavaria found a stronger Resistance at the Castle; for the Turks who were there in their Retrenchments, not knowing that the City was taken, defended themselves with a great deal of Courage; at last, being overpowered, they set fire, through Despair, to several Places of the City. After a great Massacre, the Elector of Bavaria caused Quarter to be given to near 2000 Men, who were retired into the Castle, whilst the Earl of Koningseck carried the same Orders to the Imperialists from Prince Charles of Lorrain. This they did, because the Infidels might have defended themselves yet a great while; for they had at their Head, the Aga of the Janisaries, with the Bassa's Lieutenant, the Mufti, and several other Officers, who were made Prisoners by the Bavarians: Most of the Women and Children were also saved. The Infidels being disarmed, some were conducted to a Mosque, and the rest left in the Castle, whilst the Fire they had kindled in the City raged so far, that the Walls of the Houses hardly escaped its Fury. The next day the two Generals visited the Place, and found in it above 400 Pieces of Artillery, 4 of which, of an extraordinary bigness, they call the 4 Evangelists. There was Ammunitions also found in it for more than a Month. The Christians did not loose above 100 Men in this Action, and as they were preparing to go to attack the Grand Visir in his Camp, they were informed that he had abandoned it. A Treasure of 300000 Ducats discovered in the City, was given to the Bassa to use as he should see occasion. There were also 60000 Sequins found, with other Sums, buried in the Ground in divers Places. The Library of the ancient Kings of Hungary, so much augmented by Matthias Corvin, being not in the least damnified, was transported to Vienna. It is said that a Writing in Turkish Language was found in the Mufty's Cloaths, which was an Order of the Grand Signior, to make publick Prayers throughout the whole Extent of his Empire, to appease the Wrath of God, who was irritated against the Musulmans. Buda lies 49 German Miles North from Belgrade, and 54 South of Vienna.