György Szondy
Encyclopedia
György Szondy was a Hungarian soldier and the captain of Drégely Castle. He was a respected soldier, even by his Turkish
foes, whose recognition can be seen by his burial by Hadim Ali Pasha
with full military honours.
ancestry and he either came from a peasant or a civic family. According to other sources, he was a yeoman of Turóc
(today: Turiec) county. After the sudden death of his mother he joined the army at the age of 15 with his younger brother Jakab where he met Ferenc Révay
, a general officer from a prominent Hungarian noble family.
Révay saw great potential in Szondy and took him under his wing. Révay made Szondy into a lieutenant
of the Hungarian Hussars at the age of 21. After taking part in campaigns against the Ottoman Turks
in Serbia
and Transylvania
, where he and his brother both served, Szondy decided that he should spend the rest of his service as an infantry
man. Szondy became a Captain after he showed his military genius and courage in a courageous night assault at a Turkish camp, in an attempt to demoralise the Turkish forces after the catastrophic Battle of Mohács
.
in 1544, which had a small garrison of only sixty men, six small cannon and twelve castle guns, Szondy was faced with the task of defending it. Drégely Castle was of strategic importance not only to the Hungarians but also to the Turks as a base for raids into Upper Hungary. After hearing that a Turkish force of great numbers was heading towards Drégely, Szondy sent a letter to Erasmus Teuffel, the Captain of the castle in Léva (today Levice
, Slovakia), to send reinforcements. Teuffel could only supply him with 146 soldiers.
The Siege of Drégely began on 6 July 1552 when an Ottoman army of 12,000 men led by Hadim Ali Pasha
arrived at the gates of Drégely Castle. In that afternoon the first wave of Turkish cannon fire brought down the decayed castle walls and the Janissaries
captured the lower castle courtyard without a fight. The next morning the Turks attacked but were defeated by Szondy and his infantrymen, the Hajdús
. Despite outnumbering them by 12 to 1, the Janissaries were defeated by Szondy's 100 Hajdús. After acknowledging the bravery of his opponent Ali Pasha decided to launch a full scale cannonade the next day. The walls were destroyed by noon on 8 July.
On 9 July 1552 Ali Pasha prayed to Allah
in the early morning and requested victory. He decided to send the local Catholic
priest to Szondy and offer him a choice: either to surrender and be given safe passage and escort to Upper Hungary, or to perish. Szondy sent his scribe and servant with his answer to Ali Pasha saying "Spare the boys and let God settle the fate of this castle". In the afternoon the Janissaries attacked and Szondy ordered the last cannonade to be fired and ordered a full scale attack against the Turks. Four hours of intensive fighting ensued until Szondy's forces were reduced to sixty men. Szondy led the attack and was shot through the knee and fought even on his knees until he was brought down by the Turks.
One of the Janissaries cut off his head and brought it to Ali Pasha. Ten of Szondy's Hajdús survived and where granted safe passage back to Upper Hungary. Ali Pasha acknowledged Szondy's bravery, and ordered an ornate marble sarcophagus
to be made for Szondy and for him to be buried with full military honours.
: it became an example also in Poland
and even in the farthest corners of the Ottoman Empire
.
His name was often used by impostor
s. Even now, between 6 and 9 July every year Slovaks and Hungarians alike celebrate the life of the great warrior at his sarcophagus in Drégelypalánk
, Hungary.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
foes, whose recognition can be seen by his burial by Hadim Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
with full military honours.
Family
Szondy's origin is obscure. He probably had SlovakSlovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
ancestry and he either came from a peasant or a civic family. According to other sources, he was a yeoman of Turóc
Turóc
Turóc may refer to:* Turóc County* Turóc River...
(today: Turiec) county. After the sudden death of his mother he joined the army at the age of 15 with his younger brother Jakab where he met Ferenc Révay
Ferenc Révay
Ferenc Révay of Szklabina and Blatnicza, was a palatine in the Kingdom of Hungary, thus was ranking second to the King.-Biography:...
, a general officer from a prominent Hungarian noble family.
Révay saw great potential in Szondy and took him under his wing. Révay made Szondy into a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the Hungarian Hussars at the age of 21. After taking part in campaigns against the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, where he and his brother both served, Szondy decided that he should spend the rest of his service as an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
man. Szondy became a Captain after he showed his military genius and courage in a courageous night assault at a Turkish camp, in an attempt to demoralise the Turkish forces after the catastrophic Battle of Mohács
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
.
Role in History
After becoming the captain of Drégely CastleDrégely Castle
Drégely Castle is a 13th century hilltop castle in Nógrád County, Hungary. It is in ruins, but being restored.- Geography :The ruin of Drégely Castle sits on a high peak of the Börzsöny mountains in Hungary. The area is in the administrative territory of Drégelypalánk in Nógrád County. But it is...
in 1544, which had a small garrison of only sixty men, six small cannon and twelve castle guns, Szondy was faced with the task of defending it. Drégely Castle was of strategic importance not only to the Hungarians but also to the Turks as a base for raids into Upper Hungary. After hearing that a Turkish force of great numbers was heading towards Drégely, Szondy sent a letter to Erasmus Teuffel, the Captain of the castle in Léva (today Levice
Levice
Levice is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on the left bank of the lower Hron river. The Old Slavic name of the town was Leva, which means "the Left One"....
, Slovakia), to send reinforcements. Teuffel could only supply him with 146 soldiers.
The Siege of Drégely began on 6 July 1552 when an Ottoman army of 12,000 men led by Hadim Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
arrived at the gates of Drégely Castle. In that afternoon the first wave of Turkish cannon fire brought down the decayed castle walls and the Janissaries
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
captured the lower castle courtyard without a fight. The next morning the Turks attacked but were defeated by Szondy and his infantrymen, the Hajdús
Hajdú (county)
Hajdú, formerly known as Hajdúság, is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary in present-day eastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Debrecen...
. Despite outnumbering them by 12 to 1, the Janissaries were defeated by Szondy's 100 Hajdús. After acknowledging the bravery of his opponent Ali Pasha decided to launch a full scale cannonade the next day. The walls were destroyed by noon on 8 July.
On 9 July 1552 Ali Pasha prayed to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
in the early morning and requested victory. He decided to send the local Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Hungary
The Roman Catholic Church in Hungary is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....
priest to Szondy and offer him a choice: either to surrender and be given safe passage and escort to Upper Hungary, or to perish. Szondy sent his scribe and servant with his answer to Ali Pasha saying "Spare the boys and let God settle the fate of this castle". In the afternoon the Janissaries attacked and Szondy ordered the last cannonade to be fired and ordered a full scale attack against the Turks. Four hours of intensive fighting ensued until Szondy's forces were reduced to sixty men. Szondy led the attack and was shot through the knee and fought even on his knees until he was brought down by the Turks.
One of the Janissaries cut off his head and brought it to Ali Pasha. Ten of Szondy's Hajdús survived and where granted safe passage back to Upper Hungary. Ali Pasha acknowledged Szondy's bravery, and ordered an ornate marble sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
to be made for Szondy and for him to be buried with full military honours.
Legacy
After being given the news of Szondy's demise by the ten remaining Hajdús, the news of his bravery spread beyond Upper HungaryUpper Hungary
Upper Hungary is the usual English translation for the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia...
: it became an example also in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and even in the farthest corners of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
His name was often used by impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
s. Even now, between 6 and 9 July every year Slovaks and Hungarians alike celebrate the life of the great warrior at his sarcophagus in Drégelypalánk
Drégelypalánk
Drégelypalánk is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary. It was first recorded in 1274 and was created as a merger of two settlements named Drégely and Palánk...
, Hungary.