The capture of Belgrade was the recapture of Belgrade (capital of modern

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

) by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1739.

Background

According to the Treaty of Pruth signed in 1711 between the Ottoman Empire and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the Russians had stipulated to stop interfering in the affairs of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

. In the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of thei ...

(1733–1738), Habsburg Austria and the Russian Empire were allies. The Ottomans saw this alliance as a violation of the treaty and engaged in a war against Russia. Being an ally of Russia, the Austrians also declared war on the Ottoman Empire in 1737. The Austrian army was defeated in two major battles, the Battle of Banja Luka and the

Battle of Grocka The Battle of Grocka, also known as Battle of Krotzka, ( tr, Hisarcık Savaşı) was fought between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire on July 21–22, 1739, in Grocka, Belgrade. The Ottomans were victorious and took the city of Belgr ...

, and had to fall back on Belgrade.

The siege

The Ottoman Empire had first captured Belgrade in 1521 (the first campaign of Suleyman I), but lost it to

Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th and 18th centuries. He ...

of Austria in 1717 (see

siege of Belgrade (1717) The siege of Belgrade was a successful attempt by Austrian troops under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy to capture the strategically important city of Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire. It took place during the Seventh Ottoman–Venetia ...

). The Ottomans had since then been waiting for an opportunity to regain the city. After the battle of Grocka the grand vizier

Ivaz Mehmed Pasha Ivaz Mehmed Pasha ("Mehmed Pasha the Replacement"; died 1743), also known as Hacı Ivaz Mehmed Pasha or Hacı Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha, was an 18th-century Ottoman grand vizier and provincial governor.İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, Osmanlı Devlet Erk ...

laid siege to Belgrade (July 1739). In August, Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha (former grand vizier) joined him from the western front, a Bosnian militia also took part in the attack. After a siege of 51 days Count Wallis, the Austrian commander, ordered the burning of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

an fleet under his command and sued for peace. Nicolae Jorga: ''Geschiste des Osmanichen'' vol IV, (trans: Nilüfer Epçeli) Yeditepe Yayınları, 2009, ,p.364

Peace talks

During the peace talks in Belgrade,

Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg Count Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg (27 May 1684 – 26 May 1774) was an Austrian general. Biography Born in Schwaigern, the residence of the Lordship, from 1766 County of Neipperg, he descended from an ancient comital family from Swabia, hi ...

represented Austria, while Ottoman delegates including Mektupçu Ragıp (future grand vizier Koca Ragıp) represented the Ottoman Empire. Changing the borders caused no big problem; Austria agreed to cede territories to the Ottoman side. The major issue, however, was the future of Belgrade. The earliest Austrian offer was to keep Belgrade in return for the territories ceded to Ottoman side, which the Ottoman representatives refused. The second offer of the Austrian side was to cede Belgrade on the condition that the fortifications were to be demolished. Ivaz Mehmed Pasha also refused this offer. Negotiations broke down. Finally,

Louis Sauveur Villeneuve Louis Sauveur, Marquis de Villeneuve was French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1728 to 1741. He was instrumental in pushing the Ottoman Empire to war with the Russian Empire, in the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). He was also put in charge o ...

, the French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire proposed a compromise in which only the former Ottoman fortification would be kept. Both sides agreed on the proposal and the treaty was signed on 18 September 1739.

Aftermath

Except for a brief occupation during the

Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to: * Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606) * Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) * Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) * Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) * Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) * Austro-Turkish War (1788� ...

the Austrians were never able to capture Belgrade. The Ottomans kept the city up to the Serbian Uprising. Until 1878, Belgrade was a city of semi-independent Serbia under Ottoman suzerainty. Serbia gained full independence by the

Treaty of Berlin (1878) The Treaty of Berlin (formally the Treaty between Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland, Italy, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire for the Settlement of Affairs in the East) was signed on 13 July 1878. In the aftermath of the ...

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Belgrade 1739 Belgrade 1739 Conflicts in 1739 Military history of Belgrade 1739 in the Ottoman Empire 1739 in Europe Ottoman Serbia 18th century in Belgrade Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739) Battles involving Bosnian militia (Ottoman)