Petar Kružić (16 October 1491 – 12 March 1537) was a Croatian
knez,
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, soldier and defender of
Klis
Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name.
Population
In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements:
* Bršta ...
, and the captain of
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
.
In the early 16th century Petar Kružić ''(knez of Klis)'' defended the
Klis Fortress against
Turkish invasion. He died in 1537 trying to break yet another siege by the Ottomans. After his death, the Klis defenders agreed to give the fortress to the Ottomans in exchange for their women, children and their own lives. In this way, the Ottomans finally conquered the Klis Fortress after almost two and a half decades of its successful defense.
Origin
He was a native of
Krug in Nebljuh, a district of the same-titled tribe in the
župa
A župa, or zhupa, is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavs, South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "county" or "parish". It was mentioned for the first t ...
of
Lapac in
Lika
Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by t ...
. However, later chroniclers, and historians, mostly for local patriotic reasons, tried to appropriate and present him as one of their countrymen because he enjoyed incredible popularity as an anti-Ottoman fighter, especially in the areas from which Klis defenders came (
Poljica).
Military career
He began his military career in 1513 when he joined the defending forces of
Klis Fortress. In around 1518 or 1519 he was promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the
Klis Fortress by the
ban Petar Berislavić. In 1521 he was named the Captain of
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
together with
Grgur Orlović who was named co-captain of
Klis
Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name.
Population
In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements:
* Bršta ...
. They were active at those duties together until the
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács (; , ) took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II of Hungary, Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleima ...
when Orlović died in battle against the
Turks.
In February 1524
Turkish captain Mustafa laid a siege on
Klis Fortress with around 3000 men. The fort managed to hold off the invasion for over two months, while Kružić went to
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
just days before the siege and gathered an army of 1500 foot soldiers, 60 cavalry, and 40 ships to flank the Turkish army. He arrived at the town of
Solin
Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro.
Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...
the night of 10 April from where they launched an attack on the
Turks, destroying their army. For this achievement he was rewarded with the castle Breznica by the
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...
Louis II.
From then on Klis was under constant threat from the Turkish armies. On 4 June 1532, while Kružić was seeking help from potential ally cities and states, a large Turkish army led by
Venetian Nicola Querini took control of Klis with the help of traitors. However, soon afterward Kružić returned with 2000 men from the city of
Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
and took control of the fort. On 18 September he managed to take over a Turkish fort in
Solin
Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro.
Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...
and tried to persuade the king
Ferdinand I to build a fort there to take control of the area around Solin, but the king did not take any measures.
After several failed attempts, the Turks tried to take over Klis in 1535 via treason. They bribed
Uskok
The Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (), better known as USKOK, is a body of the Croatian criminal justice system, attached to the State's Attorney Office and specializing in investigations related to corruption and ...
Mate Tvrdosalić to let them in the city on the last day of the Carnival, but Tvrdosalić deceived them and informed the Klis defenders of the Turkish plan. When the Turks came as arranged, he let them into the fort, where they were ambushed and killed.
By the end of August 1536, the Turks had gathered a large army and repaired the fortress in
Solin
Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro.
Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...
that Kružić conquered in 1532 (and was subsequently forced to abandon), and had built two new forts to completely surround Klis. Since that time Klis was under constant attack by the Turks, but the Uskok defenders managed to hold them off. Help arrived in March 1537 when 3000 soldiers sent by Ferdinand I and 700 Italian soldiers sent by pope
Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
arrived. Petar Kružić led the armies and stormed the Turkish strongholds, managing to destroy two; while storming the third, Turkish captain
Murat-beg came with 2000 men yelling and shouting, causing the German and Italian soldiers to begin fleeing towards the coast. Kružić was amongst the last to retreat and was surrounded by the Turkish forces, dying in the fierce battle.
After the death of their captain and suffering a lack of water supplies, the defenders of
Klis
Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name.
Population
In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements:
* Bršta ...
surrendered to the Ottomans in exchange for their freedom. On 12 March 1537 the city and the fortress were released to Turkish control. Many of the citizens left the town while the
Uskoci went to the city of
Senj
Senj is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains.
The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress () which was completed in 1558. For a time this was the seat of the Uskoks, who were ...
, where they continued fighting the Turkish invaders.
Legacy
Kružić is known for constructing 118 steps leading from
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
to
Trsat in 1531, known today colloquially as the
Petar Kružić staircase, along with the chapel of Saint Nicholas near the church of Gospa Trsatska.
He is considered to have formulated the basic principle of the
Uskok
The Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (), better known as USKOK, is a body of the Croatian criminal justice system, attached to the State's Attorney Office and specializing in investigations related to corruption and ...
strategy
and by holding ships near
Lovran for the supply of Klis defenders, he laid the foundation of the Uskok navy. Following his death, his Uskok soldiers subsequently took refuge in Senj, where they continued their operations.
See also
*
References
External links
Historical Unit Kliški uskoci - Petar Kružić
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kruzic, Petar
Croatian soldiers
16th-century Croatian military personnel
1537 deaths
Croatian nobility
Croatian Roman Catholics
Military commanders of Croatian kingdoms
1491 births