Battle of Feldioara

During the power struggle between the two elected Hungarian kings, Ferdinand I and John Zápolya, over the Kingdom of Hungary, the Moldavian voivode Petru Rareș intervened in Transylvania, which was part of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom ruled by King John. On 11 May or 10 June 1529, Zápolya asked Rareș for assistance in restoring his power, in exchange for placing Beszterce (now Bistrița, Romania) under Moldavian ownership. Voivode Rareș agreed to this proposal, leading to his involvement in the power struggle for Hungarian crown. == Battle ==

On 22 June, Moldavian commander and high vornic (magistrate) Grozav led 10,000 troops supported by 50 cannons to an attack on Földvár (now Feldioara, Romania). The Habsburg side consisted of 4,000 defenders, notably commanded by Bálint Török and István Majláth. The Moldavian side had a surprise advantage, as their sudden attack caught the Habsburg forces by surprise and didn't allow them to prepare their cannons. The situation of Habsburgs was worsened by the fact that Székelys parts of the Habsburg-led army defected to the Moldavian side, which further complicated the Habsburgs' position and led to their route, losing a significant number of weapons during their chaotic retreat. == Aftermath ==

The battle ended in Moldavian victory, with Székely elements of the Habsburg army defecting to Moldavians. Petru Rareș wanted to press further claims within Translyvania, stating in a 1530 letter addressed to the inhabitants of Brașov: "We have conquered Transylvania by the sword and we will not give it to anyone, neither to Ferdinand, nor to anyone else". He was unable to do so due to John Zápolya's threats to involve Ottomans in this matter, since Sultan Suleiman I supported Zápolya in his war against Habsburgs. Rareș didn't press further claims within Translyvania, instead shifting his focus to Polish-controlled Pokuttia for his expansion of Moldavia. == References ==