Siege of Belgrade (1521)

Initially, nobody, including the sultan, actually knew the target of the campaign. The sultan preferred Ahmed's plan, but at the same time permitted Piri to besiege Belgrade with a small portion of the army. The sultan conquered Šabac, while Piri conquered Zemun fortress. ==Battle==

The sultan then ordered Piri to lift the siege in Belgrade and join the bulk of the army as he started to build a bridge to cross the Sava. However: Piri, who had conquered Zemun and was besieging Belgrade with a small portion of the army, refused to lift the siege. Mustafa Ali complained that the sultan failed to congratulate Piri for Zemun, and sees Ahmed behind this decision; however, it is more likely that the sultan actually needed all forces in preparation to attack Buda. The fall of Belgrade showed the inability of the Hungarian authorities to oppose the expansionist policies of the Ottoman Empire, which would show their supremacy in the Battle of Mohács plains in 1526. After the defeat and breakdown of Hungary, the leader of the Christian struggle against the Ottoman penetration of Europe would become the Habsburg monarchy, which would include Hungary. Belgrade would come under the rule of a Christian force only in 1688 when Maximilian of Bavaria conquered it for Austria. ==Post battle==

When Selim I died in 1520, his son Suleiman became sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Kingdom of Hungary, on the other hand, was almost in ruins. The Hungarian nobility was divided into numerous parties, and without a strong central government it could not unite in defense of the country. King Louis II of Hungary was weakened by numerous conflicts. The lower nobility clashed with the higher nobility and court circles, and the Voivode of Transylvania, John Zápolya, one of the wealthiest greats of his time, represented open opposition to the already weak regime of King Louis II. The faction that supported the Voivode of Transylvania was in constant conflict with the court circles. The king himself was a powerless figure in the hands of his ambitious associates. He often did not have the money for his own existence. On such occasions, it was not possible to strengthen the defense system at the southern border and to undertake any military campaigns. ==See also==