„I am come with his Forces (…) to reduce it to his Obedience”
The 1663 Siege of Neuhäusel (Nové Zámky)
Through the Eyes of an Englishman

KRISTÓF SZUROMI
Institute of History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Péter Pázmány Catholic University (Hungary)

Abstract: The Habsburg-Ottoman War of 1663 was a turning point in the history of the Hungarian military theatre, as for the first time in decades, open warfare broke out again with the „Arch nemesis of Christianity.“ The main forces of the Sublime Porte marched again Westward under the leadership of the Grand Vizier and, on top of all this, they also managed to capture the fortress of Neuhäusel (Érsekújvár, Nové Zámky), which protected the approaches to Vienna. The significance of these events and the international interest they attracted is well illustrated by the 17th century work of the author presented in this study, Sir Paul Rycaut, an English diplomat, who devotes considerable attention to the military and political events taking place in the Kingdom of Hungary. In this paper, I would like to briefly present Rycaut’s reports on the siege of Érsekújvár, focusing on their accuracy and his possible sources.

Keywords: Hungarian-Ottoman wars, War of 1663, Neuhäusel/Érsekújvár/Nové Zámky, Paul Rycaut, Kingdom of Hungary.