Crusade of Varna

The Battle of Varna was the last fight of the Crusade of Varna, which took place on November 10, 1444 near Varna’s fortifications in an attempt to free Bulgaria from Ottoman dominion. A great Christian army consisting of Polish, Hungarian, Czeck, Croatian, Bosnian, and Romanian (Wallachian) men, led by Wadysaw III of Poland and his Hungarian general János Hunyadi, opposed the powerful force of Sultan Murad II. The allies were certain that they would prevail, thanks to the combined fleets of Venice and Genoa. They had no idea that the navy had been paid a large bribe to transport Murad II’s forces across the Bosphorus in order to assault the Christians in the rear.

The Battle of Varna involved about 70 000 troops. It began at 9 a.m., and the sultan’s major soldiers, the Anatolian army, fled the battlefield. The young Polish king desired grandeur and attempted to assassinate the sultan himself. He accomplished feats, but just as he was about to attain his goal, an experienced and powerful Turkish soldier knocked him down and removed his skull with a single blow. The loss was complete once the Turks were motivated. There, 10,000 men from the united forces were killed. Wadysaw III, who had only recently reached twenty, was likewise assassinated, becoming known in history as Vladislav Varnenchik (Wladyslaw of Varna).

• Park Museum Vladislav Varnenchik

• Wikipedia