THE RISE OF HUNYADI, 1440–1442 235 CHAPTER FIVE THE RISE OF HUNYADI, 1440–1442 The 1440 Siege of Belgrade At the end of 1439, while Wladislas and Albert were still technically in conflict with one another, Murad II sent an emissary to Krakow to better determine the Poles’ disposition towards Hungary and Albert and to negotiate a possible alliance. As Długosz writes of the event: The Turkish emperor, Murad, sent a notable emissary with impressive gifts to Wladislas, king of Poland . First [the emissary] expressed his friendship and offfered an alliance or treaty, saying that he was pleased to offfer all that he had should [Wladislas ] desire it. Finally, since he heard that [Wladislas ] was at war with Albert King of Hungary and of the Romans he promised to support [Wladislas ] with money and a hundred thousand men. Wladislas , however, addressing the emissary kindly, decided to keep him there at court until such time as he might know the outcome of the situation in the Kingdom of Hungary following Albert ’s death.1 The Ottoman emissary remained in Krakow at least until mid-march,2 witnessing in person the arrival of the Hungarian embassy, its offfer of the crown to Wladislas, and the debates surrounding this offfer. The Ottoman ambassador witnessed Wladislas accept their offfer of “the aforesaid king- dom for the honor of Almighty God and His Mother the Virgin Mary and all the heavenly hierarchy, for the peace and defense of the faithful and the extermination of the barbarian [Turks].”3 Upon his return, the Turkish ambassador was obliged to report to his sultan that the ally he had been sent northward to obtain had in the space of a few months become their sworn enemy. Yet even prior to the ambassador’s return to Edirne the decision to invade Belgrade had been made. The previous year the Turks had taken Smederevo while Albert and the feudal levy sat idly nearby. Over the last 24 months Turkish raiders had been repeatedly plundering and weaken- 1 Długosz , p. 210. 2 Długosz states he was present “nuncio imperatoris Turcorum presente” at the election ceremony in Krakow in March 1440. Długosz , p. 214. 3 Ibid. 236 chapter five ing Transylvania and southern Hungary .4 Belgrade was the next logical acquisition, and even if Murad thought it a well-fortifijied city and fortress, he was willing to engage in the enterprise. Located at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers Belgrade was of enormous strategic importance to both sides. As the Ottoman historian Aşıkpaşazâde put it, “Sultan Murad, having visited Hungary, afterwards knew that this Belgrade was the doorway to the country. He wanted to undertake an expedition to open this door.”5 Belgrade, which could shelter a number of barges which could then ferry troops to various spots along Hungary’s river network was an ideal base for launching raids into the western half of the kingdom, and for staging future campaigns of conquest into Bosnia and Croatia . For the same reason it posed a danger to Ottoman forces, particularly raiding parties returning from the north. At the Battle of the Sava in 1441 (see below) for example, Hunyadi was able to intercept and defeat Ishak Bey ’s raiders returning from the north with a force based out of Belgrade fortress. The layout of Belgrade fortress in the mid-fijifteenth century is well known to us through the reports of Bertrandon de la Brocquière . He had visited the castle in 1433 and was duly impressed. He estimated that the stronghold could house fijive or six thousand cavalry. He observed that the complex was actually comprised of fijive fortresses, or subsections, each enclosed by its own circuit of walls. Two were on the blufff overlooking the city of Belgrade, i.e. the citadel and the outlying curtain wall, and the other three sections were on the lower area below the blufff and towards the river. This latter area was the city proper, which ran along the banks of the Sava at its confluence with the Danube . On the lower portion, a long curtain wall lined by a number of towers protected the bank. De la Brocquière also mentions a military harbor which could hold between 15 and 20 galleys. This harbor was in turn pro- tected by two towers, between which a chain could be drawn to prevent the ingress of enemy ships. The main citadel or keep was on the upper portion of the fortress, on a blufff overlooking the city. Here was the des- pot’s former castle and the highest and strongest point in the system of fortifijications. To the landward side of the castle the elevation decreased 4 In the last twelve months alone Murad himself noted that he had conducted raids across the Danube fijive times (see chapter three). 5 Aşıkpaşazâde , p. 134. Długosz likewise refers to Belgrade as the entryway to the kingdom : “[Belgrade] est quidam portus et primus in Hungariam introitus.” Długosz , p. 248..