Ottoman-Hungarian Wars, Siege of Belgrade, 1426

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The Siege of Belgrade occurred from July 4-22, 1456. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II rallied his resources in order to subjugate the Kingdom of Hungary. His immediate objective was the border fort of the town of Belgrade. John Hunyadi, the Voivode of Transylvania, who had fought many battles against the Turks in the previous two decades, prepared the defenses of the fortress. The siege escalated into a major battle, during which Hunyadi led a sudden counterattack that overran the Ottoman camp, ultimately compelling the wounded Mehmed II to lift the siege and retreat. The Hungarians paid dearly for this victory. Plague broke out in the camp, from which Hunyadi himself died three weeks later. The day of the victory, July 22, has been a memorial day in Hungary ever since.

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