The Siege of Sziget

The Siege of Sziget or The Peril of Sziget (Hungarian: Szigeti veszedelem, Latin: Obsidio Szigetiana) is a Hungarian epic poem in fifteen parts, written by Miklós Zrínyi in 1647 and published in 1651, about the final battle of his great-grandfather Nikola IV Zrinski (Miklós Zrínyi in Hungarian) against the Ottomans in 1566. The epic was originally published within the book Siren of the Adriatic Sea (Hungarian: Adriai tengernek Syrenaia) where it was accompanied by several lyric poems.

The poem recounts in epic fashion the Battle of Szigetvár, in which a vastly outnumbered Croatian-Hungarian army tried to resist a Turkish invasion. The battle concluded when Captain Zrinski's forces, having been greatly depleted, left the fortress walls in a famous onslaught. Approximately four hundred troops forayed into the Turkish camp. The epic concludes with Zrinski killing Sultan Suleiman I, before being gunned down by janissaries. Being in the epic tradition, specifically modeled on the Iliad and Gerusalemme Liberata, it opens with an invocation, though not of the muse, but of the Virgin Mary, and often features supernatural elements; Cupid even appears in Part XII. Zrinski is compared to Hector several times in the text.

The verse is dodecasyllabic, typically but not exclusively with a caesura after the sixth syllable, resembling the alexandrine verse, organised into quatrains with AAAA rhyme scheme:

The book is today best known under its long-standing Hungarian title, Szigeti veszedelem, literally "The Peril of Sziget." Zrinski's original Latin title, however, was Obsidionis Szigetianae, literally "The Siege of Sziget." This discrepancy is explained by the fact that 17th-century Hungarian had no distinct word for "siege" (the paucity of contemporary Hungarian vocabulary is, in fact, lamented by Zrinski in the epic's foreword) the modern-day "ostrom" ("siege") was taken from the German sturm at some later date, at which point "veszedelem" took on the exclusive meaning of "peril," thereby changing the apparent meaning of the title. The 2011 English translation was published as The Siege of Sziget, based on the original Latin rather than the later Hungarian title.

The book begins with a short introduction in prose. The author first sets out to place his text in the tradition of Homer and Virgil. Though he declares that his work is not comparable to theirs, they were poets first and foremost, and he is a warrior who only has a little spare time to devote to literature. He also states that he has not once proofread the epic. He then goes on to make a short explanation of the work, stating first that he has mixed legend and history, and that the distinction should be obvious to the discerning reader. He recounts how he researched the death of Sultan Suleiman, and that it is his considered opinion, based on historical consensus, that the Sultan died at Zrinski's hand. Furthermore, he defends his use of romance as a theme, saying that he himself has been afflicted by love in the past, and that even Mars pined for Venus.

The story begins in heaven, describing God's anger at the Hungarians for having abandoned their faith. He decides to send Archangel Michael into hell to awaken Alecto, a fury, to be sent into the heart of Sultan Suleiman. Alecto appears in a dream to the sultan, posing as his father, and goading him to make war on the Hungarians. Suleiman awakens and immediately begins to assemble his armies and best soldiers from far and wide, including the sorcerer Alderan, the immensely strong Demirham, and the famed Saracen Deliman. Deliman is in love with the sultan's daughter Cumilla, who is however betrothed to another. At the same time, Captain Nikola Zrinski implores God to take his life before he grows old and feeble. God hears his prayer and sees his piety, and promises him that he will not only fulfill his wish, but also give him the ultimate reward of martyrdom. In a major act of foreshadowing, God decrees that Zrinski will be rewarded for his devotion by dying in the upcoming battle, but not before taking the life of the sultan.

As the Turkish invasion force marches towards their destination of Eger, Suleiman dispatches a basha to Bosnia. He is ambushed by on the way by Zrinski's men and utterly defeated by. The unexpected loss convinces the sultan to divert towards Szigetvár instead. This serves primarily as an illustration of God's will, as he moves Suleiman to change his original plans to fulfill God's greater plan. In Part IV, some commotion in the Turkish camp during the night leads to the misapprehension that Zrinski has attacked. Two hastily scrambled Turkish forces mistakenly do battle against each other, leading to major Turkish losses. Zrinski meanwhile assembles his forces, leading to another litany of heroes. The chief protagonist amongst these is Deli Vid, an apparent Turkish convert who fights alongside the Hungarians. Zrinski, expecting that he will die in the upcoming battle, sends off his young son, the poet's grandfather, to the safety of the emperor's court. Szigetvár now awaits the siege.

The battle of Szigetvár begins in earnest. A Turkish expeditionary force is brutally crushed by Zrinski and his men, most notably Deli Vid. On the next day of the battle, with the arrival of the Sultan's army, Demirham and Deli Vid do battle, but neither is able to gain the upper hand. They agree to meet the next day, which again leads to a stalemate.