Battle of Jajce (1518)

The Battle of Jajce (1518) (Bitka kod Jajca) was fought in January 1518 between the Ottoman forces of Husrev Beg, Beylerbey of Bosnia Eyalet, and the Hungarian and Croatian forces led by ban Petar Berislavić. The battle was a part of the Croatian–Ottoman wars and Ottoman–Habsburg wars between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy.

Prelude
Fortress of Jajce was built by Hrvoje Vukčić between 1391. and 1404; the fortress consisted of a citadel and a fortified settlement, surrounded by wall with two towers, a gathouse and a bastion. The fort fell to the Ottomans in 1463, but was retaken by Matija Korvin on 26. December the same year. Hungarians fortified Jajce and adjacent castles heavily and made it the seat of a Banovina, a sort of buffer state in former Bosnia for the defense of Hungary and Croatia. Jajce successfully withstood Ottoman attacks in 1464, 1491, 1493, 1501, 1502, 1514. and 1515.

Battle
After the Battle of Novigrad in 1515, Ottomans attacked Jajce in vain several times, respecting the growing importance of the city. To relieve the Ottoman presure, ban Petar Berislavić in January 1518. besieged adjacent Ottoman forts on the north and west of the city, Bočac and Jezero. Christian forces consisted of 4,000 cavalry, 6,000 infantry (mostly from Croatia) and some Hungarian artillery, but their offensive ultimately failed.

Aftermath
Under command of ban Petar Keglević (1521-1525) and captain Mihailo Turek, Jajce successfully repelled three more Ottoman assaults (in 1521, 1524. and 1525), but finally surrendered in 1527, after the battle of Mohacs.