Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Keresztes

Battle of Keresztes was a battle fought in 1596 at Mezőkeresztes, in what is now Hungary. It was part of the Long War, which ran from 1593 to 1606. The recorded result: Ottoman victory.

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double size miniature
double size miniature. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1596
WhereMezőkeresztes, Hungary47.825N, 20.688E
OutcomeOttoman victory
BelligerentsOttoman Empire; Crimean KhanateagainstHabsburg monarchy; Holy Roman Empire; Transylvania; Kingdom of Hungary; Kingdom of Bohemia; Papal States; Spain; Walloon and French mercenaries; Serbs; Cossacks; Polish cavalry
Casualties and losses20,000–30,000and23,000–30,000+(Western sources)
Part ofLong War1593 to 1606

Where it sits in the Long War

Siege of Tata (1593), 1593Siege of Várpalota (1593), 1593Siege of Veszprém, 1593Battle of Székesfehérvár, 1593Siege of Győr, 1594Siege of Esztergom, 1595Battle of Călugăreni, 1595Battle of Giurgiu (1595), 1595Battle of Keresztes, 15961596 Siege of Eger, 1596Battle of Klis, 1596Siege of Tata, 1597Siege of Buda, 1598Siege of Győr, 1598Siege of Várad (1598), 1598Siege of Várad, 1598Battle of Sellenberk, 1599Battle of Mirăslău, 1600Battle of Guruslău, 1601Siege of Székesfehérvár, 1601Siege of Nagykanizsa, 1601Siege of Székesfehérvár, 1602Siege of Buda, 1603Battle of Braşov, 160315931603Battle of Keresztes, 1596
25 placed engagements of the Long War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1596 (year precision)
to 26 October 1596
PlaceMezőkeresztes, Hungary
47.825N, 20.688E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength80,000–100,000 men; 100 cannons40,000;–50,000; 30–300 cannons; 14,000 Austrians, Germans and Walloons; 13,000 Hungarians; 10,000 Transylvanians; 3,000 Reiters; 5,000 Bohemians; Few hundred Cossacks and Poles; Few hundred Italians, French and Serbs
Casualties and losses20,000–30,00023,000–30,000+(Western sources)
Commanders
  • Mehmed III
  • Damat Ibrahim Pasha
  • Maximilian III of Austria
  • Sigismund Báthory
Battle of KeresztesBattle of KeresztesBattle of MezőkövesdBattle of Mohi1552 Siege of EgerSiege of Eger1596 Siege of EgerBattle of MezőkövesdBattle of Mohi1552 Siege of EgerBudapestMiskolcKošiceDebrecenSzolnokPrešovZvolenVác100 km47.825N, 20.688E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Keresztes
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Keresztes today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-02. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 106 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 91 to 153 m, 62 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 65% cropland, 20% grassland, 10% tree cover.

cropland: 65%grassland: 20%tree cover: 10%built-up: 5%cropland 65%grassland 20%tree cover 10%built-up 5%
west to east, 10.0 km97 to 123 mnorth to south, 10.0 km98 to 119 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1596

Battle of Keresztes is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 121 in present-day Hungary.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q690495, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Keresztes, revision 1380849406, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.