Sack of Sarajevo
| Sack of Sarajevo | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Great Turkish War and the Ottoman–Habsburg wars | |||||||||
Depiction of Eugene of Savoy in Bosnia | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Habsburg Monarchy | Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Prince Eugene of Savoy | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
6,500 infantry 12 small cannons | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Very high; most of the civilian population dead from the fire | ||||||||
The sack of Sarajevo took place on 23 October 1697 and was committed by raiding Austrian troops led by Prince Eugene of Savoy. At this time the Great Turkish War was being fought. Shortly after the Austrian victory at the Battle of Zenta (today: Senta, Serbia), an opportunity arose for the Austrians to launch a surprise attack into Ottoman Bosnia.
The intrusion into Ottoman Bosnia and the subsequent sacking of Sarajevo left the city plague-infected and burned to the ground. After Prince Eugene's men had thoroughly looted the city, they set it on fire and nearly destroyed all of it in one day. Only a few neighbourhoods, some mosques, and an Orthodox church were left standing.