| Conflict: | Siege of Niş (1737) |
| Partof: | the Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) |
| Date: | 22–23 July 1737 |
| Place: | Niş, Ottoman Empire |
| Map Mark: | Battle icon (crossed swords).svg |
| Map Marksize: | 20 |
| Map Type: | Europe#Serbia |
| Map Relief: | 1 |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Territory: | Habsburgs temporarily occupy Niş |
| Result: | Habsburg victory |
| Commander1: | Ahmed Pasha |
| Commander2: | Feldmarschall Philippi Robert Lentulus Baron von Tiengen |
| Strength1: |
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| Strength2: |
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| Casualties1: | None |
| Casualties2: | None |
The siege of Niş was a bloodless siege undertaken by the Habsburg monarchy between 22 and 23 July 1737 against the city of Niş, which was under Ottoman rule. The siege was the first major engagement of the Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739), and resulted in the Habsburgs temporarily occupying the city until it was captured by the Ottomans three months later.
Although Austria put on a guise of peace at first, as Nicolae Iorga puts it, they "dropped their masks" and waged war on the Ottoman Empire in July 1737 in the hopes of gaining land in the Balkans whilst the Ottomans were preoccupied with their war against Russia, which the Habsburgs had allied with recently.[1]
The invading Habsburg army was divided into four, each assigned tens of thousands of soldiers and many field marshals. Prince Hildburghausen was sent to Bosnia, the focal point of the war, with 150,000 men; Count Khevenhüller was sent to establish a front at Vidin with 30,000 soldiers; Duke Leszczyński and Count Seckendorff were sent to Serbia with 20,000 troops; Count Wallis was to command a 10,000-strong army in an invasion of Wallachia and Moldavia, both under Ottoman suzerainty.[2] [3]
Field marshal Philippi reached Niş on 22 July 1737 with a force under 10,000 composed of 2,000 bombardiers, 6 cavalry regiments, 500 hussars, and 6 cannons. He requested the immediate surrender of the 2,000-strong Ottoman garrison led by Köprülüzâde Hacı Ahmed Pasha. The latter asked him for 20 days to do so, but Philippi was insistent that he surrendered within 24 hours. The pasha was left with no other choice but to surrender since the main force of the Serbian front led by Friedrich Seckendorff was on their way to Niş. On 23 July, the surrendering document of Niş was signed after a bloodless siege.[4]
One of the terms of the document was the safe departure of the garrison and Turkish population of the city with their belongings. After Field marshal Seckendorff approved the terms, 20,000 Turks left Niş for Sofya on 3 August 1737, 11 days after the city was surrendered. 144 cannons, 50 mortars, and a large stock of war materials and provisions were seized from the fortress of the city by Oberst Robert Lentulus. The Ottomans would reclaim Niş three months later.
Long before attacking the Ottomans, the Austrian state had secretly incited the Christian subjects of the Turks to revolt in case of another war. Thus, when the Austrians captured Niş and started to advance southwards, Christians of Vıçıtırın and Priştine rebelled (as they had done 20 years ago), forming a force that numbered 10,000. The first thing the rebels did was to plunder the properties of Muslims and force them to leave their homes and migrate to Kumanova and Üsküp.[5]
de:Johann Wilhelm Zinkeisen
. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Tarihi . History of the Ottoman Empire . tr . Yeditepe Yayınevi. 5. Nilüfer . Epçeli. Erhan. Afyoncu. Erhan Afyoncu. 2011. 1. 9786054052691. Istanbul. 1857. 503.tr:Mustafa Cezar
. Mufassal Osmanlı Tarihi. Detailed Ottoman History . tr . Güven Yayınevi. 2499. 1–6. 1971. Istanbul.