Fortificatiile Lipovei si Timisoarei in preajma cuceririi otomane (1551) / Fortifications of Lipova and Timisoara on the Eve of Ottoman Conquest
Jan. 1, 2013
Keywords:
secolul al XVI-lea
fortificaţii
Lipova
16th century
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Abstract
Timişoara and Lipova, until their conquest by the Ottomans, were the major urban centres of the plain Banat.
In 1551 the territories of Banat and Transylvania came under the direct administration of the Habsburgs. In
this context king Ferdinand sent a number of engineers to restore or strengthen the fortifications threatened by
Turks. One of these engineers was Sigismondo Prato of Pisa which in summer of 1551 was engaged restoring the
fortifications of Lipova and Timişoara. He wrote several reports to Ferdinand of Habsburg, preserved today in the
archives of Vienna, where he describes the situation encountered in Banat (details about territory, the status of
defensive system of Lipova and Timişoara, the fortifications, measures to improve the situation etc). Two of these
letters, written in Latin, are published as annex of the study.
Despite efforts of Habsburg authorities to improve the defensive systems of the two towns, a year later, in
1552, a large ottoman army attacked and conquered the whole plain Banat, including these urban centres.
