TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties

Battle of Banja Luka

Battle · 1737

Siding with Russia in the war of 1736–1739, Austria attacked Ottoman territory in three columns in June 1737. According to the TDV article on Mahmud I, while the Russians occupied Ochakiv (11 July 1737), the Austrians struck at Niš, Banja Luka and Zvornik and entered Wallachia, taking Bucharest. According to the TDV article on Banja Luka, the town, attacked by the Austrians, was relieved by Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha, governor of Bosnia, on 4 August 1737. While Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha in Bosnia and Grand Vizier Abdullah Pasha and İvaz Mehmed Pasha around Vidin forced the Austrians back, Hafız Ahmed Pasha entered Niš. These struggles became the subject of Kadı Ömer Efendi of Novi's History of Bosnia in the Time of Hekimzade Ali Pasha. The war ended with the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739.

About the event

Date	4 August 1737
Location	Banja Luka, Bosnia
Result	The Austrian attack was repulsed; Banja Luka was relieved

Belligerents	Ottoman Empire	Habsburg Monarchy
Commanders	Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha

This event in the atlas

Took place during the reign of Mahmud I (1730–1754). Mahmud I

Open the reign of Mahmud I on the map

Context of the period

By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 4,732,000 km² in 1737; at the start of Mahmud I's reign they measured 4,882,000 km², at its end 4,753,000 km².

During Mahmud I (1730–1754) the atlas records 2 regions gained and 1 region lost.

Regions gained: Smederevo–Šumadija (1739), Belgrade–Šabac (1739).

Regions lost: Azerbaijan–Shirvan–Yerevan (1735).

Mahmud I in brief

The empire's last great territorial gain was made in his reign. As the first sultan to introduce European-style military training, he began the line of reform that ran until the Tanzimat.

Other battles and treaties of Mahmud I

• Ottoman–Persian War (1730–1735) (1732)
• Siege of Baghdad (1733) (1733)
• Treaty of Belgrade (1739)
• Treaty of Kerden (1746)

In nearby years (1730), under other sultans

• Patrona Halil Revolt (1730)

Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “BANALUKA” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.

Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Battle of Banja Luka (1737): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/battle-of-banja-luka/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections

Terms on this page: Grand vizier · Vizier · Kadi