TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1663
After Austria interfered in Transylvanian affairs, Grand Vizier Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Pasha took the field in 1663 and demanded that Austria pay an annual tribute of 30,000 gold pieces, as in Suleiman's day; the demands were rejected. According to the TDV, a council at Buda decided to march on Érsekújvár, which had been taken in 1605 and attached to Transylvania but recently occupied by Austria. Besieged on 17 August 1663, the fortress was surrendered by its commander Forgách on 24 September 1663 on terms that spared the defenders' lives and property and provided some 400 carts for their baggage. Meanwhile an Austrian army under Montecuccoli had been beaten and Crimean forces had raided as far as Vienna. The repaired fortress received a garrison of 4,000; nearby fortresses such as Novigrad, Nitra and Levice were then taken. Fazıl Ahmed Pasha himself composed a chronogram for the conquest.
| Date | 17 August – 24 September 1663 |
|---|---|
| Location | Érsekújvár (Nové Zámky), present-day Slovakia |
| Result | The fortress surrendered on terms; nearby fortresses were also taken |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Habsburg Monarchy |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Pasha | Ádám Forgách |
Took place during the reign of Mehmed IV (1648–1687). Mehmed IV
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 5,112,000 km² in 1663; at the start of Mehmed IV's reign they measured 5,106,000 km², at its end 4,835,000 km².
During Mehmed IV (1648–1687) the atlas records 3 regions gained and 7 regions lost.
Regions gained: Nové Zámky (Uyvar) (1663), Crete (1669), Podolia (Kamianets) (1672).
Regions lost: Lahsa (Eastern Arabia–Qatar) (1672), Nové Zámky (Uyvar) (1685), Buda (central Hungary) (1686), Transylvania and Partium (1687), Eastern Slavonia and Syrmia (Osijek–Vukovar) (1687), Western Slavonia (Virovitica–Čazma) (1687), Morea (Peloponnese) (1687).
His reign saw both the empire's last great expansion and its heaviest reversal. The state, revived under the Köprülü viziers, lost Hungary and Transylvania within four years of the second siege of Vienna.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “KÖPRÜLÜZÂDE FÂZIL AHMED PAŞA” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Siege of Érsekújvár (1663): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/siege-of-ersekujvar/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections
Terms on this page: Grand vizier · Vizier