The helmet was likely worn by a solider in the Fifteen Years' War, a military conflict between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.
Nemzeti Régészeti Intézet/FacebookThe 400-year-old helmet discovered at Visegrád Citadel in Hungary.
While excavating a filled-in moat at Visegrád Citadel in Hungary, researchers uncovered an artifact that illuminates the brutal realities of the Fifteen Years’ War, a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy that raged from 1591 to 1606.
Originally built in the 13th century as a fortress against Mongol invasions, Visegrád Citadel became a royal residence before falling into ruin in the late 17th century. Recent excavations at the castle revealed a trove of artifacts, including a 400-year-old helmet believed to have belonged to a Habsburg mercenary who fought in the Fifteen Years’ War.
Archaeologists Excavate The Historic Visegrád Citadel
Patrick Down/FlickrVisegrád Citadel is located on a hill overlooking the Danube River north of Budapest.
Visegrád Citadel has a long and bloody history. Originally built in the 13th century by King Béla IV of Hungary, the castle was meant to act as a fortress to protect the town of Visegrád from Mongol invasions.
In the 14th century, the castle was converted to a royal residence for the Angevin kings of Hungary, a royal house originally founded in France. For the next three centuries, the castle would be expanded and renovated until the outbreak of the Fifteen Years’ War, a violent conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburgs, who ruled Hungary at the time.
Because of the castle’s storied history, officials have recently set out to restore and preserve it for visitors. While excavating a filled-in moat as part of these renovations, archaeologists uncovered a treasure trove of military artifacts.
Their discoveries included small arms, cannonballs, and arrowheads, all of which were heavily damaged from battle. However, their most remarkable find was a 400-year-old helmet that was likely worn by a soldier who fought in the Fifteen Years’ War.
Nemzeti Régészeti Intézet/FacebookThe spot where archaeologists discovered the helmet.
“The helmet, which is popular among the infantry mostly equipped with handguns or pikes, was most likely part of the armament of a Habsburg mercenary who was buried at the latest after the Fifteen Years’ War,” Hungary’s National Archaeological Institute wrote in a Facebook post.
The helmet, which is decorated with copper rosettes and a feather swivel, is known as a cabasset. These conical helmets were often used across Europe between 1550 and 1700. Now, this artifact is giving researchers a chance to paint an eye-opening picture of the brutal reality of the Fifteen Years’ War in Hungary.
The Strategic Importance Of Visegrád Citadel During The Fifteen Years’ War
In 1591, the Fifteen Years’ War broke out between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The two powers had fought against each other for years. However, disagreements over land ownership in Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia led to a brutal conflict that resulted in heavy losses for both sides.
Roughly 50 years prior, Ottoman forces had laid siege to Visegrád and left the citadel in ruins. During the Fifteen Years’ War, Habsburg forces attempted to reclaim the fortress, but the Ottomans fought back, leading to many causalities and heavy damage to the castle.
Nemzeti Régészeti Intézet/FacebookA 1595 map of the town of Visegrád and the Citadel.
While the conflict came to an end with a peace treaty in 1606, the damage inflicted on Visegrád and the rest of Hungary was immeasurable. For centuries, the castle sat abandoned.
Then, in the 2000s, programs to reinvigorate the town of Visegrád and its medieval castle were created. The most recent excavation that uncovered the military helmet is part of the Visegrád Renaissance Development Program, an effort to promote the town’s cultural and historical heritage.
As part of the program, archaeologists are not only collecting artifacts but reconstructing key features of Visegrád Citadel and other structures in the city. In time, officials hope Visegrád will be open in its full glory to the public.
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