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If you’re watching this video you’re probably familiar with the story of the disasters and
also comical battle of Karansebes as it is by far my most popular video to date.
However I ended the video on note of, we don’t know what exactly happened, because quite
frankly, I did not have the time to go on a rabbit hole hunt for some maybe nonexistent
primary sources about the battle.
But now, we’re back here well over a year from my original video, and I have managed
to find some extra sources about the battle that may shine some light on the actual events
that happened near Karansebes that September of 1788.
So the story I presented at the start of my first video is the main story that is presented
on most websites including Wikipedia.
To a certain extent that story is true but widely over exaggerated.
For example the ridiculously high ten thousand casualty count comes from an 1834 French publication,
which most certainly took some liberties to portray the rival Austrian army as incompetent.
Continuing on from there, we can presume there where many more second hand publications mostly
from rivaled Austrian countries taking large liberties with the facts or even making up
new ones.
Such as the made up order of an artillery fire directed straight into an Austrian camp,
or the fact that the Austrian military was carrying a chest with the entire army’s
payroll, which we know wasn’t an Austrian military practice.
Suddenly when looking at all of these made up facts about the battle, it may start to
seem like the events at Karansebes, where just made up by Austrian rivals as to diminish
their prestige in European politics.
However that is very unlikely, as there are too many articles, from different countries,
talking about the same event.
This also combined with the fact that it wasn’t just foreign articles that talked about the
Battle of Karansebes, and there were Austrian publications as well, means that it is highly
implausible that the story was made up.
In fact, the Karansebes story presented in my first video, is a centuries long amalgamation
of second hand over exaggerated narratives, of an event that most likely wasn’t as drastic
as it is made out to be today.
So to get away from this bias and over exaggerations, records from the actual September of 1788
have to be consulted.
These aren’t as numerous as the second hand 19th century records, but there is enough
of them to make out what happened in Karansebes.
There are multiple none German or Austrian sources from 1788, that talk about the Battle
of Karansebes, but they all seem to be reciting the German and Austrian publications.
Over all, it seems like there are three main writings that claim to have first hand sources,
or interviewed first hand sources like the soldiers from the battle.
One of these writings are the official Ottoman military accounts, which naturally can’t
give us a full picture, as they were on the other side of the war, but can provide valuable
information.
Information like the fact that the Ottoman troops were ready to engage the Austrian army,
only for them to find out in late September, that the Austrians withdrew from the strategically
important Timiș-Cerna Gap, of which Karansebes lies on the northern end of.
I mentioned this source in my first video but what I didn’t mention was a different
Ottoman source, that accredits the Austrian withdrawal, to the Austrian fear of facing
the terrifying Ottoman army.
However, this is obviously just Ottoman propaganda at play, but the first source is still sound
giving us a solid ground to stand on, knowing that the Austrians did in fact retreat from
Karansebes for some reason.
So now we have to look at the German and Austrian sources claiming to have first hand records.
The first of these sources, the Politisches Journal from Hamburg seems like a good place
to start, as it gives personal testimonies from witnesses, and sights official Austrian
court documents.
It tells us that a skirmish did happen between the Ottomans and Austrians at some point in
early September of 1788.
This skirmish most likely occurred somewhere near the Timiș-Cerna Gap, as it says that
the “Kaiser ordered a retreat” via Karansebes towards Temeswar.
During this confusing retreat, the local Wallachians, which saw an opportunity to rob the Austrian
soldiers, started to spread rumours throughout the army, that the Ottomans were in close
pursuit, getting ready to attack at any moment.
This turned the withdrawal in to a disorderly panicked mess, during which two Austrian regiments
managed to run in to each other.
Due to the confusion and an expected Ottoman ambush both regiments mistook each other for
Ottoman soldiers and opened fire.
They quickly noticed their mistake but the damage was already done.
That is where the german source ends this story, and continues on talking about the
bigger picture ramifications of the retreat.
The source doesn't mention if there were any casualties or deaths but it is most likely
that there were at least a couple.
Going on from there checking the Austrian article from Real Zeitung, there are some
similarities with the German source but also some differences.
One of the similarities being that the initial confusion was started by Wallachians, however
the way they started it, does differ from the German source.
According to the Austrian source the panicked confusion didn’t happen during the armies
retreat, but while it was encamped near the town of Karansebes.
Apparently with the intentions of robbing the camp, Wallachians started to yell “Turks!
Turks!”, causing a confusion and fear throughout the camp.
The Austrian article continues on saying that during the confusion, two regiments mistook
each other for Ottoman soldiers, and opened fire, just as in the German source.
But the Austrian article does give more explanation of why the soldiers miss took each other for
Ottomas.
Saying that the soldiers opened fire, only after mishearing a “Halt” command from
one of the opposing regiments officers as the Ottoman battle cry “Allah!”.
However after a few shots fired, the soldiers quickly realized their mistake and stopped.
That is where the account ends, and the article continues on talking about the military actions
of the Austrian army as they decided to retreat from Karansebes.
So even though the Austrian source does differ a little bit from the German source, the two
tell a pretty similar overarching story.
Showing us that the main underlying element of the, “battle”, was a fear of an Ottoman
attack sparked by local Wallachians, after which during the confusion two regiments accidentally
opened fire on each other, thinking the other one was the enemy.
So even though today, the Battle of Karansebes is remembered as a drunken scuffle turned
bad that in the end was responsible for ten thousand casualties.
The true story is far milder.
However the truth never stops people from embellishing the facts, especially when they
have a hidden agenda to push or an entertaining story to tell.
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Hope you enjoyed this explanation video, it was a long time in the making and I admit
there are still certain elements I either didn’t talk about for time’s sake or remain
unexplained or undefined due to the lackluster sources I have managed to find but I just
felt like it was time to end this project as I have already spent a lot of time on it.
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