Description
A very rare broadside, issued in 1904, showcases the map of the Siege of Petrovaradin fortress in Serbia. On September 9, 1694, the Grand Vizier Sürmeli Ali Paşa, marched with his army from Belgrade and besieged the new fortress of Petrovaradin for 23 days.
The text mentions the battle and the new fortress being build after the plans of Luigi Ferdinando Marsili. The key on the right-hand side gives information on the battle and includes a smaller in-set map showcasing a wider area of the battle.
The sheet was publshed in a series Ottoman State Military History (دولت عثمانيى تارخي عسكريسى) in the last years under the reign of Abdul Hamid II by a Royal War Office under the patronage of General Ahmed Muhtar (طويجى اركان حربيه سندن فريق احمد مختار). The series was suppose to educate people on the military history through the images of great Ottoman battles in the early 20th century, when the Ottoman Empire was undergoing a great crisis. In 1908 year Sultan Abdul Hamid was deposed in the Young Turk Revolution.
Traditionally the focus of Ottoman map making was not on historical cartography. As such the present battle plan of a key historical engagement in South Easter Europe is remarkable.
We could not trace any other examples of the map in instititutions worldwide.
