The commander of the Serb forces was Emperor Jovan Nenad, while the Hungarians were led by Péter Perényi of Transylvania.
Bálint Török attacked Szabadka (Subotica), the capital of the newly formed province in the wake of the Battle of Mohács, with 67 elite cavalry knights.
These events alarmed the Hungarian nobility, and János Szapolyai appointed Péter Perényi as leader of an army set to destroy the new state at its heart.
Meanwhile, Jovan Nenad, aware of the Hungarians' intentions, mustered a substantial force and marched to meet his enemy.
Perényi's army numbered some 2,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry (Transylvanian Hungarians and Saxons) together with few a thousand conscripts and nobility from the Tisza area.