The Ottoman Empire, under the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, had emerged as a formidable force stretching across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

With a military prowess that struck fear into the hearts of its adversaries, the Ottomans set their sights on expanding deeper into Central Europe.

In contrast, the Habsburg Monarchy, led by Emperor Charles V, stood as a sprawling conglomerate of territories, with the Kingdom of Hungary becoming the crucible of imperial competition.

Religious fault lines further fueled the conflict, as the Ottoman Empire, a Sunni Islamic power, clashed with the predominantly Catholic Habsburgs.

[1] In fact, the Turks had decided to seize the capital of Hungary because King John Zápolya died and his newborn son, János Zsigmond was under the care of Queen Isabela who was attempting to side with the Habsburgs.

The Siege of Esztergom followed the failed attempt by Ferdinand I of Austria to recapture Buda in 1542 However, Suleiman refrained from moving further on to Vienna this time, apparently because he had no news of the campaigns of his French allies in western Europe and in the Mediterranean.

For Imre Werbőczy, who was in charge of the defense of Tolna, this was an extremely big blow, because as a fierce enemy of the Ottomans, he used all his strength to weaken and hinder the Turkish expansion.

The peace gave Ferdinand some time to establish a defensive line, some kind of border fortress system, because he had no other chance of stopping the Turks.