Pál Tomori

[3] Pál Tomori was commander-in-chief of the Hungarian army several times, and in that capacity was killed in action during the battle of Mohács on the 29th of August 1526.

In the middle of 1520, however, he distributed his wealth among his relatives, entered the Order of Friars Minor (the Observant Franciscans) and went into the convent of Esztergom.

Finally, at the request of Hungary, on February 4, 1523, Pope Adrian VI forced him to accept the archdiocese of Kalocsa, and then in April the Assembly of the Estates hastily entrusted him - according to contemporary reporting - with "the country's lieutenancy, and the captaincy of the entire Great Plain".

Tomori arrived at his station in Pétervárad (present-day Petrovaradin) in July 1523, and by August he had to fight the Bosnian pasha Ferhád, who besieged the castle of Red in Szerém (Syrmia) with a force of about 12,000 soldiers.

The diocese of Tomori spent all its income on defense and also received papal support, but this proved to be insufficient for a full campaign.

However, Suleiman the Magnificent then decided to launch yet another campaign against Hungary, so Tomori withdrew his resignation and returned to his station.

On the 24th of August 1526, he defeated a Turkish army, but the military council ordered him to join his forces to the Hungarian main body.

He was killed during the ensuing battle of Mohács on the 29th of August 1526, reportedly while trying to prevent Hungarian troops from breaking formation and fleeing.