The Croatian Viceroy Nicholas of Zrin came from the old noble family of Šubič Bribirski. He became famous for his defence of his homeland against the Ottomans and in 1563 became commander of the royal army on the Danube and in Szigetvár.
In 1566, the Turks invaded Hungary with a large army and besieged Szigetvár in early August. The defenders defended the town, the castle and the old castle fiercely. They fought the great Turkish superiority in vain, but thanks to their courage and the great losses of the enemy, the Turkish campaign to the west was stopped for several years.
The picture shows the last moments of the defence, when the city is already conquered by the Turks. The castle and the old castle are on fire, where Zrinsky delivers a fiery speech to the remnants of the garrison and prepares to make his final assault. The exhausted warriors put away their heavy equipment to move about more easily.
The right part of the picture shows a powder magazine, which the defenders did not want to hand over to the enemy. The commander of the women therefore lights a torch, which she later throws into the powder tower. The other women join her on the scaffold, preferring death to captivity and slavery.
The dark column of smoke dividing the painting symbolizes the explosion in the fortress and the grandeur of the terrible sacrifice of human lives for the sake of freedom.
Vita App/gnews.cz-Jana Černá_07
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