Battle of Belaj

Croatian historian Vjekoslav Klaić writes that the battle took place in the afternoon.^[2] The exact accounts of the battle differ in some details, however both Vjekoslav Klaić and Petar Grgec agree that battle lasted for two hours.^[2][3] According to Petar Grgec, the Ottoman commander Gazi Husrev Bey placed his most able men in the first rows. As battle started, it appeared that the Ottomans were gaining the upper hand since Germans in Christian ranks started to lose their faith. Grgec claims that they were stopped by ban of Croatia, Ivan Karlović, who then charged back onto the Turks and broke their ranks, causing them to flee.^[3] Klaić claims that the Turks were routed as night started to fall.^[2]

According historians Vjekoslav Klaić and Radoslav Lopašić, ban of Croatia Ivan Karlović was severely wounded in the battle by German soldiers who mistakened him for high-ranking Ottoman officer.^[1][2] Klaić claims that Karlović's rivals accused him for wanting to flee so Germans wounded him, but he also claims that Carniolan reports speak of Karlović's heroic chivalry and commend his valour for the emperor Ferdinand.^[2] Petar Grgec on the other hand, claims that the battle was "Karlović's most heroic moment" of his second mandate on position of ban of Croatia and that Klaić misinterpreted the text written by Venetian historian Sanuto which actually says that Karlović received 18 wounds while trying to stop Germans from fleeing the battlefield.^[3] Nonetheless, all sources agree that Karlović took 18 wounds in combat and that it was German soldiers who inflicted them.^[3][2][1]

As the Ottomans fled the battlefield, some 700 dead and wounded Ottoman soldiers were lying dead or wounded on field of Belaj.^[2] Among them were also Bosnian pasha and captain of Udbina, who were severely wounded.^[1] On the Christian side, Ivan Karlović was also severely wounded.^[3] According to the letter written on 18 October, Karlović was still recovering from his wounds and it was "unknown whether he will remain alive or die".^[3] Karlović, eventually managed to recover.^[3]