Editing Battle of Varna (section)

==Battle==
[[File:Battle of Varna.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Movements of the forces during the battle.]]
The light Ottoman cavalry assaulted the Croats of [[Ban (title)|ban]] Franco Talotsi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.varnenchikmuseum.com/Eng/Istoria/Kyrvavata_bitka_na_narodite.html|title=Park–Museum of the Combat Friendship 1444 "Wladislaw Warnenchik"|website=www.varnenchikmuseum.com|access-date=2019-10-26|archive-date=2014-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219081747/http://www.varnenchikmuseum.com/Eng/Istoria/Kyrvavata_bitka_na_narodite.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Christians from the left riposted with bombards and [[History of the firearm|firearms]] and stopped the attack. Christian soldiers chased the Ottomans in a disorderly pursuit. The [[Sipahi|Anatolian cavalry]] ambushed them from the flank. The Christian right wing attempted to flee to the small fortress of Galata on the other side of [[Varna Bay]], but most of them were slain in the marshland around Varna Lake and the River Devnya, where Cesarini also met his end. Only [[Ban (title)|ban]] Talotsi's troops managed to withdraw behind the Wagenburg.

[[File:Varna 1444 Polski Kronika from 1564.jpg|thumb|left|A scene from the Battle of Varna (1444) on the ''Kronika wszystkiego świata'' of [[Marcin Bielski]], published in 1564.]]
The other Ottoman flank assaulted the Hungarians and Bulgarians of Michael Szilagyi. Their push was stopped and turned back; then Sipahis attacked again. Hunyadi decided to help and advised Władysław to wait until he returned; then advanced with two cavalry companies. The young king, ignoring Hunyadi's advice, rushed 500 of his Polish knights against the Ottoman center. They attempted to overrun the Janissary infantry and take Murad prisoner, and almost succeeded, but in front of Murad's tent Władysław's horse either fell into a trap or was stabbed, and the king was beheaded by mercenary Kodja Hazar.<ref name=jaczynowski>{{cite book|surname1=Jaczynowski|first1=Lech|title=Supposed Gravesites of Władysław III of Varna|date=2017|isbn=9788374555265|page=193|publisher=Wydawnictwo im. Stanisława Podobińskiego Akademii im. Jana Długosza |url=http://dlibra.bg.ajd.czest.pl:8080/Content/4173/14.pdf|access-date=21 December 2017}}</ref> The remaining coalition cavalry were demoralized and defeated by the Ottomans.

On his return, Hunyadi tried frantically to salvage the king's body, but all he could accomplish was to organize the retreat of the remains of his army; it suffered thousands of casualties in the chaos, and was virtually annihilated. Neither the head nor body of the king were ever found. The [[Minnesang|minnesinger]] [[Michael Beheim]] wrote a song based on the story of Hans Mergest, who spent 16 years in Ottoman captivity after the battle.