This week in history witnessed the launch of a daringly amazing campaign dedicated to defending and liberating Christian lands from Islam.
The year was 1442. After suffering countless atrocities from the invading Turks, “everyone [in the West] spoke of making war on the infidels and driving them out of Europe.” The turning point was entirely due to the martial exploits of John Hunyadi, the Transylvanian-born hero who had singlehandedly bested the Turks in several recent engagements.
After putting an army of some 25,000 Christians together — mostly from Hungary, Poland, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Serbia — Hunyadi took the initiative by doing the unthinkable: He led them into Turkish-held territories at the end of September 1442, when campaigning season was supposed to end, not begin, due to the start of the usually harsh winter.
Hunyadi was always in the vanguard, a day ahead of the main army and Hungarian king, Ladislaus III, its formal leader. The Christian army marched south of the Danube, scourging the Turks in every encounter and liberating town after Christian town. The deeper the Christians penetrated into Ottoman territory, the larger their army became, as overjoyed Christian subjects, casting off the yoke of their Muslim masters, rushed to augment the ranks of their saviors. […]
— Read More: stream.org
