In 1788, Austria accidentally fought itself in war.

 



As you might imagine, the Austro-Turkish Wars took place between what are now Austria and Turkey. This being between the 16th and 18th centuries, however, the official belligerents were the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. Perhaps the most (in)famous skirmish of that conflict didn’t involve both sides, though. What’s been called “history’s worst friendly fire incident” was officially known as the Battle of Karánsebes and took place in present-day Romania on the night of September 21, 1788. As the Austrian army consisted not only of Austrians but also of soldiers from modern-day Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, and Croatia, communication wasn’t always smooth — especially when alcohol was involved.

 

Such was the case on this fateful night, during which different groups of Austrian soldiers were on opposite sides of the Timiş River. When fistfights and eventually gunfire broke out on one side of the river over a drunken dispute, troops in Karánsebes proper believed their foes had arrived and began shouting, “Turks! Turks!” The inebriated soldiers then ran toward their comrades to assist them but were mistaken for Turks, leading to further miscommunication and friendly fire. When the Turks did arrive two days later, they took Karánsebes with little resistance.

Did you know?

One of the Habsburgs became emperor of Mexico.

Over the course of more than 600 years, the House of Habsburg reigned over not just Austria but also the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Hungary, and Bohemia, among other European territories. Their royal dominion wasn’t confined to the European continent, however, as one member of the family even became emperor of Mexico. Maximilian was the younger brother of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, and a bit of younger sibling jealousy may have played into him naively believing that Mexico had voted for him to become their ruler in 1863. His installation on the throne was actually the result of a backhanded deal between Napoleon III, who was hoping to further France’s ambitions in the country via a weak leader, and conservative Mexicans plotting to overthrow their liberal government led by President Benito Juárez.




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