In the Battle of Zenta the imperial forces under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy won at Zenta at the Tisza a significant victory over the Turks on 11 September 1697.

1697, with the end of the Palatinate War of Succession, Prince Eugene (since 1693 Field Marshall) returned back to the Ottoman battlefield. After unification with the troops from Upper Hungary and Transylvania, the imperial army comprised 50,000 to 55,000 men.

The imperial field marshal followed the Ottoman army, almost on the same level.

Then the imperial cavalry, which was always neatly following the enemy, succeeded to capture a Turkish officer. According to his statement, the plan to storm Szegedins was abandoned due to the pursuit of the Christian army and the Sultan intended to cross the Tisza at Zenta and afterwards retreat to Temesvár. When Eugene learned this news, he decided start the battle immediately.

On the afternoon of 11 September 1697 the location at the Tisza at Zenta looked as follows: On the west bank, there was a Turkish beachhead with built hills and mounds securing the river crossing. On the pontoon bridge that crossed the river Tisza the artillery and baggage train were transported to the other side where the Sultan and the Ottoman cavalry were already deployed. The Turks were lulled into a false sense of security and did not think that the imperial army would be there that quickly.

Eugene's troops instantly opened fire, while still moving, and they attacked in a crescent formation the defensive position of the Ottomans. When north of the pontoon bridge sandbars in the river were seen, Eugene seized this opportunity immediately and commanded to occupy them in order to take the back of the Turkish defense position under fire. After intense artillery fire followed the assault which the infantry and the dismounted cavalry executed, as well as Prince Eugene himself the head of a dragoon regiment. The hills were eventually overcome; the Turks pushed into the river and the bridge under fire.

The battle was an amazing victory for Austria; at the cost of 500 men they had inflicted the loss of 30,000 men and captured the sultan's harem, 87 cannons, the royal treasure chest and the state seal of the Ottoman Empire. The startled Austrians even captured a train of camels. The main Ottoman army was scattered and the Austrians gained complete freedom of action in Bosnia, where Sarajevo was sacked.