Az Egri Csillagok (ii. Kötet): Bornemissza Gergely Élete

''Az egri csillagok (II. kötet) : Bornemissza Gergely élete'' by Géza Gárdonyi is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. Set amid the mid-16th-century Ottoman wars in Hungary, it focuses on the defense of Eger and the life and deeds of the inventive soldier Bornemissza Gergely. Alongside the siege story, it weaves family stakes and intrigue involving Gergely’s wife Éva, their son Jancsi, and the steadfast captain Dobó István. The opening of this volume moves from a brief year-by-year recap of the troubled 1540s to 1552, then shifts to Sopron, where Éva—preparing clothes for a visiting student—finds a hidden plan of Eger in Gergely’s old vest. A one‑eyed visitor, Balogh Tamás, shows ominous interest in Gergely’s talismanic ring and ingratiates himself with young Jancsi; soon after, as news arrives that Szolnok has fallen, the boy vanishes from the church, and Éva fears the kidnapper is the old foe Jumurdsák. The narrative then cuts to Gergely leading 250 men toward Eger: he shames retreating soldiers, recruits the crafty gypsy Sárközi, and reaches the fortress to a warm welcome from Captain Dobó and the officers. A brisk tour maps Eger’s defenses—gates, bastions, the Sötétkapu, outer works, and extensive powder stores—while Gergely is placed on the eastern front and proposes improved “seeded” bombs. Preparations intensify; a scout gallops in with a severed Turkish head, Achmed Pasha’s surrender demand is read to the garrison, and Dobó tears it up, resolving to hold the castle.