The written sources and literary works considering ther battle at Siget in 1566 are discussed. The key literary account in the 19th century was Theodor Körner's drama Zriny from 1812. It was used as libretto for four settings to music in the 19th century. The authors of music are: Franz Xaver Kleinheinz (1765-1832), who wrote stage music for the first performance in 1812 ; Franz Joseph Gläser (1798-1861), who wrote the melodrama Zriny (first performed in 1836 in Berlin) ; August Adelburg Abramović (1830-1873), who wrote the opera Zriny (first performed in 1868 in Budapest) ; Ivan Zajc (1832-1924), who wrote the opera Nikola Šubić Zrinjski (first performed in 1876 in Zagreb). It is stated that Körner's Zriny, relevant during the Napoleonic era, continued to retain its relevance later, serving as a stimulus to heroism in many diverse circumstances, including settings to music by composers both of German and Slavic origins.