On 11 September 1697, the allied Christian forces (Holy League) led by Prince Eugene of Savoy fought a decisive battle with the Ottoman forces, Sultan Mustafa II and General Elmas Mehmed in the Battle of Zenta. The battle resulted in a spectacular victory for the Holy League. The Ottoman Empire suffered one of its most severe defeats, with tens of thousands of casualties. The Sultan was forced into retreat.

The Battle of Zenta became a turning point for the Ottoman Empire, as they were never to lead a successful invasion ever again. The victory led to the creation of the Treaty of Karlowitz, which ultimately ended the Ottoman reign over Hungary. However, the country did not become independent.

Leopold I was the emperor in Vienna at the time, but the Hungarian people rebelled against him multiple times so he did not receive a statue in the Millennial Monument. Charles III, who successfully added Banat back to Hungary, was given the statue spot. The equestrian statue of Eugene of Savoy stands in front of the Buda Castle.

During WW2, the Millennial Monument was bombed, and three statues of Habsburg emperors were damaged heavily. After the changes in Hungarian politics in 1948, the remaining two Habsburg statues and their reliefs were replaced with anti-Habsburg ones, so a statue of Gabriel Bethlen replaced Charles’s statue.

The statue of Charles III is currently under restoration and was originally created by Ede Telcs.