Battle Of Vienna

[Viggen]

One of the most significant events and probably the most important battle in Europe since the Battle of Tours happend 323 years ago and shaped the future of Europe (and the west in general) in a way that we are still affected today because the Battle marked the historic end of Turkish expansion into southeastern Europe. King Sobieski of Poland who led the relief army is till today regarded as a hero in vienna and rightly so.

 

...more info about the battle at All Experts

[DecimusCaesar]

I've read about this battle before and i've seen it listed numerous times in books about battles that shaped history. I even saw it listed as the tenth most importnat battle in World History once (with Yorktown at number one).

[Gaius Octavius]

I think that the 'Timeline' goes a long way towards making the Serbian attitude about the mostly Moslem state of Bosnia and their mostly Moslem province of Kosovo understandable. If my memory serves, it was Izabegovic's initiative to make Bosnia a 'Moslem' state that started the war in Bosnia.

[Kosmo]

Vienna marked the begining of the end for the defeated ottomans, but also for the victorious poles.

"Bosnians" are serbs(orthodox) and croats (catholic) that coverted to islam during ottoman rule. They all speak the same language (aprrox.)

In Kosovo they are muslim albanians that migrated in an historicaly important serbian region during the ottoman rule when thay were an very important nation.

Izetbegovic, like most yugoslav leaders in the '90 s, it's a war criminal that started a bloody war so he can climb a pile of dung.

[Rameses the Great]

The Ottoman were laying waste all over Southeastern Europe until they reached the Gates of Vienna. Poised to overrun it with 200,000 men, the Christian army of 50,000 was determined to stop the Ottoman advance. Europe united as Poles, Franks, and Germans came to aid Vienna. The Ottomans were beaten back by the pikeman and the janissaries repelled.

 

It was a great victory marking the end of the advance of the Ottomans in Europe. If they took Vienna they could have went north into Germany or south into Italy.

 

It also resembled the last true threat the Ottomans had to conquer Europe. In 1600 Europe was more prepared and ready for another invasion situation. Islam was confined to the Middle East and Christianity remained dominant in Europe for the coming ages until now.

 

All with one battle.

[Mosquito]

The Ottoman were laying waste all over Southeastern Europe until they reached the Gates of Vienna. Poised to overrun it with 200,000 men, the Christian army of 50,000 was determined to stop the Ottoman advance. Europe united as Poles, Franks, and Germans came to aid Vienna. The Ottomans were beaten back by the pikeman and the janissaries repelled.

 

It was a great victory marking the end of the advance of the Ottomans in Europe. If they took Vienna they could have went north into Germany or south into Italy.

 

It also resembled the last true threat the Ottomans had to conquer Europe. In 1600 Europe was more prepared and ready for another invasion situation. Islam was confined to the Middle East and Christianity remained dominant in Europe for the coming ages until now.

 

All with one battle.

 

 

It was all because of French, Turks, Sewedes and Poles.

Poland was already weakened and its power was fast declining. The whole 17th century was for the Republic - so called "Commonwealth of two nations" the time of war but second half of century was a disaster. Altough Republic defended itself from all the invasions it lost half of the Ukraine and part of Russia. In menpower it lost bigger percentage of population than during WW2.

After finally defeated Cossaks, Tartars, Swedes and Russians, Poland was attacked by Ottomans. In brillant campaign hetman John Sobieski defeated them and due to popularity gained on the battlefield was elected for the new king. Since the begining he didnt want any more wars against Ottomans, he spoke Turkish, he loved ottoman culture and he was ready to ally with Ottomans. His aim was Prussia which already declared independence from Poland. But when Ottomans started negotiating conditions of alliance with Russia, after Swedes were defeated by Prussia and French allied with Prussia, Sobieski was given no choise and allied with Austria.

 

There are rumours that next movie of Mell Gibson will be titled "Victoria" and that Gibson will play the role of John III Sobieski of Poland.

[Rameses the Great]

It was all because of French, Turks, Sewedes and Poles.

 

They were attacked by Turks but your right Prussians, Poles, Swiss, and French helped them although I don't know if Swedes did because they were so far away.

 

Regarding the Austrians, they did help A LOT. They were able to keep the Ottoman army 200,000 at bay with only 11,000 until the relief army came. If the Poles had not come in time of course Vienna was going to fall. Lets not forget the denizens of Vienna who were too stuborn to allow Islam into their homes.

[Mosquito]

They were attacked by Turks but your right Prussians, Poles, Swiss, and French helped them although I don't know if Swedes did because they were so far away.

 

Regarding the Austrians, they did help A LOT. They were able to keep the Ottoman army 200,000 at bay with only 11,000 until the relief army came. If the Poles had not come in time of course Vienna was going to fall. Lets not forget the denizens of Vienna who were too stuborn to allow Islam into their homes.

 

Swedes were important because Sobieski planned to ally with them, French and Ottomans against Prussia and Austria. When Swedes were defeated by Prussians and French gave up the idea of this alliance, Sobieski being not able to ally with Ottomans, allied with Hapsburgs.

 

I mean that the relief of Vienna was a result of failed pro french policy of king John Sobieski.

Edited December 22, 2006 by Mosquito

[Gaius Octavius]

Didn't the sultan die when he left the field? Hadn't he intended to come back (had he lived)?

Edited December 23, 2006 by Gaius Octavius

[Mosquito]

Didn't the sultan die when he left the field? Hadn't he intended to come back (had he lived)?

 

Ottoman army was under command of grand vezir Kara Mustafa. Sultan wasnt there.

[Callaecus]

One of the most significant events and probably the most important battle in Europe since the Battle of Tours happend 323 years ago and shaped the future of Europe (and the west in general) in a way that we are still affected today because the Battle marked the historic end of Turkish expansion into southeastern Europe. King Sobieski of Poland who led the relief army is till today regarded as a hero in vienna and rightly so.

I think that the battles that took place in the 16th century, when the Ottoman power was at its apex, were way more important to stop the Ottomans than the 1683 siege. Let's see:

 

1529 - First siege of Vienna, that stopped Ottoman advance into Central Europe

 

1565 - Siege of Malta

 

1571 - Battle of Lepanto

 

These two battles stopped Ottoman advance into the Western Mediterranean

 

And last, but definitely not least:

 

1509 - Battle of Diu (in India), a naval battle where the Portuguese defeated a Muslim armada ensuring in this way that Europeans and not Muslims gained control of the Indian Ocean and through it the riches of Asia.

 

That the Ottoman danger in 1683 was not as great as that, can be seen in the fact that a few years later the Austrians conquered parts of the Ottoman empire.

[Maladict]

Lepanto was not that important in the general scheme of things.

The Ottomans rebuilt their fleet within a year iirc and the battle did nothing to prevent the ongoing decline of Venetian maritime power.

Edited December 23, 2006 by Maladict

[Gaius Octavius]

Regardless of their re-building their fleet after Lepanto, didn't the battle put an end to Turkish predations at sea?

[Maladict]

Regardless of their re-building their fleet after Lepanto, didn't the battle put an end to Turkish predations at sea?

 

Two years after the battle Venice ceded Cyprus, and paid actually paid for the costs of the Ottoman invasion.

A year after that, an Ottoman fleet (re)captured Tunis and raided the coast of Sicily. After Lepanto they controlled the eastern Mediterranean, and finally, decades later, invaded and captured Crete.

 

Except for a significant naval battle in the Dardanelles, won by Venice and Malta, and the Venetian invasion of Greece, I can't think of any Christian navy trying to oppose the Ottomans until the eighteenth century.

[Rameses the Great]

Two years after the battle Venice ceded Cyprus, and paid actually paid for the costs of the Ottoman invasion.

A year after that, an Ottoman fleet (re)captured Tunis and raided the coast of Sicily. After Lepanto they controlled the eastern Mediterranean, and finally, decades later, invaded and captured Crete.

 

Except for a significant naval battle in the Dardanelles, won by Venice and Malta, and the Venetian invasion of Greece, I can't think of any Christian navy trying to oppose the Ottomans until the eighteenth century.

 

By no means did the Ottomans control the sea at any time against the European powers.