The (Staggering) Siege of Vienna 1683

The second (Staggering) Siege of Vienna 1683:
On the 14th July 1683, an Ottoman army under the command of the Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha arrived at the Gates of Vienna. Their arrival marked the beginning of a siege characterized by subterranean warfare, delays on both sides, and an “apocalyptic storm” of Tatar riders ravaging the hinterland. The siege was eventually ended by the battle of Vienna, when the Polish winged Hussars arrived under King Jan III Sobieski famously charged into the Ottoman army. The siege and battle of Vienna are discussed extensively by historians up to this day. It is considered the turning point in the westward expansion of the Ottomans and it is an interesting case study for any student of warfare. This is how contemporary historiography tells the story of the staggering siege of Vienna:

#history #education #sandrhoman

Our reading list on military history:

Bibliography
Black, Jeremy (Hg.), The Seventy Great Battles in History, Leipzig 2005.
Eickhoff, Ekkehard, Venedig, Wien und die Osmanen. Umbruch in Südosteuropa 1645-1700, Stuttgart 2008.
Matschke, Klaus-Peter, Das Kreuz und der Halbmond. Die Geschichte der Türkenkriege, Darmstadt 2004.
Stoye, John, The Siege of Vienna: The Last Great Trial Between Cross & Crescent, London 1964.
Wheatcroft, Andrew, The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe, New York 2010.

[SandRhomanHistory]

Edit: Correction: Portugal should not be marked as part of the Spanish Hapsburg territory.

[garethwigglesworth]

My house was built in 1620. I look at it and think to myself wow. My house was 63 years old when the siege of Vienna happened

[chomik]

1683 - "those poles are really brave people, they helped us, our friends.
1772 - "Poland is divided by Austria, Russian and Prussia".

[cetus]

For Sobieski, the fights against the Ottoman Empire had also personal, not only political or religious aspect.
His ancestor was Crown Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, whose last-stand fight, in battle of Cecora 1620, is well known in the history of Poland. Żólkiewski died in age of 72 with a saber in his hand as a hero defending the country's borders. Sobieski's mother taught her sons Latin on the example of the inscriptions covering the tomb of their great ancestor. The uncle and brother of king Jan were killed by Tatars. Jan himself was born in a castle surrounded by the raging Tatar invasion.
The fight against the Tatars and the Turks, one could say, was this man's destiny.

Except from the Battle of Vienna his other victories are little known to history enthusiasts in countries different than Poland. Among that victories are brilliant counter-raid around the city of Lwów against the overwhelming strength of Tatar raiders in 1672, and in the next year battle of Khotyn where the 40, 000 Turkish army was literally annihilated.

Nevertheless, Sobieski didn't hate or prejudice his muslim enemies. He enjoyed a Janissary music and even had his own Janissary orchestra made of Turkish POW's.
Poles and Turks met each other for hundreds of years in trade, diplomacy and on many battlefields*, but they could respect each other, even as enemies.

*(probably first time in Battle of Kosovo 1389, where some Polish knights supported the Serbian army)

[kononbt]

And after 112 years, the Austrians visited Krakow and, enchanted by its beauty, stayed there for almost 123 years ;)

[S.P.]

"and Poland will answer"
*Theoden likes this element*

[UkrainianPaulie]

Two of My ancestors were Winged Hussars at Vienna. They were minor nobility and were in the First Banner (First Company). My father has one of the szabla (saber). Niech żyje Polska!

[saidtoshimaru]

Moral of the story:

Siege warfare sucks.

[ReaperCH]

I just realized where the expression "to undermine" comes from

[samy]

Interesting tidbit: Just as a huge number of soldiers in the Ottoman army were Christians (Hungarian, and even English, French, German, and Dutch Protestants as well as Serbs and other Orthodox troops), one of the most effective elements in the Polish army were the Muslim Lipka Tatars. Once he got home after the Siege of Vienna, the Polish king happily ordered the building of mosques for his Lipka Tatar vassals.

Many of these mosques still stand today, and Muslim Lipka Tatar cavalrymen were still serving in the Polish army as late as World War Two, with new inductees into the Lipka Tatar lancer regiment swearing their oath of service in Islamic style. If I’m not mistaken, a monument to the Muslim Lipka Tatar cavalry was also unveiled some years ago in Poland.

[Alias_Anybody]

Vienna: "We'll keep the coffee as compensation"

And so a century long addiction started, and coffee culture swept over most of Europe. Who needs gold when you can have caffeine?

[stuartward]

The coolest part about this battle is that it really was like something out of a movie in a sense that the relief force arrived at literally the last possible moment. If they arrived a day later Vienna would've fallen

[svenw]

Considering how relatively recent, large/long and potentially worldchanging The Sieges of Vienna were. The absence of the sieges from our schools history books especially in europe, is a mystery to me. Underated in every way !

[matthaeusdecuiavia]

It was not mentioned in video, but Sobieski delayed his departue from Poland because the lithuanian forces that were supposed to reinforce king's army did not arrive on time. That's why Sobieski brought only half of the force from PLC he promised.

[niedrichFrietzsche]

Everybody gangsta untill the mountainside starts speaking polish.

[FieldMarshalRommel]

King Sobieski, hero of Europa. God bless our Polish brothers from Ireland. We have a lot of Poles here and we get on so well our children are indistinguishable.

[admiraltiberius]

"Stand by for Sabaton references by the bucket load."

[tonysullivan]

After Vienna the Ottomans had their eyes on Rome. This was a Pivotal period of time in Western Europe history. It stopped the western expansion of Islam. I have Much Love for the Polish People and the Winged Hussars. T$

[napoleonibonaparte]

The message has been sent! Austria calls for aid!

[Thraim.]

Gotta love how the infantry did 80% of the work but it's the winged hussars who achieved memetic levels of praise.