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In the early modern period in Europe, Ottoman Turkey was arguably the greatest military and political power. The Ottoman Sultan ruled an Empire from Persia to Central Europe. It is widely accepted that if the Muslim Empire had been successful at the Battle or Siege of Vienna in 1683, it could have dominated Europe and changed not only European history but also world history.
===The Battle and siege===
[[File: TB Angriff.gif|300px250px|thumbnail|left| A drawing of the Ottomans outside Vienna]]
Some 150,000 Turkish troops entered Austrian territory, and they were allied with the Hungarians. Some 40,000 Crimean Tartars also joined the army of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Viziers had long planned for this invasion, and they had laid meticulous plans. However, the winter meant that the actual invasion was delayed, giving the Austrians some time to prepare.
The main Ottoman army arrived outside the gates of Vienna on 14 July. On the same day, the commander Kara Mustafa demanded the surrender of the city. The Viennese and the garrison vowed to fight on as earlier the Turks had massacred the inhabitants of a town that had surrendered on terms. The Ottomans cut off the city from the rest of the Hapsburg lands. The city's defenders had cleared the area around the surrounding city walls. This created a free-fire zone for the Imperial troops.<ref> Palmer, p. 221</ref>
In response, the Ottomans established a network of trenches. The Turks had excellent artillery, and they employed almost 150 pieces of cannon, and they also dug tunnels under the Hapsburg walls to place mines under the fortifications. The city walls were in a state of disrepair, but the garrison and the citizens improvised and strengthened the fortifications. By September 1683, a small relief force of the Imperial army had arrived. The Hapsburg Emperor had previously fled the city. Despite this, the Viennese garrison was under great stress, and the commander became so concerned that Graf Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg ordered any soldier malingering or asleep on duty to be ‘summarily shot.’<ref> Palmer, p. 223</ref>
It seemed that the Austrian garrison was on the verge of defeat and the Ottomans on the threshold of a great victory. However, the Austrians had been very active on the diplomatic front, and they had received the backing of the Pope, who also supplied much-needed funds. Louis XIV of France refused to help the Austrians, who he viewed as his arch-enemy. The Poles under their King John III Sobieski conditionally agreed to participate in Vienna's relief and joined the Holy League, the name given to the anti-Ottoman alliance.<ref>Nicolle, David. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0850455111/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0850455111&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0a11926735705334a8b03716323a97e7 Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300–1774]</i> (Osprey Publishing, 1983), p. 214</ref>
That August in 1683, a small Hapsburg army, with their allies the Bavarians and Saxons under the Duke of Lorraine, defeated the Hungarian allies of the Ottoman's northwest of Vienna. This encouraged the Poles to enter a formal alliance with Leopold I. The Polish monarchy had a powerful army, and Poland's Hussars, or cavalry, was were famed throughout Europe. By September 1683, the Ottoman forces had seized a portion of the city walls, and it seemed that Vienna was about to fall. The Pope provided generous subsidies to the Poles, and the Polish king advanced with a great army leaving his realm virtually defenseless.<ref> Nicolle, p. 113</ref>
They approached the city by the 11th of September 1683 and sought to link up with the Imperial army. Mustafa ordered the Ottomans to attack the Duke of Lorraine’s army, but they were beaten back, and the Imperial army launched a counterattack. On the right flank, the Polish hussars advanced rapidly, and they easily swept the Crimean Tartars from the field. The Ottoman Vizier ordered a direct attack on the city by his elite troops, the Saphis and the Janissaries, but the stubborn defenders stalled their attack.
===The Pope===
One of the key reasons why the Ottomans were defeated before the walls of Vienna was the Pope's intervention. He used his extensive resources to help the Hapsburg’s Hapsburgs to find allies. The Pope used his status as a spiritual leader to persuade Catholic German princes to join what he called the Holy League. Without the intervention of the Papacy, these princes would not have helped the Austrians whom they distrusted. Instead, they reinforced the Imperial Army near Vienna. They provided some excellent troops who were disciplined and well-trained.<ref>Eoin Duffy, <i>The History of the Papacy</i> (London, Osprey, 1998), p. 215</ref>
The Papacy could use its extensive funds to pay the Polish army. At one time, the Pope's money helped to persuade many Imperial soldiers to remain and fight. During the early modern period, unpaid soldiers often mutinied. The support of the Papacy for the Holy Alliance was significant. It is also highly likely that the Pope's backing prevented Louis XIV and France from taking advantage of the Turkish onslaught and invading Germany, which would have benefitted only the Ottomans.
Furthermore, he hated Christians, which was even though many of his allies and some of his army were members of that faith. He did not inspire any loyalty, and he tried to terrify everyone to ensure that he was obeyed. Kara Mustafa was hated by many and was hated by nearly everyone.
Despite its size, the Turkish army was demoralized, and this partly explains why they fled before the Polish and Imperial cavalry. This was not typical of the Ottoman army who was renowned for their fanatical bravery. In contrast, Charles V of Lorraine was an able leader and could lead a disparate group of German troops in battle. On several occasions’occasions, he was able to rally them when they seemed about to retreat before a Turkish attack. The Polish king was an able leader, renowned for his bravery, and he did much to inspire his hussars during the crucial cavalry charges that broke the Ottoman army before the gates of Vienna.
===Conclusion===
The Battle of Vienna was one of the most important battles in Early Modern European history. It was a turning point in the fortunes of the Ottoman Empire, and after 1683 it was no longer a threat to Christian Europe and went into a steep decline in the eighteenth century. The battle saved Vienna and the Hapsburg Empire, becoming one of the leading powers in continental Europe. If Vienna had fallen in 1683, the great Viennese cultural flourishing of the eighteenth and nineteenth century centuries would not have happened, and there may have been no Mozart.
The Ottomans' defeat was that the army was poorly led, and its strategies and tactics were poor and ill-conceived. The Hapsburgs could win the support of the Pope, the Catholic German princes, and crucially the Polish monarchy. This and the Viennese defenders and garrison's determination all ensured that the Ottomans suffered their greatest defeat and saved Europe.
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jibk6hvhlG0</youtube>
===References===
