12 September 1683
War & ConflictThe Winged Hussars Charge at Vienna
About this moment
The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Habsburg monarchy, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, both under the command of Polish King John III Sobieski, against the Ottomans and their vassal and tributary states. The battle was won by the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, marking the beginning of their military cooperation against the Ottomans. Some historians maintain that the battle marked a turning point in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars, a 300-year struggle between the Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires. It represented the culmination of 150 years of intense military tension following the failed 1529 siege of Vienna. The Ottomans would gain no further ground in Europe and would never again challenge Vienna. In the ensuing war that lasted until 1699, the Holy Roman Empire consolidated territorial gains resulting in most of Ottoman Hungary being ceded to Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Viennese garrison was led by Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, General of the Artillery of the Holy Roman Imperial Army and a subject of Emperor Leopold I. The overall command was held by the senior allied leader, the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, who led the relief forces. The Lithuanian army was delayed, and only reached Vienna after it had been relieved. The forces of the Ottoman Empire and its vassal states were commanded by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. The Ottoman army numbered approximately 90,000 to 300,000 men, and according to the documents on the order of battle found in Kara Mustafa's tent, initial strength at the start of the campaign was 170,000 men. They began the siege on 14 July 1683. The battle is noted for including the largest known cavalry charge in history.
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People
- John III Sobieski · 1629 CE – 1696 CE
- Kara Mustafa Paşa · 1634 CE – 1683 CE