For his part, Starhemberg launched sorties to interrupt the Turks whenever possible. The Turks used throngs of Hungarian slaves to build siege works while their artillery pounded the walls. What he did know was that Vienna’s walls must hold against the Turkish onslaught until help arrived, or else the streets would run red with Christian blood. Starhemberg did not know when that relief army would come or if it would be large enough to defeat Mustafa’s army. Beyond that formidable wilderness, Charles of Lorraine had taken his remaining 10,000 cavalry to harass Tartar raiding parties, confront Hungarian rebels at Pressburg, and assemble the anticipated relief army in the Tulln valley. Farther to the west and north stretched the Kahlenberg heights. They included Mustafa’s opulent pavilion with his hundreds of concubines and slaves, exotic animals, and even a fountain erected by his engineers. Stephens, Starhemberg beheld a sea of thousands of multicolored Turkish tents drawn up in crescent moon formation southwest of the city. In contrast to the peasants and soldiers, Vienna’s upper class followed their Emperor’s example and fled the city to seek safety in the west.įrom the towers of St. In the village of Pectholdsdorf alone, more than 3,000 of the men were butchered and the women and children dragged into slavery. Clouds of smoke rose from villages devastated by Turkish troops and their cold-blooded Tartar allies. For them Vienna would be the only chance of escaping the Turkish wrath. In addition to the 11 infantry regiments, militia, 400 artillery pieces and two lines of moats and walls with 12 bastions protected the city and its 60,000 remaining citizens.Īt the time Vienna’s population consisted mostly of peasants who had drifted into the city from the countryside. Lorraine further reinforced Starhemberg’s garrison with 8,000 infantry and a burger militia was quickly assembled and trained. Together with Duke Charles of Lorraine, Count Starhemberg razed the suburbs to the ground to deprive the attackers of cover, hastily repaired the once-debilitated walls, and brought in ample supplies from the countryside. To Mustafa’s chagrin, he found Vienna’s defender, Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, prepared and determined to withstand a siege. The Only Shelter Against the Invading Turks On July 14th Mustafa appeared before the city walls. Against the advice of his commanders, he left only token forces to invest Györ and Komarno and marched straight for Vienna. The large size of his host and his boundless ambition induced Mustafa to disregard the Sultan’s orders. To oppose Mustafa and his allies, Emperor Leopold could muster a mere 32,000 soldiers. Reinforced by the horsemen of the Crimean Tartar Khan, Mustafa possessed 160,000 troops. Mustafa was to aid the Hungarian insurgents by conquering the Imperial strongholds of Györ and Komarno. Command was instead handed to the Grand Vizier, the swarthy Kara Mustafa. Mehmed himself did not bother to lead his army, preferring to go on one of his lavish hunting trips. To ensure the security of their new ally, a vast army of Turks and provincial levies was assembled at Constantinople. The latter had already overrun most of Imperial Hungary in 1682. Sultan Mehmed opted for a limited strategy that would strengthen the Ottoman frontier and support the Hungarians. Negotiations broke down and the Second (Great) Turkish War of 1683-1699 had begun. Thus encouraged, Mehmed demanded outrageous tribute and territorial concessions from Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I. In addition, France, the Hapsburg rival for European hegemony, urged the Sultan to go to war with the HRE. Rebellious Hungarian nobles, angered by Imperial persecutions of Protestants, threatened the Empire’s sway over upper Hungary and were ready to side with the Ottomans. Nevertheless the struggle between Islam and Christendom continued and the initiative remained with the Turks so that, by 1683, they controlled most of Hungary with only the upper portion remaining part of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), synonymous with the House of Hapsburg and Austria.Īlthough there was currently peace between the HRE and the Turks, conditions seemed favorable for Sultan Mehmed IV to renew the war. At other times internal political instability among both Europeans and Turks diverted their efforts elsewhere. There were great battles and victories and temporary peace treaties. For centuries, the nations of Europe fought the Turks on land and at sea. Ever since Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 they became the relentless terror of Christendom.
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