Vienna, Battle of

The Battle of Vienna takes place on September 11 and 12, 1683, after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months.

It is a battle of the Holy Roman Empire in league with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Holy League) versus the Ottoman Empire and chiefdoms of the Ottoman Empire at the Kahlenberg mountain near Vienna.

The battle is won by the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, however with the sole presence of the forces of Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (the march of the Lithuanian army is delayed, as a result of which they arrive in Vienna after it is relieved).

The Viennese garrison is led by Ernst Rüdiger Graf von Starhemberg, a subordinate of Leopold I Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor.

The overall command is held by the commander of the Polish Crown's forces, the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski.The alliance fightsthe army of the Ottoman Empire and those of Ottoman fiefdoms commanded by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha.

The siege itself begins on 14 July 1683, by the Ottoman Empire army of approximately 150,000[ to 300,000[ men.

The besieging force is composed of 60 ortas of Janissaries (12,000 men paper strength) with an observation army of c.70,000 men watching the countryside.

The decisive battle takes place on 12 September, after the united relief army of approximately 75,000 men arrives.It has been suggested by some historians that the battle marked the turning point in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars, the 300-year struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

However, an opposing view sees the battle as only confirming the already-decaying power of the Ottoman Empire.

Over the sixteen years following the battle, the Habsburgs of Austria gradually occupy and dominate southern Hungary and Transylvania, which have been largely cleared of the Ottoman forces.

The battle is also notable for including the largest cavalry charge in history.

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