Battle near Vienna on 12 September 1683, between the Christian European states and the Ottomans, won by Christians commanded by Polish king John III Sobieski
The Battle of Vienna halted Ottoman westward expansion into Europe and marked the start of a long Habsburg-Polish military alliance against the Ottomans.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 September 1683
- Ottoman siege began
- 14 July 1683
- Ottoman army strength
- ~170,000 at campaign start (90,000–300,000 estimated) men
- Cavalry charge
- Largest known cavalry charge in history
- Subsequent war duration
- Until 1699
- Prior failed siege of Vienna
- 1529
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following 150 years of military tension after the failed Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1529, the Ottoman Empire under Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha launched a renewed campaign, besieging Vienna beginning 14 July 1683. The city's garrison, commanded by Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, held out for two months while relief forces assembled under Polish King John III Sobieski.
On 12 September 1683, the combined armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the overall command of John III Sobieski, attacked the Ottoman besieging force at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna. The engagement included what is considered the largest cavalry charge in recorded history and ended in a decisive Christian victory over the Ottoman and vassal forces.
The Ottoman defeat ended further territorial ambitions in Western Europe; the Ottomans never again threatened Vienna. In the subsequent war lasting until 1699, the Holy Roman Empire secured major territorial gains, with most of Ottoman Hungary ceded to Emperor Leopold I, and the battle inaugurated sustained Habsburg-Polish military cooperation against the Ottomans.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
John III Sobieski, Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg.
Side B
2 belligerents
Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha.