The Battle of Vienna (also known as the Battle of the Bald Mountain) took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on the 12th of September 1683. The battle happened after the Imperial City was besieged by the Ottoman Empire for 2 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 King John III Sobieski, against the Ottomans and their vassal and tributary states. The battle marked the first time the Commonwealth and the Holy Roman Empire had cooperated militarily against the Ottomans, and it is often seen as a turning point in history, after which “the Ottoman Turks ceased to be a menace to the Christian world”. In the ensuing war that lasted until 1699, the Ottomans lost almost all of Hungary to the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.
Who won?
The battle was won by the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the latter represented only by the forces of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (the march of the Lithuanian army was delayed, and they reached Vienna after it had been relieved). The Viennese garrison was led by Ernst Rüdiger Graf von Starhemberg, an Austrian subject of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. The overall command was held by the senior leader, the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, who led the relief forces.
The numbers
The opposing military forces were those of the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman fiefdoms, commanded by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. The Ottoman army numbered approximately 90,000 to 300,000 men (according to 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. Ottoman forces consisted, among other units, of 60 ortas of Janissaries (12,000 men paper-strength) with an observation army of some 70,000 men watching the countryside. The decisive battle took place on 12 September, after the arrival of the united relief army.
The Largest Known Cavalry Charge in History!!!
By #HistoryWithHilbert 🙂
Ottoman Casualties:
- 20,000 men (Siege) + Approximately 15,000 men (Battle)
- 5,000 men captured
Polish Casualties:
- 1,300 dead and wounded (cavalry and infantry)
Imperial Casualties:
- 2,200 dead and wounded + 12,000 dead (Siege – most of them civilians)
Outnumbered 50 to 1 the Winged Hussars arrived and saved the day! 🙂
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The Twisted Red LadyBug
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