BATTLE REPORT #17 VIENNA 1683 - LAST OTTOMAN TIDE

My ongoing battle report on france1940 will continue as usual ,but its going to be an
extremely large one taking several months so i decided to run 2 more simultaneous shorter
ones which can be finished in 2-3 weeks to revive the momentum.This is the first
one.Second one will be american revolution.
BACKGROUND: POLITICAL SITUATION 1683

''I am the state'' - Louis XIV the 'Sun king'.

France : France in 1683 was the superpower of europe.In the 1640-50s it had defeated
and eclipsed spain.The habsburg dynasty which under charles v was the undisputed
power had been divided into austrian and spanish habsburgs ,ending the encirclement of
france.Under its new king Louis XIV and its ministers,the army and tax system was
overhauled and power of the provincial nobility crushed.Louis proceeded to set up
europe's first great absolute monarchy(from feudal monarchy) and national
army ,using france's huge manpower and tax base.Building up a unprecedented standing
army which grew to over 300,000 by 1683, he began to wage aggressive wars of
expansion intent on setting france's frontier on the rhine river.At the time of the ottoman
attack western europe had seen 20 yrs of unabated french aggrandizement into the
territories of the holy roman empire.

Orange areas annexed during Louis XIV's reign.

Spanish habsburgs had been defeated in 1759 and france had taken territory in the
netherlands as well as advancing slowly but relentlessly on the imperial territories on the
rhine in a series of wars often under flimsy pretexts.His most serious rival were the
austrian habsburgs,who also were the holy roman emperors and protector of the german
states.France and the ottomans had a traditional alliance against their common rivals
austrian habsburgs going back to the time of suleiman the magnificient 150 yrs ago
.When Louis recieved the call from help from the pope against the ottomans he
refused to aid the austrian emperor leopold and instead continued his aggression on the
rhineland annexing alsace,despite having proclaimed throughout his life to be 'his most
catholic majesty'.Louis calculated if the ottomans destroyed or severely weakened the
habsburgs he would be left with no serious rival in europe .Not only would he be able
to continue his expansion policy unhindered,but the small states of central europe ,italy and
the pope would look to him then for leadership against further ottoman advance.French
hegemony over europe would be confirmed.Thus religious zeal had to be sacrificed for his
geopolitical ambitions.

Leopold I of Austria,Holy roman emperor.

The Austrian Empire : In 1683 austria was in a difficult situation.In the the religious(catholic
vs protestant)30 yrs war ended at the peace of westphalia in 1648 austria had suffered
serious losses.The german heartland and population was devastated and still
recovering.In 1679 vienna was stricken with plague.The emperor's control over the holy
roman territories was nominal with the small german principalities providing modest
contingents.The state was in financial trouble and threatened from 2 sides by france
and the ottomans.The sun king's relentless advance had brought the french borders 100
miles east.Most of the austrian military strength was concentrated in the rhine frontier.The
17th century had not yet seen intense ottoman-habsburg conflict except a couple of short
wars,both sides being busy in other theatres.A 20 year truce was in place due to expire
next year between the 2 empires.In austrian parts of hungary an ottoman supported
rebellion had broken out and clashes had ensued between the austrian and rebel-ottoman
forces.

Mehmet IV -Ottoman sultan

The Ottoman Empire : While still not apparent by the end of the 17th century economically
and militarily theottoman empire had entered stagnation.Territorially ottoman holdings in
europe and the eastern mediterranean were at their peak.The ottomans had been unable to
seize the oppurtunity of the 30 yrs war in europe due to a series of weak sultans,constant
palace coups,conflicts with poland and persia at land and venice at sea.From the 1650s
power had shifted from the sultans to the grand viziers who were the true power behind the
throne.The able mehmet kopirulu had stabilized the economy for the time being and won
several military successes in persia and the eastern mediterranean.But after his death in
1676 brought the ambitious kara mustafa pasha to the helm.He set his sights on feat
achieved by no ottoman commander before him,in which suleiman the magnificient had
failed ,to conquer the 'Golden Apple' - Vienna.

Jan III Sobieski - King of Poland

Poland : The Polish lithuanian commonwealth by this era was in decline,but still a major
power in eastern europe.The poles had been in constant warfare against the
ottomans throughout the 17th century.Though the ottomans had made inroads in ukraine
they were largely kept outside of core polish territories despite their superior military
strength largely due to the superb polish cavalry and logistics.While lithuania was tied to
poland in a commonwealth the lithuanian army didn't play a role in this campaign.The new
king of Poland ,Jan Sobieski - a veteran military commander was elected on 1673 and
revived polish vigour on the southern front having largely stalemated any ottoman advance
on poland.During this time he also switched from being pro-french to pro-hapsburg which
would set the foundations for the polish-austrian alliance.
ROAD TO WAR :
Ottoman Preparations On the political front, the Ottoman Empire had been providing military assistance to the
Hungarians and to non-Catholic minorities in Habsburg-occupied portions of
Hungary. There, in the years preceding the siege, widespread unrest had become open
rebellion .In 1681, Protestants and other anti-Habsburg forces, led by Imre Thokoly were

reinforced with a significant force from the Ottomans, who recognized Thkly as King of
"Upper Hungary'(Modern eastern slovakia and north western hungary).This support
included explicitly promising the "Kingdom of Vienna" to the Hungarians if it fell into
Ottoman hands.In 1681 and 1682, clashes between the forces of Imre Thkly and the Holy
Roman Empire intensified, and the incursions of Habsburg forces into Central Hungary
along with the austrian preoccupation in the west(and Louis's neutrality) provided
the crucial argument of Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha in convincing the Sultan
Mehmet IV to attack the hapsburgs.

Ottoman provinces and vassal states in balkans.Royal Hungary is austrian held.Upper

hungary ottoman.
The Ottoman army began its lengthy mobilization on January 1682.The sultan had
authorized Kara mustafa to seize the austrian stronghold of Gorz and others in northern
hugary.There had been no talk of an attack on vienna as of yet.War was declared on august
1682 with mobilization near complete,but there would be no campaign in that year as due
to the slow pace of the huge ottoman army any campaign launched in august would only
reach vienna as the winter set in with massive logistical problems thereafter.The army
assembled in adrianopole in thrace and was joined by the sultan and grand vizier in october
.Meanwhile the roads and bridges along the route of advance were being repaired and
border fortresses strengthened.The ottoman army spent winter quarters in adrianopole
while a final peace offer made to the hapsburgs to seize key fortresses in austrian north
hungary were rejected by Leopold.Thus at the end of march 1683 the ottoman army set
out from Adrianopole towards Belgrade.The sultan would stay at belgrade while Kara
mustafa would lead the main army on campaign thereafter.They would be joined enroute by
the contingents of their vassals and the crimean tatar army.However this long 15 month
gap between initial ottoman mobilization and march gave Leopold time to strengthen
the defenses of vienna,raise additional forces and make alliances all of which would
prove critical.

Kara Mustafa Pasha -Grand Vizier and Commander of Ottoman Empire

Imperial Preparations For Austria the problem was the small size of her forces and the depleted
treasury which had still not paid off debts from the 30 yrs war.The strength immediately
available as field forces(excluding garrisons) were 45,000 foot and 18,000 cavalry.The
imperial war council decided to raise another this number to a field army of 80,000 to
counter the ottoman threat.To be added to this were croatian and hungarian militia.However
a part of the imperial forces also had to stay on the western frontier with france and
support the german states there which further weakened the habsburg strength against the
ottomans.Leopold was unable to secure enough funds for the army until the vatican and
friendly european powers sent him financial aid.
Crucially enough Leopold secured an alliance with Poland whereby if the ottomans
attacked and besieged Krakow in southern poland the imperial army would assist
them and if vienna was besieged the poles would come to relive it.Sobieski however
needed the assent of the polish noble assembly to take the main polish army out of poland
and this was almost sabotaged by french bribes.However the pope and the vatican
released enormous funds and outbribed the french allowing sobieski the freedom to
make his move when needed.
Charles of Lorraine ,one of the princes of the empire was given overall command and in
early may 1683 even as the ottoman army was on the march the imperial field army
assembled near vienna 32,000 regulars and 5,000 hungarian auxillaries.Charles
intended to make a limited offensive against the ottoman holdings in north hungary -this
would boost morale ,be seen favorably by the polish allies,divert kara mustafa attention
from the key fortresses of gyor and vienna and allow the rest of the imperial contingents
from all over germany to arrive and consolidate.Thus the opening moves of the campaign
had been made.
NEXT : CAMPAIGN BEGINS -MARCH TO VIENNA.OPPOSING ARMIES