Lecture 21: 1683 Vienna—The Great Ottoman Siege

1683 Vienna—The Great Ottoman Siege .......................................

Lecture 21

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n August 6, 1682, outside one of the gates to Topkapi Palace in

Istanbul, seven standards were planted in the earth, indicating that

the sultan was poised to embark on a campaign. This sultan was

Mehmed IV of the mighty Ottoman Empire, and the military expedition thus

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capture Vienna, a city that had stood for centuries as a fortress protecting

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one great Ottoman onslaught in 1528. Mehmed was determined to end

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conquerors of the past, and to bring Vienna to its knees.

The Opponents

x Clearly a primary motive for the campaign to take Vienna was

Mehmed IV’s ambition to go down in history as one of the great

conquering sultans. Early in his reign, he had achieved successes

both in the Mediterranean and in Europe, but he needed one

spectacular military victory to cement his reputation.

x Mehmed’s grand vizier at the time of the attack on Vienna was Kara

Mustafa Pasha. His origins are somewhat mysterious. By virtue

of either talent or personality, he rose quickly from messenger to

military commander to minor vizier and, eventually, was appointed

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conquest of several Aegean islands, leading to his appointment as

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x The Ottoman Turkish army had long enjoyed a reputation for

innovation and excellence, but its tactics were beginning to stagnate.

o In keeping with its steppe traditions, it still included a large

contingent of heavily armored sipahi horsemen, who could

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