The Decisive Battles of World History

o These were augmented by units of Tatar light cavalry, who still

fought, like their Mongol ancestors, as horse archers practicing

hit-and-run tactics.

o The infantry included engineers and artillerymen, as well as

foot soldiers.

x The elite troops of the Ottoman Turks remained the Janissaries,

trained like the Mamluks in military academies, where they were

converted to Islam and raised to be fanatically loyal and well-

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sword, bow, or gun.

x One weakness of the Ottoman army was its artillery. Although

the Turks possessed large cannon well-suited to battering down

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Vienna logistically impracticable. Thus, they had to subdue Vienna

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x The Turks hoped to make up for this defect by the excellence of

their sapper corps, which tunneled beneath the walls and set off

mines to demolish them. The Turks were particularly skilled at this

sort of warfare, and the attacking army contained large numbers of

experienced miners and engineers.

x Facing this threat was Leopold I, the ruler of Austria and the Holy

Roman Emperor. He was a member of the Hapsburg family, which

controlled many countries; Leopold knew multiple languages and

was an avid reader and student of history. Probably his greatest

defect as a leader was vacillation.

The Campaign
x The Ottoman army that set out for Vienna in October 1682 probably
consisted of around 100,000 men. By the end of June 1683, the
Turkish force moved into enemy territory and bore down on Vienna.