11 September 2024

The Lifting of the Siege of Vienna, 11-12 September 1683

A short history of the great victory of the Christian Armies against the jihad. King John Sobieski said, 'I came, I saw, God conquered'.

From This Is Christian Europe


King John (Jan) III Sobieski blessing the Polish attack 
on the Turks during the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

The Battle of Vienna took place on 11-12 September 1683 after Vienna was besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. It was a defensive battle of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Holy League) against the expanding and aggressive Ottoman Empire. The Viennese garrison was led by Ernst Rüdiger Graf von Starhemberg, subordinate of Leopold I Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor. The overall command was held by the commander of the Polish Crown's forces, the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski. The siege itself began on 14 July 1683, by an Ottoman army of approximately 90,000-300,000 men. The battle started in the early morning of 11 September when the Ottoman's attacked Holy League troops. There was a moment during the battle where Kara Mustafa personally ordered the execution of 30,000 Christian hostages. After twelve hours of fighting, the Poles held the high ground on the right. Hours later, 20,000 horsemen led by Jan III Sobieski charged down the hills in the largest cavalry charge in history. In less than three hours after the cavalry attack, the Christian forces had won the battle and saved Vienna.

The Ottomans lost at least 20,000 men during the siege and up to 40,000 during the battle with Sobieski's forces. The battle marked the historic end of the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Europe. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary is celebrated on 12 September on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church in commemoration of the victory in this battle of Christian Europe over the Muslim forces of the Ottoman Empire.

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