9/23/2023 0 Comments Battle of vienna date![]() Reinforced by the horsemen of the Crimean Tartar Khan, Mustafa possessed 160,000 troops. Mustafa was to aid the Hungarian insurgents by conquering the Imperial strongholds of Györ and Komarno. Command was instead handed to the Grand Vizier, the swarthy Kara Mustafa. Mehmed himself did not bother to lead his army, preferring to go on one of his lavish hunting trips. To ensure the security of their new ally, a vast army of Turks and provincial levies was assembled at Constantinople. The latter had already overrun most of Imperial Hungary in 1682. Sultan Mehmed opted for a limited strategy that would strengthen the Ottoman frontier and support the Hungarians. Negotiations broke down and the Second (Great) Turkish War of 1683-1699 had begun. Thus encouraged, Mehmed demanded outrageous tribute and territorial concessions from Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I. In addition, France, the Hapsburg rival for European hegemony, urged the Sultan to go to war with the HRE. Rebellious Hungarian nobles, angered by Imperial persecutions of Protestants, threatened the Empire’s sway over upper Hungary and were ready to side with the Ottomans. Nevertheless the struggle between Islam and Christendom continued and the initiative remained with the Turks so that, by 1683, they controlled most of Hungary with only the upper portion remaining part of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), synonymous with the House of Hapsburg and Austria.Īlthough there was currently peace between the HRE and the Turks, conditions seemed favorable for Sultan Mehmed IV to renew the war. ![]() At other times internal political instability among both Europeans and Turks diverted their efforts elsewhere. There were great battles and victories and temporary peace treaties. For centuries, the nations of Europe fought the Turks on land and at sea. Ever since Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 they became the relentless terror of Christendom.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |