History UsefulNotes / SiegeOfVienna

* TheCavalry: The allied army . Not the least of which was the [[PolesWithPatrolBoats Polish Army]], famed for having some of the finest horses in Europe and therefore was literal as well as metaphorical cavalry.

* ([[EvilChancellor Morally ambigius Chancellor]]) : Kara Mustafa. ([[AwesomeMcCoolName That is a cool name though]]).

* EvilChancellor: Kara Mustafa. ([[AwesomeMcCoolName That is a cool name though]]).

** Also qualifies as TheRepublic.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Yes, the relief force did arrive at about September 11. And some have speculated that Bin Laden [[SinsOfOurFathers remembered]].

* The story ''The Shadow of the Vulture'' by Creator/RobertEHoward uses the earlier siege as the historical backdrop to tell its tale about a personal vendetta between the Sultan himself (carried out by his servants rather than him personally, of course) and a Christian knight who happens to end up ''in'' Vienna at the beginning of the siege. It also gives us the original RedSonja.

* The story ''The Shadow of the Vulture'' by [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]] uses the earlier siege as the historical backdrop to tell its tale about a personal vendetta between the Sultan himself (carried out by his servants rather than him personally, of course) and a Christian knight who happens to end up ''in'' Vienna at the beginning of the siege. It also gives us the original RedSonja.

* TheFederation: The HolyRomanEmpire.

** Granted, "Austrian Poland" was generally benign (the Habsburgs are still recalled well SoIveHeard).

* ''The Drawing of the Dark'' by Creator/TimPowers - An epic fantasy novel in which brewing beer is SeriousBusiness; set during the 1529 siege.

!!Fictional Works Set During the Siege of Vienna Include

* ''The Drawing of the Dark'' by Creator/TimPowers - An epic fantasy novel in which brewing beer is SeriousBusiness

* The story ''The Shadow of the Vulture'' by [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]] uses this as the historical backdrop to tell its tale about a personal vendetta between the Sultan himself (carried out by his servants rather than him personally, of course) and a Christian knight who happens to end up ''in'' Vienna at the beginning of the siege. It also gives us the original RedSonja.
** The backdrop was actually the earlier siege of Vienna, in 1529, which was Suleyman the Magnificents' attempt. And actually was as important historically as the latter one as it together with the siege of Malta and BattleOfLepanto pretty much defined the limits of the Ottoman Empire's reach in Europe and the Mediterranian Sea.

* ''The Drawing of the Dark'' by TimPowers - An epic fantasy novel in which brewing beer is SeriousBusiness

** Granted, "Austrian Poland" was generally benign (the Habsburgs are still recalled well SoIveHeard). As for the other zones, [[YourMileageMayVary Poles think otherwise.]]

* TheCavalry: The allied army . Not the least of which was the [[PolesWithPatrolBoats Polish Army]], which was famed for having some of the finest horses in Europe and was therefore literal as well as metaphorical cavalry.

* CrazyAwesome / ObfuscatingStupidity: Jan Sobieski. People took him a lot more serious ''after'' he won the battle and saved the city.
* DudeWheresMyReward: King Jan Sobieski, who led the allied forces and is a legendary figure in Poland, is not commemorated much in Austria itself.

In 1683 the Ottoman Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa marched up the Danube with the objective of conquering the city of Vienna. They laid siege to the city in July. They battered, and dug at the hapless city, slowly closing in on the defenders. Meanwhile the Hapsburg [[TheEmperor Emperor]] Leopold I assembled a coalition including several German princes and the Polish King Jan Sobieski. They attacked the Ottomans at Vienna on September 12, and routed the Ottoman army in a sudden and amazingly successful attack . This was to be the last time the Ottoman empire would attempt a major conquest in Europe and foreshadowed later offensives to be launched in turn by the Austrians and Russians which would severely reduce the Ottomans and gain these powers territory in the Black Sea.

* TheCavalry: The allied army . Not the least, the [[PolesWithPatrolBoats Polish Army]] which was famed for having some of the finest horses in Europe and was therefore literal as well as metaphorical cavalry.

** Kara Mustafa himself. By all accounts, the Turks should have captured Vienna. However, Mustafa decided to wait. This was probably because he gambled on the Austrians surrendering, which would have allowed him to claim all the city's possessions for the Sultan, whereas if the city was taken by force, its possessions would be divvied out between the army. Instead of attacking, he bided his time and was caught completely by surprise by the Polish and German reinforcements. Had he won, the Ottomans would have used Vienna as a bridge to Western Europe. Instead, it marked the steady decline of their holdings in Europe.

----
!!Fictional Works Set During the Siege of Vienna Include

* ''The Drawing of the Dark'' by TimPowers - An epic fantasy novel in which brewing beer is SeriousBusiness
* In ''Quicksilver,'' first volume of Neal Stephenson's ''Baroque Cycle,'' "Half-Cocked" Jack Shaftoe and Eliza first meet at the Siege of Vienna, where he is serving as a mercenary and rescues her from the Sultan's harem.
* The story ''The Shadow of the Vulture'' by [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]] uses this as the historical backdrop to tell its tale about a personal vendetta between the Sultan himself (carried out by his servants rather than him personally, of course) and a Christian knight who happens to end up ''in'' Vienna at the beginning of the siege. It also gives us the original RedSonja.
** The backdrop was actually the earlier siege of Vienna, in 1529, which was Suleyman the Magnificents' attempt. And actually was as important historically as the latter one as it together with the siege of Malta and BattleOfLepanto pretty much defined the limits of the Ottoman Empire's reach in Europe and the Mediterranian Sea.
* James A. Michener's ''Poland'' has an entire chapter devoted to the siege and battle of Vienna wherein Jan Sobieski appears as a major character. The famous hussar charge is recounted as well.

* TheAlliance
* BadassBoast: Jan Sobieski's quote, "Venimus, Vidimus, Deus vincit" (We came, We saw, God conquered).

* TheCavalry: The allied army . Not the least, the [[PolesWithPatrolBoats Polish Army]] which was famed for having some of the finest horse in Europe and is therefore literal as well as metaphorical cavalry.
* EvenBetterSequel: The Ottomans also besieged Vienna in 1529--a very significant battle in its own right but one which has been overshadowed by this one.
* EvilChancellor: Kara Mustafa (that is a cool name though).
* TheEmpire: The Ottoman Empire (Do remember that most accounts are given by Europeans rather than Turks).

* TheFederation: The [[HolyRomanEmpire Holy Roman Empire of German Nation]] .
* {{Folkhero}}: It is said that the first [[MustHaveCaffeine Vienna Coffeehouse]] was opened by a merchant who found coffee when gathering {{plunder}} from the Ottoman camp.

** Sobieski's real fault was that he was a good warrior, but a somewhat lousy politician, unwittingly preparing the ground for later Russian dominance over Poland. Plus, a reason why Turkey didn't recognise the Partitionment was that they were [[WorthyOpponent quite impressed by Sobieski]] and Poles.
*** The battle of Vienna elevated Sobieski to hero status in Poland. Unfortunately, it was his ONLY success. His main concern was dynastic politics (he wanted to get his son elected as the next king of Poland and marginalize other magnate families to create a ruling dynasty), and while he wasn't the first in the succession of weak, decadent kings which ultimately led to the Partitions, his rule was the point of no return.
** Granted, "Austrian Poland" was generally benign (the Habsburgs are still recalled well SoIveHeard). As for the ''other'' zones, [[YourMileageMayVary Poles think otherwise.]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: One of the most famous in European military history.
** DethroningMomentOfSuck for the Turks, who had previously swept aside European armies with ease.
*** If they had kept a better lookout it might have been at least a DyingMomentOfAwesome for them too.

** DethroningMommentOfSuck for the Turks, who had previously swept aside European armies with ease.

** DethroningMomentOfSuck for the Turks, who had previously swept aside European armies with ease.

! Real Life Tropes of the Siege of Vienna Include:

* [[WeAreNotTheWehrmacht We Are Not Yet The Wehrmacht]] : The armies of the various German princes.

! Fictional Works Set During the Siege of Vienna Include:

----

** The backdrop was actually the earlier siege of Vienna, in 1529, which was Suleyman the Magnificents attempt. And actually was as important historically as the latter one as it together with the siege of Malta and TheBattleOfLepanto pretty much defined the limits of the Ottoman Empire's reach in Europe and the Mediterranian Sea.

* The story ''The Shadow of the Vulture'' by [[RobertEHoward Robert E. Howard]] uses this as the historical backdrop to tell its tale about a personal vendetta between the Sultan himself and a Christian knight who happens to end up ''in'' Vienna at the beginning of the siege. It also gives us the original RedSonja.

Click the edit button to start this new page.