Jan Sobieski: The King Who Saved Europe

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Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Europe in his youth. As a soldier and later commander, he fought in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, the Russo-Polish War and during the Swedish invasion known as the Deluge. Sobieski demonstrated his military prowess during the war against the Ottoman Empire and established himself as a leading figure in Poland and Lithuania. In 1674, he was elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the sudden and unexpected death of King Michael. The King of Poland, John III Sobieski, prepared a relief expedition to Vienna during the summer of 1683, honoring his obligations to the treaty, and would depart from Kraków on 15 August. During this time most of Poland would be largely undefended, and taking advantage of the situation, Imre Thököly of Upper Hungary, an Ottoman vassal state, would attempt an invasion. Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger delayed the march of the Lithuanian army, campaigning in the Hungarian Highlands instead, and arrived in Vienna only after it had been relieved. [23]

The attitude of Emperor Leopold I towards Polish troops remains a separate issue. He did not take off his hat during the army inspection and the presentation of Polish banners, which was considered an expression of disrespect, he forbade the provision of food to our units, and he also did not agree to the burial of fallen Poles in Vienna, indicating as their resting place distant cemeteries where Turkish soldiers were buried. There were cases of opening fire on hungry Polish soldiers trying to enter Vienna. Wasserstein leads us through what we know of Polish history (and that of its Jews) in the 17th and 18th centuries, encountering on the way such figures as Jan Sobieski, the king who in 1683 defeated the Ottoman Turks as they besieged Vienna. The whole Army Attributes the Glory of this Victory to God, and Us, and all the Princes of the Empire, with the Great Officers, as the Dukes of Bavaria and Lorrain, Prince Waldek, etc. were so far transported with my Valour and Success, that their Thanks and Praises were more Numerous, than was their Fears before; and Count Staremberg the Governour, Saluted me with the Title of his Mighty Deliverer. The Common People in my going to and from the Churches, pay'd their Veneration even to my very Garments, and made their Cry's and Acclamations reach the Sky, of Long Live the King of Poland. Do you remember the first time you tasted a bagel? I don't. As a kid in the '80s and '90s, I chewed my way through thousands of those boiled-and-baked rings of bread dough. Fresh bagels from Bruegger's (a national chain that started small in Burlington, Vermont, my home turf, in 1983), frozen bagels, mini-bagels...our family wasn't terribly discriminating, I confess. We often bought bakery "day-olds" (foolish, since most connoisseurs will tell you a bagel goes stale within a few hours), and my dad still prefers microwaving to toasting—another form of bagel heresy. (According to him, 22 28 seconds is the perfect amount of time to warm up a large bagel in the microwave. That's the closest I've ever seen him come to cooking.*) We are now on our March towards Hungary; taking the Advantage of their Distraction, to Defeat the Remainder of their scatter'd Troops, and Surprize Gran or Newheufell. I have all the Princes of the Empire my Companions in this Enterprise, who tell me they are ready to follow such a Leader not only into Hungary, but to the End of the World.

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An alliance between Sobieski and Emperor Leopold I resulted in the addition of the Polish hussars to the existing allied army. The command of the European allied forces was assigned to the Polish king, renowned for his extensive experience in leading campaigns against the Ottoman army. Notably, he achieved a decisive victory over the Ottoman forces in the Battle of Khotyn (1673) and now commanded an army of 70,000–80,000 soldiers, countering a supposed Ottoman force of 150,000. [20] :661 Sobieski's courage and aptitude for command were already known in Europe. [ citation needed]

a b c d e f Frank N. Magill (2013). The 17th and 18th Centuries: Dictionary of World Biography. Routledge. p.727. ISBN 978-1-135-92414-0. a b c Finkel, Caroline (2006). Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire, 1300–1923. Basic Books. pp.286–87. ISBN 978-0-465-02396-7. In the beginning, there is a mention of the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the camp near Vienna and the abandonment of their tents and belongings, which happened thanks to God’s help. The Christian armies rejoiced while taking over these goods. This joy caused the army to bring wine and guns to the Turkish camp. The lowest estimate is 90,000, [6] while according to older estimates even up to 300,000 [7] [8] [9] [10] Kahraman Şakul. II. Viyana Kuşatması: Yedi Ejderin Fendi, Timaş Yayınları. İstanbul 2021. pp. 229–231.

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Kahraman (2021). II. Viyana Kuşatması Yedi Ejderin Fendi (in Turkish). İstanbul: Timaş Publishing. p.302. ISBN 978-6050835663. Now a new book by Maria Balinska titled " The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread" has made me realize that I narrowly avoided a horrifying fate: If I'd been born a few years earlier, I might have suffered a bagel-less childhood (at least in rural Vermont).

I have Presented the Turkish Standard to His Holyness, who was Instrumental no less by His Money, than His Prayers, to their Overthrow. The Prime Vizor's Horse with all his Trappings, I reserv'd for my self; And tho he was so Fortunate in his Flight to Escape us, yet his Caymecam, or Lieutenant-General, with some of the most Considerable Bassa's [Pashas] fell by our Swords; But the approaching Night put a Stop to our Pursuit, and their Slaughter. Those Janizaries which were left behind in the Mines and Trenches, we thought not worth the dulling of our Swords, therefore we made but one Funeral Pile for 'em all, and Burnt 'em. I am just now going to take Horse, and all my way for Two Hungarian Miles together, are so strew'd with the Carcasses of Men, Horses, and Camels, that the Stench of 'em would be insupportable to any but a Soldier. The victory at Vienna set the stage for a conquest of Hungary and (temporarily) lands in the Balkans in the following years by Louis of Baden, Maximilian Emmanuel of Bavaria and Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Ottomans fought on for another 16 years, eventually losing control of Hungary and Transylvania. The Holy Roman Empire signed the Treaty of Karlowitz with the Ottoman Empire in 1699, which would cede much of Hungary to the Habsburgs. The battle marked the historic end of Ottoman expansion into Europe. The actions of Louis XIV of France furthered French–German enmity; in the following month, the War of the Reunions broke out in the western part of the weakened Holy Roman Empire. [ citation needed] Plaque memorializing the 300th anniversary of successful defense against the Ottomans at the gates of Vienna According to Austrian Ambassador Kunitz, the besieging Ottoman army had already decreased to 90,000 combatants as of 12 August. Kunitz also claimed that he learned from Ottoman captives that casualties were reaching 20,000 by end of August (other Austrian sources give Ottoman casualties as 12,000 until 13 August, demonstrating a steady increase in casualties of the Ottoman army in the days of siege [39]). An Ottoman account captured after battle recorded the number of casualties as 48,544 until 10 September: 10,000 janissary, 12,000 sipahi (elite heavy cavalry), 16,000 beldar (digger), 6,000 engineer (in Turkish lağımcı: miner), 2,000 provincial sipahi and 2,000 Tatars, totaling 48,544 deaths. [40] Compounding this, desertion (Ottoman sources and Luigi Marsigli give a 1/4 desertion of the Ottoman army [3]) and disease diminished the Ottoman army on a large scale. According to Ottoman sources, the number of soldiers decreased from 120,000 (according to Kunitz, the Ottoman army totalled 180,000 men and 1/3 of the army was stationed away from the siege [37]) to a warweary 40,000 soldiers. K. Şakul combines Kunitz's 90,000 combatant information for 12 August with an Ottoman casualties list, estimating the Ottoman army as 90,000 men (65,000 soldiers, around 60 guns and 25,000 rear service) [3] but Kunitz's 90,000 combatant information belongs to 12 August while the Ottoman list is for 10 September. [40] The Ottoman vassals of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia were assigned to hold bridges on key retreat routes, thus not participating in the battle. The Tatar vassals were expected to participate in battle by the Ottomans but the mostly irregular Tatar horsemen demonstrated little effectiveness in battle, dissimilar to previous engagements. A lone 28,400 to 50,000 Ottoman army would battle against the relief army consisting of 65,000 soldiers (68,000 misinformation is originated from counting the 3,000 Polish contingent twice joined to the relief army beforehand) with 165–200 guns. [41] Staging the battle [ edit ] The relief of Vienna on 12 September 1683 Henderson’s narrative, like Wasserstein’s, includes a wide range of memorable personalities as we move into and then beyond the Vienna of Freud, Mahler and Klimt.The year 1672 saw internal politics destabilizing the Commonwealth, as the pro-French faction of Sobieski and pro-court faction of King Michał formed two confederations, which despite major Ottoman incursions in the south seemed more concerned with one another than with uniting to defend the country. [17] The court faction called openly for confiscation of his estates and dismissal from office, and declared him an "enemy of the state". [17] This division culminated in the humiliating Treaty of Buchach, where the Commonwealth was forced to cede territories to the Ottomans, but promise an annual tribute. [18] Sobieski eventually succeeded in balancing politics and national defense, and a combination of his military victories over the invaders, and successful negotiations at the Sejm in April 1673, led to a compromise in which the court faction dropped its demands and challenges against him. [17] Let's look how Turkish chroniclers were describing this event in 17th century. For them it was a holy war and there was a belief that no "European heathen dogs" could beat warriors of Allah in the field. This way they focused on searching for the reasons of defeat among themselves. de Battaglia, O.Forst. The Cambridge History of Poland. Cambridge University Press. p.539. ISBN 9781001288024.

During early September, approximately 5,000 experienced Ottoman sappers had repeatedly demolished large portions of the walls between the Burg bastion, the Löbel bastion and the Burg ravelin, creating gaps of about 12 metres (39ft) in width. In response to this, the Viennese began digging their own tunnels to intercept the placing of large amounts of gunpowder in the caverns. The Ottomans finally managed to occupy the Burg ravelin and the low wall nearby on 8 September. Anticipating a breach in the city walls, the remaining Viennese prepared to fight in the inner city. [31] Ottoman casualties during the siege (17 July – 12 September 1683) [ edit ] Defence of the fortifications of Vienna by civilians, by Romeyn de Hooghe Initial Ottoman Army [36] Unit What made husaria of Jan III Sobieski different than other heavy cavalry units of 17th century? A few facts: Palmer, Alan, The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, p. 12, Barnes & Noble Publishing, 1992. ISBN 1-56619-847-X Daniel Stone (2001). The Polish–Lithuanian state, 1386–1795. University of Washington Press. p.236. ISBN 0-295-98093-1. The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet

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Stéphane Gaber, Et Charles V arrêta la marche des Turcs, Presses universitaires de Nancy, 1986, ISBN 2-86480-227-9