Battle of Vienna (1683)

The Battle of Vienna in 1683 was the decisive defeat that ended Ottoman expansion into Central Europe and marked the beginning of the long Ottoman strategic retreat from Europe. Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha led a massive Ottoman force of approximately 140,000 men and besieged Vienna for two months, constructing an elaborate network of trenches and tunnels to undermine the city walls. The city's garrison of approximately 15,000, though suffering greatly, held out. Polish King Jan III Sobieski led a relief army of approximately 80,000 through the Vienna Woods and launched a massive cavalry charge — including the famous Polish Winged Hussars — against the Ottoman rear. The charge broke the Ottoman lines. Kara Mustafa was executed in Belgrade on the orders of Sultan Mehmed IV for the failure. The defeat was followed by a series of reversals in subsequent years, including the loss of Hungary. The Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) formalised Ottoman territorial losses and established the precedent of Ottoman retreat before European power.