The Ottoman--Habsburg wars were fought from
16th through
18th century between the
Ottoman Empire and the
Habsburg (later
Austrian) Empire, which was at times supported by the
Holy Roman Empire,
Kingdom of Hungary and
Habsburg Spain. The wars were dominated by land campaigns in
Hungary and
Croatia.
By the
16th century, the
Ottomans had become a serious threat to
Europe, with Ottoman
Barbary ships sweeping away
Venetian possessions in the
Aegean and
Ionia.
The Protestant Reformation, the France--Habsburg rivalry and the numerous civil conflicts of the Holy Roman Empire served as distractions.
Meanwhile the Ottomans had to contend with the
Persian Safavid Empire and to a lesser extent the
Mamluke Sultanate, which was defeated and fully incorporated into the empire.
Initially, Ottoman conquests in Europe made significant gains with a decisive victory at
Mohács reducing around one third (central) part of Kingdom of Hungary to the status of an Ottoman tributary.
Later, the
Peace of Westphalia and the
Spanish War of Succession in the 17th and
18th centuries respectively left the
Austrian Empire as the sole firm possession of the
House of Habsburg. By then, however,
European advances in guns and military tactics outweighed the skill and resources of the Ottomans and their elite Janissaries, enabling the
Habsburgs to retake Hungary. The
Great Turkish War ended with three decisive
Holy League victories at
Vienna, Mohács and Zenta. The wars came to an end following
Austria's disappointing performance in the war of 1787-1791, which Austria fought in alliance with
Russia. Intermittent tension between Austria and the Ottoman Empire continued throughout the nineteenth century, but they never again fought each other in a war and ultimately found themselves allied in
World War I, in the aftermath of which both empires were dissolved.
The origins of the wars are clouded by the fact that although the Habsburgs were occasionally the
Kings of Hungary and Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire (though almost always that of the Holy Roman Empire after the
15th century), the wars between the
Hungarians and the Ottomans included other Dynasties as well.
Naturally, the
Ottoman Wars in Europe attracted support from the
West, where the advancing and powerful
Islamic state was seen as a threat to Christendom in Europe.
The Crusades of
Nicopolis and of
Varna marked the most determined attempts by Europe to halt the Turkic advance into
Central Europe and the
Balkans.
For a while the Ottomans were too busy trying to put down
Balkan rebels such as
Vlad Dracula. However, the defeat of these and other rebellious vassal states opened up Central Europe to Ottoman invasion.
The Kingdom of Hungary now bordered the Ottoman Empire and its vassals.
After
King Louis II of Hungary was killed at the
Battle of Mohács, his widow
Queen Mary fled to her brother the
Archduke of Austria,
Ferdinand I.
Ferdinand's claim to the throne of Hungary was further strengthened by the fact that he had married
Anne, the sister of King Louis II and the only family member claimant to the throne of the shattered
Kingdom. Consequently Ferdinand I was elected
King of Bohemia and at the
Diet of
Pozsony he and his wife were elected
King and Queen of Hungary. This clashed with the
Turkish objective of placing the puppet
John Szapolyai on the throne, thus setting the stage for a conflict between the two powers.
Habsburg advance
Ferdinand I attacked Hungary, a state severely weakened by civil conflict, in 1527, in an attempt to drive out John Szapolyai and enforce his authority there.
John was unable to prevent Ferdinand's campaigning which saw the capture of
Buda and several other key settlements along the
Danube.
Despite this, the
Ottoman Sultan was slow to react and only came to the aid of his vassal when he launched a huge army of about
120,
000 men on 10 May
1529.
The Ottoman Sultan,
Suleiman the Magnificent, easily wrestled from Ferdinand most of
the gains he had achieved in the previous two years -- to the disappointment of Ferdinand I, only the fortress of Bratislava resisted. Considering the size of Suleiman's army and the devastation wrought upon Hungary in the previous few years it is not surprising that the will to resist one of the world's most powerful states was lacking in many of the recently garrisoned Habsburg settlements.
The Sultan arrived at Vienna on
27 September the same year. Ferdinand's army was some 16,000 strong -- he was outnumbered roughly 7 to 1 and the walls of Vienna were an invitation to Ottoman cannon (6 ft thick along some parts). Nonetheless, Ferdinand defended Vienna with great vigour.
- published: 02 May 2015
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