Why Did the Second Siege of Vienna Fail?

In the 16th century, when Suleiman the Magnificent was the sultan and the Ottoman Empire was at its strongest, the Ottoman army was at the gates of Vienna. When this first campaign, called the First Siege of Vienna, failed, we moved away from Europe for a while. However because there are still many castles we conquered A century later, the Second Siege of Vienna expedition was launched, but that too was unsuccessful.

This type of war is called siege because these cities are fortresses and must be besieged in order to be conquered. Although the besieging party is in an advantageous position, many events may occur that will disrupt this business. We know from historical facts that these events happened. Let’s take a journey to the dusty pages of history Why the Second Siege of Vienna failed Let’s look for answers to the questions of what were the reasons.

Let’s first take a look at the political structure of that period:

There were Protestants in Hungary, which was ruled by the Archduchy of Austria at that time. Since the dominant denomination in the region is Catholicism, the freedoms of Hungarians are restricted, They were mistreated and had to pay heavy taxes. Tökeli İmre, one of the Hungarian princes, rebelled against this situation and entered the struggle to take the castles captured by Austria.

The Ottoman Empire was already supporting non-Catholic minorities in the world due to its foreign policy. In fact, Tökeli İmre was already considered the king of Hungary for the Ottomans. but there was the Vasvar Agreement made for 20 years of peace between the Habsburgs, that is, Austria and the Ottomans.

When we arrived in 1682, the conflict between Tökeli İmre and the Habsburgs became more and more intense. After the Habsburg soldiers crossed the borders of Hungary and entered, the Ottoman Empire, who had already asked for help, He accepted this demand of the Hungarians. The sultan of the period IV. Mehmet gave the order to Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. On 6 August 1682, war was declared against the Austrian Archduchy.

The Ottoman goes to the gates of Vienna for the second time:

After a 15-month preparation, the Ottoman forces first came to Belgrade and then to Vienna. They launched the Second Siege of Vienna on 14 July 1683. Most of the civilians in the city fled, but some soldiers and volunteers started to resist. The aim of Kara Mustafa Pasha was to try to take the city without destroying it, but time was working against it.

Vienna was gradually weakening, but it was not good for the Ottomans to wait. Then things happened and King Sobieski of Poland with his army of 120,000 men He came to Vienna. When the Crimean Khan Murad Giray Khan could not stop this force, the Ottomans inevitably had to break the siege. Hearing this, IV. Mehmet ordered the execution of Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha, then pardoned him, but the grand vizier’s head was gone until the news went away.

Let’s look at the reasons for the Second Siege of Vienna:

• The Austrian state’s ill-treatment of the Hungarians.
• The crushing of Hungarians under heavy tax burden.
• Hungarian prince Tökeli İmre’s request for help from the Ottomans.
• Hungarian uprising.
• Sectarian conflicts in the region.

Due to the foreign policy of the Ottoman Empire, He was helping non-Catholic Christians. When the Hungarians asked for help, the Ottomans, who always had one eye on Europe, evaluated this as an opportunity and went to help. His aim was to both defeat one of his greatest enemies and increase the support of the Ottomans in the region by strengthening the hand of the Hungarians.

Let’s examine it item by item: Why did the Second Siege of Vienna fail?

• The fact that the Ottoman army did not bring the cannons.
• European states aid Austria.
• The city of Vienna has strong walls.
• The inability of the Crimean khan to stop the Polish forces and then retreat.
• The fact that Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha did not make enough preparations.
• The reluctance of the army because the Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha forbade looting.
• Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha’s attempt to take the city without destroying it.
• Running out of supplies due to the long siege.

According to many historians, the failure of the Second Siege of Vienna The main reason is Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. In addition to the big mistake of not bringing the cannons, it was one of the most wrong moves to ban the plunder of conquest, which was the main source of income for the soldiers at that time.

Another reason is that Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha tried to take the city without destroying it. Even if you do not completely destroy a city surrounded by thick walls, it is not possible to take it without destroying it a little. According to some sources, the Crimean Khan Murad Giray Khan deliberately allowed the Poles to pass. The reason for this is again seen that our grand vizier said insulting things against the Crimean khan. So it would not be wrong to say that he deserved his punishment.

Consequences of the Second Siege of Vienna defeat:

• It was the beginning of the Ottoman stagnation period.
• Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha was executed, and Kara İbrahim Pasha was brought in his place.
• European states gained psychological strength.
• Austria, Poland, Venice, Malta and Russia formed the Holy Alliance.
• The Ottomans began to withdraw from Europe.
• The castles of Visgrad, Budin and Uyvar, which belonged to the Hungarians, passed into the hands of Austria.

Unfortunately, the defeat of Vienna had far greater consequences than the failure to take just one city. It has removed the image of the invincible Turk in the eyes of Europe. Due to the loss of the castles, which were the power of the Ottomans in Europe, one by one, the Ottoman Empire, which had been keeping its eyes on the west since its first establishment, unfortunately had to retreat step by step.

One of the biggest consequences of the failure of the second siege of Vienna was The Holy Alliance was established. This alliance will be one of the biggest troubles of the Ottoman Empire for the next hundreds of years and will cause us to lose in countless wars until the day it is almost destroyed.

Why is the Second Siege of Vienna important, which changed the course of history?

After the defeat of the second siege of Vienna, the Ottoman Empire ceased to be an expansionist state and went on the defensive. Europe’s influence on the Ottomans increased as it tried to protect what it had instead of gaining new lands. The period of ascension, in which the most glorious days were experienced, has ended and The first step of the pause period has been taken. Perhaps our greatest loss has been the loss of psychological superiority. Because until that day, there was an image of an invincible Turk in the West. The Holy Alliance understood that the Turks can also be defeated. Here’s what happened after that day.

The western dreams of the Ottomans were shelved forever. Why the Second Siege of Vienna failed, what are the reasons We talked about the important results of this war by answering the curious questions. Who knows, maybe if there was another commander at the head of the Ottoman army, we would be living in a completely different world today.