# Canonical recap data for Siege of Vienna (1683)
# Source: https://recap.at/1683/siege-of-vienna
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: siege-of-vienna
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1683/siege-of-vienna"
title: Siege of Vienna
aliases:
- Battle of Kahlenberg
- Battle of Vienna
- Siege of Vienna 1683
- Kara Mustafa's Siege
subtitle: The Ottoman attempt to take Vienna and its failure marked the definitive limit of Islamic expansion into Europe and triggered the empire's long decline.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1683-09-12
datePrecision: day
year: 1683
decade: 1680
country:
name: Austria
slug: austria
summaryShort: "The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Habsburg monarchy, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, both under the command of Polish King John "
summaryLong: The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Habsburg monarchy, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, both under the command of Polish King John III Sobieski, against the Ottomans and their vassal and tributary states.
lede: In September 1683, Ottoman forces under Kara Mustafa Pasha had Vienna surrounded and starving after a two-month siege. A relief army led by Polish King John III Sobieski broke through on 12 September, routing the Ottomans in what became one of history's most decisive military reversals—and a turning point that ended Ottoman expansion into Europe.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Anonym_Entsatz_Wien_1683.jpg/1280px-Anonym_Entsatz_Wien_1683.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Battle of Vienna"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Siege duration
  value: 61 days (14 July – 12 September 1683)
- label: Ottoman commander
  value: Kara Mustafa Pasha
- label: Relief army commander
  value: King John III Sobieski of Poland
- label: Relief force size
  value: Approximately 70,000 troops (Polish, Austrian, Saxon, Bavarian, and Swabian forces)
- label: Ottoman force size
  value: Estimated 150,000–300,000 troops
- label: Winged Hussars involved
  value: Polish cavalry regiment under King John's direct command
- label: Battle location
  value: Kahlenberg Mountain, north of Vienna
- label: Ottoman casualties
  value: Estimated 15,000–20,000 killed
timeline:
- date: 1683-07-14
  title: Ottoman siege begins
  description: Kara Mustafa Pasha's army encircles Vienna, cutting off supplies and communications. The city's garrison prepares for a long defense.
- date: 1683-08-15
  title: Relief coalition assembles
  description: Polish King John III Sobieski agrees to lead a relief force. Saxon and Bavarian contingents begin moving toward Vienna.
- date: 1683-09-11
  title: Relief armies position on Kahlenberg
  description: Combined forces of approximately 70,000 troops occupy the heights above Vienna, preparing for a coordinated assault on Ottoman positions.
- date: 1683-09-12
  title: Battle of Kahlenberg
  description: Relief forces attack downhill in coordinated waves. The Polish Winged Hussars under King John execute a decisive cavalry charge against the Ottoman center, breaking their lines.
- date: 1683-09-12
  title: Ottoman retreat
  description: Kara Mustafa orders a withdrawal, abandoning siege equipment, tents, and supplies. His army breaks formation as relief forces pursue.
- date: 1683-09-13
  title: Vienna liberated
  description: The relief army enters Vienna and secures the city. The Ottoman threat to Central Europe is broken.
- date: 1683-12-26
  title: Holy League formed
  description: Austria, Poland, and Venice sign a formal alliance to continue offensive operations against the retreating Ottoman Empire.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna"
  title: Siege of Vienna (1683)
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Vienna's relief marked the beginning of Ottoman military decline in Europe and the consolidation of Habsburg and Eastern European power. The victory triggered a cascade of Christian counteroffensives that would reshape the continent's political map over the following two decades.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
- occupation
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: regional
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: The 1683 siege of Vienna and the relief battle that broke Ottoman expansion into Europe.
wikidataQid: Q200855
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260513131109/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-13
  label: Siege of Vienna (1683)
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna"
peoplesVoice:
- source: King John III Sobieski, Polish-Lithuanian Commander
  voiceType: official
  context: Immediately after the decisive cavalry charge at Kahlenberg on 12 September 1683, the Polish king summarized the turning point of the battle.
  excerpt: "PL: 'Przyszliśmy, widzieliśmy, Bóg zwycięży' / EN: 'We came, we saw, God will conquer.' This day the crescent moon yields to the cross."
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 90
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Polish-Lithuanian military dispatches
  publishedAt: 1683-09-12
  originalLanguage: pl
- source: Kara Mustafa Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier
  voiceType: official
  context: The Ottoman commander's reaction to the sudden collapse of his siege after weeks of apparent victory, reported by contemporary chroniclers.
  excerpt: "TR: 'Bu felaket benim ölümümdür' / EN: 'This disaster is my death.' The Polish winged cavalry came from nowhere - our lines broke like glass."
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 88
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Ottoman court chronicles and European intelligence
  publishedAt: 1683-09-12
  originalLanguage: tr
- source: Father Marco d'Aviano, Papal Nuncio and witness
  voiceType: media
  context: The Capuchin friar, present in Vienna during the siege, wrote to Rome describing the spiritual dimensions of the relief.
  excerpt: Vienna stands as God's fortress against the infidel. The relief army arrived as Providence intended - not by military calculation alone, but by divine will made manifest in battle.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Papal nuncio correspondence to Rome
  publishedAt: 1683-09-14
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
  voiceType: official
  context: The Habsburg monarch, who had fled Vienna during the siege, issued a statement upon learning of Sobieski's victory.
  excerpt: The throne of the Habsburgs remains secure. We shall rebuild Vienna's glory and press our advantage against Ottoman tyranny across Europe.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Imperial court proclamations
  publishedAt: 1683-09-15
  originalLanguage: en
