In the seventeenth century, the Ottoman Empire was making many enemies in Europe
The seventeenth century was rocked by several wars in Europe. But this century also saw a few major wars in the Middle East as well. For example, there were the forgotten Mughal-Safavid Wars. These wars were fought intermittently for many decades – before, during, and after the seventeenth century. There was also another major power in the Middle East, which was the Ottoman Empire. Unlike these other powers, it had ambitions in Continental Europe itself. The Ottoman Empire had been expanding further and further into the Balkans, and even into Central and Eastern Europe. But the Ottoman Turks were then making many enemies in Europe. Thus, the Ottomans were getting a little over-extended there. The Turks would soon be facing coalitions of several European powers – including the Russians, whom they had faced in two prior wars. The Ottoman Turks had also fought a few wars against Poland in the past, and would soon be facing the Poles again in this struggle. And some prior conflicts with the Habsburg monarchy would also be re-ignited in the coming struggle. Sadly for the Turks, there would be other enemies for them, as the Europeans decided to fight back against the Ottoman incursions. United by a common interest, their alliance would soon prove formidable to the Turks, in a conflict sometimes called the “Last Crusade.” Small wonder, then, that the Ottoman Turks would remember it simply as the “Disaster Years.” But the rest of the world would usually remember it … as the “Great Turkish War.” Like the prior Mughal-Safavid Wars, the “Great Turkish War” would prove one of the greatest conflicts of the seventeenth century. In this conflict, much of Christian Europe would band together, in a “holy resistance” to the Muslim invaders.
Battle of Vienna, 1683 – the opening battle of the Great Turkish War
Battle of Párkány, 1683 – part of the Polish-Ottoman War
Origins of the Great Turkish War, with comments on the related Morean War
Prior to this conflict, there had been a “Cretan War” from 1645 to 1669. In this conflict, the Ottomans had soundly beaten the Republic of Venice. At that time, Austria was being ruled by the Habsburgs. That is, Austria was then known as the “Holy Roman Empire.” This conflict had included an Austro-Turkish War, from 1663 to 1664. In this war, the Ottomans had soundly beaten Holy Roman Austria as well. One of the Polish-Ottoman Wars was soon fought from 1672 to 1676. In this conflict, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ceded most of its territories in Central Ukraine to the Ottomans. Around this same time, a Russo-Turkish War was fought from 1676 to 1681. But this conflict ended in a sort of draw, whose results have long since been disputed. The “Great Turkish War” basically began in July 1683. This was when the Ottoman Empire made a bold incursion into Holy Roman Austria. Specifically, the Ottoman Empire began to lay siege to Vienna in July 1683. The siege basically ended with a brief battle, simply called the “Battle of Vienna.” This battle took place on the 12th of September 1683. Incidentally, this brief battle also includes the largest cavalry charge in history. On this same day, this conflict’s Polish-Ottoman War also began. The Poles seem to have been encouraged by the success of the Austrians, whom they had reinforced during the Battle of Vienna. In the Balkans, there was a little place called “Morea,” the more modern name of the Peloponnese peninsula. It was famous in antiquity as the namesake of the “Peloponnesian War.” In 1684, the “Morean War” began there, fought in this same Peloponnese (a.k.a. “Morea”). But it was also fought in southern Epirus, Central Greece, the Aegean Sea, and Montenegro. The Ottomans’ primary enemy in this conflict was their old enemy, the Republic of Venice. However, their Venetian enemies were now joined by the Knights of Malta, the Duchy of Savoy, the Papal States, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, some Greek rebels, and the Montenegrin volunteers (among others). Many of these were supported by Holy Roman Austria, which was still smarting from the incursion into Vienna. Sensing an opportunity, Russia decided to enter the fray two years later. That is, this conflict’s Russo-Turkish War began in 1686.
Conquest of Preveza (Greece, 1684) – part of the related Morean War
The Holy League takes Buda (modern-day Budapest) after long siege – Hungary, 1686
How the Great Turkish War was connected with the “Nine Years’ War” of Western Europe
The Nine Years’ War began two years after that in 1688. (More about that in a future post.) In the “Nine Years’ War,” Holy Roman Austria joined a coalition of several nations against France. Thus, the main effect of the Nine Years’ War upon the “Great Turkish War” … was that it tied up many troops from the Holy Roman Empire, which could otherwise have been sent to fight the Turks. As Wikipedia puts it, “Initially Louis XIV took advantage of the conflict to extend France's eastern borders, seizing Luxembourg in the War of the Reunions, but deciding that it was unseemly to be fighting the Holy Roman Empire at the same time of its struggle with the Ottomans, he agreed to the Truce of Ratisbon in 1684. However, as the Holy League made gains against the Ottoman Empire, capturing Belgrade by 1688, the French began to worry that their Habsburg rivals would grow too powerful and eventually turn on France. Therefore, the French besieged Philippsburg on 27 September 1688, breaking the truce and triggering the separate Nine Years' War against the Grand Alliance, which included the Dutch Republic, the Holy Roman Empire, and after the Glorious Revolution, England as well. The war drew Imperial resources to the west and relieved the Turks. This was partially compensated by the entrance of Russia into the war in 1687.” (see source) But, even with these distractions, the alliance against the Ottoman Turks was going fairly well for those who took part therein. These various wars would all be continuing for some time, each playing out in their own way.
Battle of Fleurus, 1690 – part of the Nine Years’ War in Western Europe
Battle of La Hogue, 1692 – part of the Nine Years’ War in Western Europe
The Turks settle their respective conflicts with the Habsburgs, Poland, Russia, and Venice
The “Great Turkish War” included the Habsburg reconquest of Hungary. But there was also a major campaign in the Balkans as well. This is sometimes known as the Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian theater of the Great Turkish War – say that three times fast, if you will. But the Nine Years’ War ended in 1697, with the Peace of Ryswick. On the one hand, this meant that the Holy Roman Empire no longer had its various allies in Western Europe. But, on the other hand, this also meant that Holy Roman Austria no longer had to face France. Incidentally, the Ottomans had also been fighting against Habsburg Spain as well. The Polish-Ottoman War and the Morean War both ended on the 26th of January 1699, with the Treaty of Karlowitz. This treaty also ended the larger “Great Turkish War” as well. Habsburg Austria gained the aforementioned lands in Hungary, as well as the Principality of Transylvania. The Habsburgs also gained certain lands in the Balkans as well. Poland–Lithuania captured Podolia (among other places), while Venice captured Morea and inner Dalmatia. All of this was at the expense of the Ottomans – who, again, would remember these conflicts as the “Disaster Years.” But the Russo-Turkish War continued somewhat later into the following year. Specifically, it ended in the year 1700, with the Treaty of Constantinople. In this treaty, Russia got the port of Azov (among other places) from the Ottoman Empire. It was one of a number of nations to get some spoils from the alliance.
Capture of Azov, 1696 – part of the related Russo-Turkish War
Battle of Zenta, 1697 – part of the related Ottoman-Habsburg War
Conclusion: The Ottoman Empire seems to have gotten over-extended, and paid the price
This alliance had been reasonably well-coordinated, on the part of the various European nations. Again, the Ottoman Empire had gotten a little over-extended, from making so many enemies in Europe. This, in part, explains why the war went so badly for the Turks. The Russians would have many rematches with the Ottoman Turks in the coming years. And Holy Roman Austria would have a few more rematches with the Turks itself. But the Poles had paid dearly for their victory over the Ottoman Turks, and were never again a major power in Europe. They, too, were among the losers of the “Great Turkish War.” Regardless, the “Great Turkish War” was crucial in changing the map of Europe, and beating back the Muslim invaders. In many ways, the conflict thus left its mark upon history.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
No comments:
Post a Comment