This week in Christian history: Christian army relieves Vienna, pioneering Pentecostal preacher dies
The Battle of Vienna – Sept. 12, 1683
This week marks the anniversary of when Christian forces under the command of Polish King John III Sobieski defeated an invading Islamic army that was laying siege to Vienna, Austria.
In July, an Ottoman army led by Sultan Mehmed IV and Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa invaded deep into Europe, laying siege to Vienna, which at the time served as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.
In response to the siege, Sobieski brought an army of around 23,000 men and successfully relieved the city, with the king personally leading his Winged Hussar cavalry unit into battle.
“Kara Mustafa was executed on Christmas day for his failure,” wrote Rick Peterson of Reed Magazine in 2015. “An incompetent series of Grand Viziers oversaw battlefield defeats, which led to mutiny and political upheaval.”
“After 17 years of bitter conflict, the Ottomans signed the humiliating Treaty of Karlowitz, conceding many territories in Europe and the Mediterranean. The daring strike against Vienna had backfired more completely than perhaps any other military operation in history.”
