Ottoman-Habsburg wars
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| Ottoman-Habsburg wars | |||||||
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| Part of the Ottoman Wars in Europe and the Ottoman-Hungarian Wars | |||||||
 From top-left clockwise: Austrian coat of arms, Ottoman Mameluke, Imperial Troops in battle, Flag of the Ottoman Empire. |
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| Habsburg Dynasty:
Non-Habsburg Allies: Holy League Allies: |
.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_Ottoman_Empire_(1453-1844).svg.png){kind=small} Ottoman Empire Barbary States (Under Ottoman Protection) Crimean Khanate |
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The Ottoman-Habsburg wars refers to the military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg dynasties of the Austrian Empire, Habsburg Spain and in certain times, the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The war would be dominated by land campaigns in Hungary. Initially, Ottoman conquests in Europe proved successful with a decisive victory at Mohacs reducing the 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, thus ensuring Habsburg dominance on land. The wars came to an end when the Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire signed an alliance with the German Empire prior to World War I. Following their defeat in that war, both Empires were dissolved.
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[edit] Origins
Main article in Byzantine-Ottoman wars
The origins of the wars are clouded by the fact that although the Habsburgs were occasionally the Kings of Hungary and Germany (though almost always that of Germany after the 15th century), the wars between the Hungarians and the Ottomans included other Dynasties as well. Naturally, the Ottoman Wars in Europe attracted Western aid which saw the advancing and powerful Islamic state 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 defeat resistance in the Balkans such as that under 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.
Following the Battle of Mohacs, King Loius II of Hungary was dead and 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 Bratislava he and his wife were elected King and Queen of Hungary. This clashed with the Turks' interests of placing the puppet John Szapolyai on throne, thus setting the stage for a conflict between the two powers.
[edit] Austrian 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 over 100,000 men on 10 May 1529.
[edit] Siege of Vienna
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 the world's most powerful state 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 (6ft thick along some parts). Nonetheless, Ferdinand defended Vienna with great vigour. By October 12, after much mining and counter-mining an Ottoman war council was called and on October 14 the Ottomans abandoned the siege. The retreat of the Ottoman army was hampered by the brave resistance of Bratislava which once more bombarded the Ottomans. Early snowfall made matters worse and it would be another three years before Suleiman could campaign in Hungary.
[edit] Little War
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For more details on this topic, see Little War in Hungary.
After the defeat at Vienna, the Ottoman Sultan had to turn his attention to other parts of his impressive domain. Taking advantage of this absence, Archduke Ferdinand launched an offensive in 1530, recapturing Gran and other forts. An assault on Buda was only thwarted by the presence of Ottoman Turkish soldiers.
Much like the previous Austrian offensive, the return of the Ottomans forced the Habsburgs in Austria to go once more on to the defensive. In 1532 a massive Ottoman army was sent by Suleiman to take Vienna. However, the army took a different route to Koszeg. After a heroic defence by a mere 700-strong Austrian force, the defenders accepted an "honorable" surrender of the fortress in return for their safety. After this, the Sultan withdrew content with his success and recognizing the limited Austrian gains in Hungary, whilst at the same time forcing Ferdinand to recognize John Szapolyai as King of Hungary.
Whilst the peace between the Austrians and the Ottomans would last for nine years, John Szapolyai and Ferdinand found it convenient to continue skirmishes along their respective borders. In 1537 Ferdinand broke the peace treaty by sending his ablest generals to a disastrous siege of Osijek which saw another Ottoman triumph.
In 1540, the death of John Szapolyai brought the attention of yet another Austrian advance on Buda. Once again, the Austrian army was annihilated by Suleiman; the elderly Austrian General Rogendorf proved to be incompetent. Suleiman then finished off the remaining Austrian troops and proceeded to de facto annex Hungary. By the time a peace treaty was enforced in 1551, Habsburg Hungary had been reduced to little more than border land. However, at Eger the Austrians achieved a stunning victory, thanks in part to the efforts of the civilians present.
The Little war saw wasted opportunities on both sides; Austrian attempts to increase their influence in Hungary were just as unsuccessful as the Ottoman drives to Vienna .
[edit] Notes
- ^ Note that King Louis of Hungary was married to the sister of Ferdinand, Duke of Austria. In turn, he was married to the sister of King Louis.
- ^ Russia engaged in numerous wars with the Ottomans, some of which coincided with the Habsburgs own wars, others concluded by similar treaties such as the Treaty of Belgrade
