Summary
Highlights
In the autumn of 1529, a massive Turkish army, led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, laid siege to Vienna. Suleiman proclaimed a jihad, or holy war, and 20,000 Viennese citizens were trapped, facing widespread fear and despair. Vienna was a large German city on the western border of the Ottoman Empire, and its fall would threaten the rest of Europe. The Austrian Secretary of War, Peter Stern von Laback, began chronicling the events, a unique document portraying the clash between Christianity and Islam.
In May 1529, a 150,000-man Ottoman army began its march towards Vienna. The journey was arduous due to unusually heavy rains, which softened the ground, forcing them to abandon heavy artillery. The army sank in mud, and widespread crop destruction caused grain prices to soar. An anonymous Ottoman secretary documented the immense suffering, with many soldiers and animals drowning or being swept away. This challenging two-thousand-kilometer march, though a logistical achievement, prepared the ground for the siege.
As the Turkish army approached, fear gripped Vienna, causing many inhabitants to flee. Only 400 armed citizens remained alongside 17,000 Landsknechts, professional mercenary soldiers sent by Charles V. These Landsknechts, known for their flamboyant clothing and provocative codpieces, were paid with melted-down church treasures. On September 24th, 1529, the main Ottoman army encircled Vienna. Sultan Suleiman, hoping to avoid storming the city and preserve its treasures, demanded surrender, sending a message via four prisoners. However, capitulation was rejected by the Viennese.
The Turks, having left their heavy siege cannons behind, used smaller artillery to intimidate Vienna while employing their primary weapon: mining. They dug tunnels beneath the city walls, preparing to detonate explosive charges. The Viennese, initially unaware of this underground threat, later discovered the mining operations and used water-filled basins to detect vibrations. The initial attacks by Akinchi (light horse troops) devastated the surrounding areas, brutally killing and enslaving villagers a harrowing scene recorded by Peter Stern, deeply influencing Europe's perception of the Turks as cruel. Martin Luther even labeled them as the 'Antichrist'.
A sudden and unusually early cold rain brought a halt to the Ottoman advance. The Turkish trenches filled with water, and their gunpowder was soaked, making an assault impossible. The morale of the Ottoman troops plummeted as the camp turned into a muddy, freezing quagmire. Seizing this opportunity, the Viennese launched a daring sortie, planning to attack the Turkish miners. Though losses were high on both sides, they captured a Turk who, under severe torture, revealed the locations of the explosive charges near the Corinthian Gate.
With the locations of the charges known, the Viennese prepared. The Turks detonated a massive charge, creating a 30-meter-wide breach in the wall, but the Landsknechts were ready, repelling the assault. Despite this setback, the Ottomans, demoralized and facing food shortages, decided on one final, three-pronged attack. This ultimate assault also failed, with the Janissaries refusing to fight further. The siege was effectively over, though the Viennese remained cautious. After the battle, three men suspected of being Turkish spies were gruesomely executed, reflecting the city's lingering fear and desire for revenge.
The Ottoman army's retreat mirrored its advance, plagued by rain and mud, leading to immense suffering among the soldiers. The siege left Vienna as an eastern outpost for the next 150 years. The accounts of the siege, particularly those from Nicholas Meldemann, shaped Europe's image of the Turks and solidified Vienna's role as a 'Christian bulwark.' The Ottoman Empire would only begin to decline after its second unsuccessful siege of Vienna in 1683.