The Enemy at the Gate is a compelling account of the Siege of Vienna and its aftermath. The Ottoman defeat in 1683 marked the end of any serious threat to Western Europe, but it was not at all apparent that they would be defeated. Until, of course, they were. The author does a good job of setting the stage for the battle and provides a good general history of Eastern Europe and the almost constant war that took place there during the late medieval and early modern periods. I, for one, would not have enjoyed being Hungarian during that era. The end of the book feels a bit rushed, like the author was approaching a page limit, but still had a lot to cover and decided to squeeze it all in. But 7/8 of the book is good, informative reading, which is more than enough for 4 stars.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys European history, or wonders why some Europeans have hang-ups about Turkish immigration. ( )

Very readable account of the siege of Vienna by the Ottomans in 1683. The book does a good job of explaining the events leading up to the siege as well as the actual aspects of the siege. ( )

The Enemy at the Gates is the retelling of the dramatic confrontation of the Ottoman Turks and the Habsburg Empire at Vienna in 1683. The author tells us that he wants to be objective, but if anything, he appears to be more enamored of the Turks than of the Christian powers that ultimately assembled to turn them back. Nevertheless, despite his efforts to portray the Turks as more organized and perhaps more civilized, one cannot read about the events described without realizing the Ottomans were clearly the aggressors.

The Turks first laid siege to Vienna in 1529 when they were led by Sultan Suleiman I (“the Magnificent”), but they were defeated as much by the weather as by the Austrians. Nevertheless, they managed to conquer Hungary and most of the Balkan peninsula in that campaign. For the next 154 years, they persistently attempted to extend the boundaries of their empire into central Europe, only to be opposed with middling success by the Habsburg Empire. The constant pressure from the continual raiding instilled in the Christian inhabitants of the boundary lands a persistent fear of being killed or enslaved.

It was standard operating procedure for the Ottomans to conduct military operations against Christian Europe nearly every year as soon as the weather permitted. By 1683, the Turks had extended their territory into the Balkans as far as Belgrade, and the extremely ambitious and aggressive Kara Mustafa had become Grand Vizier. Wheatcroft vividly describes Mustafa’s raising of a large army that set off from Constantinople to the northwest in the spring of 1683. The army’s goal was known to only a very few select intimates of the Sultan, Mehmed IV. In fact, it is not clear just when the decision was made to assault Vienna rather than some easier targets.

Wheatcroft characterizes the struggle as only incidentally one between Islam and Christendom, with the principal aim territory along with the right to claim the legacy of the Roman Empire. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, assumed the legacy belonged to the Habsburgs, but Mehmed IV also claimed to be the successor to the Roman Caesars by virtue of his family’s conquest of Constantinople.

The Ottomans were formidable warriors who had little respect for their opponents. They were also experts a siege warfare, the principle technique of which was to dig tunnels under the fortifications of the enemy and set off large explosive charges, then rush through the breaches thus created and slaughter the defenders. Nonetheless, the Habsburgs had learned a great deal about fighting pitched battles while they opposed Protestants in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). They hadn’t learned much about forging alliances, however, and it took them several months to obtain help from other Christian states, notably Poland and Bavaria. Both sides were near exhaustion by the time the (Polish) cavalry arrived, and in one climactic charge by mounted lancers (hussars), drove the unprepared Ottomans from the field.

Wheatcroft’s description of the plight of the Viennese defenders, (surrounded, near starvation, and listening for the sound of sappers digging under their fortifications), is compelling. Their fear and dread is a major theme of the book. Also arresting are his descriptions of the Tartar light cavalry and the Polish Hussars.

The final chapters of the book sketch in broad strokes the Habsburgs’ reconquest of most of the Balkans.

Evaluation: This is a well written book and a fine introduction to the history of late 17th century Southeast Europe.

(JAB) ( )

Muy bueno, la descripcion de la decadenci de austria y su vinculación con la historia actual de ella y de Europa es buena, no hace pensar. Da ganas de profundizar el tema qu es lo más importante, mande dos twits con citas del libro ( )

Not sure about this one...also military, and does also focus on one battle.