Why did the Ottomans lose the siege of Vienna?

 Battle of Vienna and Lipka Tatars

Let's delve into a lesser-known aspect of the Battle of Vienna, about which some ignorance is evident. While the Battle of Vienna in 1683 is often credited to European forces, it was the Lipka Tatars behind it!

The most popular Lipka Tatar that many of us know is Charles Bronson. The lesser-known famous Lipka Tatar figures are Samuel Mirza Krzeczowski and Aleksander Kryczyński.

Originating in the White Horde, a subdivision of the Mongol-led Golden Horde, in 1397 after a war against Amir Timur, the Tatar Khan Tokhtamysh settled with the remnants of his people as vassals of the Duke of Lithuania, Vytautas the Great. The Muslim Tatars soon became an integral unit of Lithuanian military forces and continued in this role during the time of the various unions of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which culminated in the Union of Lublin in 1569.

Jan Sobieski was sent by King John Casimir II to Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, as part of a diplomatic mission in the early 1650s. In Istanbul, Sobieski learned the Tatar and Turkish languages, and he also had the opportunity to study Turkish military traditions and tactics.

Most likely the original wings of the Hussars were the wings of the "Deliler," the Turkish cavalry vanguard units. The Deliler were very impressive with these wings, and they also prevented blows from behind thanks to these wings.

Upon his return to Poland from Istanbul, Jan Sobieski recognized the significance of the Lipka Tatars in his country. He established close relations with the Tatars, using the Tatar and Turkish languages, which he knew well. The Tatars believed it was more patriotic to defend their homeland, Poland, than to align with the Turks, who were their co-religionists and kin.

Even earlier, during the Swedish Deluge of Poland, 2,000 Tatars served directly under Sobieski’s command. Elected king in the same year and crowned in 1676, Jan III Sobieski made good on his promise and gave Tatars holdings from his personal lands.

During the siege of Vienna, the Ottoman forces made many mistakes, so their defeat was inevitable.

1. In the first place, the original aim of the expedition was not Vienna, but the fortresses of Yanik and Komaran. Ottoman Commander Kara Mustafa Pasha made his first mistake by not complying with this plan and order.

2. Instead of attacking Vienna, he aimed to surround the city and take it over slowly and not damage the city. This gave the enemy a lot of time.

3. He took the soldiers out of the trenches too late, causing them to be caught at a disadvantage against the Hussars.

4. In the regions close to Ukraine, the Anatolian Sipahis did not undertake heavy cavalry duty; this task was carried out by the Crimean Tatars. Crimean Khan Giray, using his conflict with Kara Mustafa Pasha as an excuse, did not hold the Iskender Bridge and caused the Ottoman army to be raided.

There are many more reasons, but let me close these details here without distracting too much.

As a result, the Ottoman Empire suffered a very bad defeat in Vienna, sending the Empire into a period of decline, and from then on, it constantly lost against Europe. Crimean Tatars could not recover after this incident, and the Russians occupied Crimea.

Vienna Expedition commander Kara Mustafa Pasha was executed. Crimean Khan Giray Khan completed his retirement in Istanbul, in his luxurious mansion and beautiful garden. The reason for this privilege is that both the Ottoman Dynasty and the Crimean Khans trace their ancestry to the legendary Hun emperor Mete (Modun or Oghuz Khagan). If there were no male heirs left in the Ottoman Dynasty, the Ottoman throne would have passed to the Crimean khans.

Many accounts of the Battle of Vienna often overlook:

The cornerstones and architects of the Hussar troops of Poland and Lithuania were the Lipka Tatars, a Muslim Turkic community. This society occupied a very important place among the Hussars of Sobieski, and the Lipka Tatars played a crucial role in training and shaping the Hussar troops. Otherwise, it might not be easy for the Poles to establish such a troop with Asiatic characteristics.