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Siege Of Vienna


            Many people regard the 1683 siege of Vienna as a turning point in European history. It is seen as the end of a Muslim threat to Christianity and Europe. However, when the Turks failed in their attempt to sack Vienna, their failure marked the decline of the Ottoman Empire but should not be considered a major turning point in European history, because the Turks were at the end of their logistical chord they would have been expelled from Europe whether or not they succeeded in their campaign. In order to decipher the historical significance of this event certain factors of the siege itself must be examined. The most logical approach to solving such a question would be to look at the events leading up to the siege and the consequence of the allied victory. .
             In Double Eagle and Crescent: Vienna's Second Turkish Siege and Its Historical Background Thomas Barker offers four probable reasons for Kara Mustafa and his master, Sultan Mehmed IV, decision for attacking Vienna: "a) the inherently bellicose character of the Turkish state; b) The grand vezir's desperate need for money and the prestige of martial success in order to maintain his group on domestic power; c) the rebellion in Hungary led by Imre Thokoly; and d) the French diplomatic presence in Istanbul."" Of these four causes Kara Mustafa's character bore the most responsibility for the attack. He was said to encompass an extreme hatred of Christians, which may have been attributed to mental illness. However, one man cannot be blamed for inciting the attack against Vienna. Too much blame is put on his psyche while forgetting an array of other possibilities. Barker writes "His prejudice manifested itself in extreme physical cruelty the siege of Vienna later provided further opportunity for this striking blood lust."" Most scholars agree the past is a collection of interacting factors and is more complex than what is commonly thought.


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