Siege of Vienna (1529)

Siege of Vienna
	Part of the Habsburg–Ottoman wars in Hungary (1526–1568)
	; Contemporary 1529 engraving of clashes between the Austrians and Ottomans outside Vienna, by Bartel Beham
Date	27 September – 15 October 1529; (2 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Vienna, Holy Roman Empire; (present-day Austria)
Result	Habsburg victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire; Kingdom of Bohemia; Electorate of the Palatinate; Duchy of Carniola; Spanish Empire	Ottoman Empire Vassal states: Moldavia;
Commanders and leaders
Niklas Graf Salm (DOW); Philipp der Streitbare; Wilhelm von Roggendorf; Petar Keglević; Johann Katzianer; Pavle Bakić	Suleiman the Magnificent; Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha
Strength
≈ 17,000–21,000	≈ 120,000–125,000 (only 100,000 were available during the siege)
Casualties and losses
Unknown, with presumably high civilian fatalities More than 1,500 dead (10% of the besieged)	15,000 wounded, dead or captured

The siege of Vienna, in 1529, was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire to capture the city of Vienna in the Archduchy of Austria, part of the Holy Roman Empire. Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottomans, attacked the city with over 100,000 men, while the defenders, led by Niklas Graf Salm, numbered no more than 21,000. Nevertheless, Vienna was able to survive the siege, which ultimately lasted just over two weeks, from 27 September to 15 October, 1529.

The siege came in the aftermath of the 1526 Battle of Mohács, which had resulted in the death of Louis II, King of Hungary, and the descent of the kingdom into civil war. Following Louis' death, rival factions within Hungary selected two successors: Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria, supported by the House of Habsburg, and John Zápolya. Zápolya would eventually seek aid from, and become a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, after Ferdinand began to take control of western Hungary, including the city of Buda.

The Ottoman attack on Vienna was part of the empire's intervention into the Hungarian conflict, and in the short term sought to secure Zápolya's position. Historians offer conflicting interpretations of the Ottoman's long-term goals, including the motivations behind the choice of Vienna as the campaign's immediate target. Some modern historians suggest that Suleiman's primary objective was to assert Ottoman control over all of Hungary, including the western part (known as Royal Hungary) that was then still under Habsburg control. Some scholars suggest Suleiman intended to use Hungary as a staging ground for further invasion of Europe.^[6]

The failure of the siege of Vienna marked the beginning of 150 years of bitter military tension between the Habsburgs and Ottomans, punctuated by reciprocal attacks, and culminating in a second siege of Vienna in 1683.

^ Shaw, Stanford J. (1976). History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-521-29163-7. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
^ Turnbull says the garrison was "over 16,000 strong". The Ottoman Empire, p. 50; Keegan and Wheatcroft suggest 17,000. Who's Who in Military History, p. 283; Some estimates are just above 20,000, for example: "Together with Wilhelm von Roggendorf, the Marshal of Austria, Salm conducted the defense of Vienna with 16,000 regulars and 5,000 militia." Dupuy, Trevor, et al., The Encyclopedia of Military Biography, p. 653.
^ Turnbull suggests Suleiman had "perhaps 120,000" troops when he reached Osijek on 6 August. The Ottoman Empire, p. 50; Christopher Duffy suggests "Suleiman led an army of 125,000 Turks". Siege Warfare: Fortresses in the Early Modern World 1494–1660, p. 201. For higher estimates, see further note on Suleiman's troops.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Turnbull_2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ https://repositorio.uam.es/bitstream/handle/10486/1235/17116_C6.pdf?sequence=1 ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ It was an "afterthought towards the end of a season of campaigning". Riley-Smith, p. 256; "A last-minute decision following a quick victory in Hungary". Shaw and Shaw, p. 94; Other historians, including Stephen Turnbull, regard the suppression of Hungary as the calculated prologue, to an invasion further into Europe: "John Szapolya [sic] became a footnote in the next great Turkish advance against Europe in the most ambitious campaign of the great Sultan's reign." Turnbull, p .50.

[Shaw1976-1] Shaw, Stanford J. (1976). History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-521-29163-7. Retrieved 22 September 2011.

[2] Turnbull says the garrison was "over 16,000 strong". The Ottoman Empire, p. 50; Keegan and Wheatcroft suggest 17,000. Who's Who in Military History, p. 283; Some estimates are just above 20,000, for example: "Together with Wilhelm von Roggendorf, the Marshal of Austria, Salm conducted the defense of Vienna with 16,000 regulars and 5,000 militia." Dupuy, Trevor, et al., The Encyclopedia of Military Biography, p. 653.

[estimate-3] Turnbull suggests Suleiman had "perhaps 120,000" troops when he reached Osijek on 6 August. The Ottoman Empire, p. 50; Christopher Duffy suggests "Suleiman led an army of 125,000 Turks". Siege Warfare: Fortresses in the Early Modern World 1494–1660, p. 201. For higher estimates, see further note on Suleiman's troops.

[Turnbull_2-4] Cite error: The named reference Turnbull_2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[repositorio.uam.es-5] ttps://repositorio.uam.es/bitstream/handle/10486/1235/17116_C6.pdf?sequence=1 ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[someHistorians-6] It was an "afterthought towards the end of a season of campaigning". Riley-Smith, p. 256; "A last-minute decision following a quick victory in Hungary". Shaw and Shaw, p. 94; Other historians, including Stephen Turnbull, regard the suppression of Hungary as the calculated prologue, to an invasion further into Europe: "John Szapolya [sic] became a footnote in the next great Turkish advance against Europe in the most ambitious campaign of the great Sultan's reign." Turnbull, p .50.

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