18,000 Horsemen Led by King Sobieski Decisively Alter European History at Vienna

On September 12, 1683, Polish King John III Sobieski led the largest cavalry charge in history, with 18,000 horsemen, against Ottoman forces besieging Vienna. This monumental event, which saw the King personally leading 3,000 Polish Winged Hussars, marked a pivotal turning point in European history, effectively halting Ottoman expansion into Central Europe. Today, September 12, 2025, marks the 342nd anniversary of this decisive battle.The Battle of Vienna concluded a two-month siege by a vast Ottoman army, estimated to be between 100,000 and 300,000 strong, aiming to capture the strategic Habsburg capital. The city's defense, led by Ernst Rüdiger Graf von Starhemberg, had bravely held out despite being severely outnumbered. The arrival of a relief force, a coalition of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under Sobieski's command, set the stage for the dramatic confrontation.The decisive charge occurred in the afternoon, with Sobieski's forces descending from the Kahlenberg Mountain. The "Winged Hussars," renowned for their formidable appearance and tactical prowess, spearheaded the assault. This overwhelming cavalry attack broke the exhausted and demoralized Ottoman lines, leading to their swift retreat and a crushing defeat.Historians widely regard the victory at Vienna as the beginning of the decline of Ottoman domination in Eastern Europe. The subsequent Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 saw the Ottomans cede significant territories, including most of Hungary, to the Habsburgs. The battle not only secured Vienna but also fostered a period of increased European cooperation against the Ottoman threat, reshaping the continent's geopolitical landscape for centuries.