The Great Turkish War or War of the Holy League (1683-1699) and its aftermath
« Atlas des guerres – Époque moderne », Autrement, 2023
In 1682, the Austro-Turkish war became inevitable: faced with collusion between Louis XIV, the Turks, and Hungarian revolts led by Thököly, an Austro-Polish alliance was formed.
150,000 Turks marched towards Hungary to besiege Vienna, reaching it on July 14. Polish leader Sobieski, arriving in September, imposed his strategy on a coalition army of 75,000 men: crossing the Danube and taking positions on the heights of Kahlenberg. The charge of Polish hussars on September 12 was thunderous, pushing all the way to the fleeing Grand Vizier’s camp. Turkish losses were heavy, Vienna was liberated, Ottoman progress was disrupted, and the campaign ended with several more Polish victories.
The formation of the Holy League (with Venice in 1684 and Russia in 1686) allowed the resumption of the offensive by the imperialists: Pest was captured (October 1684), Buda as well, but with difficulty (September 1686), opening the road to Belgrade despite a Turkish counteroffensive resulting in the defeat of Mohacs (1687). Hungarian cities were conquered one by one, Transylvania came under Habsburg sovereignty, but the War of the Augsburg League diverted the imperial troops. A border was drawn on the Danube while Eugene of Savoy, fighting alongside the Imperials, won the Battle of Zenta in 1697. Peace was signed in 1699 (Treaty of Karlowitz): Hungary, Transylvania, and the Banat of Temesvar came under Habsburg domination; Podolia returned to Poland and Azov to the Russians.
The expansion of the Habsburgs continued thanks to their engagement on the side of Venice (Veneto-Ottoman war of 1714-1718). The victories of Eugene de Savoy (Petervarden in 1716, siege of Belgrade in 1717) marked the maximum expansion of the Habsburgs with the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718 (some territories were returned after the Austro-Turkish War of 1737-1739, with the Treaty of Belgrade).