the siege of vienna

8/10/2019 The Siege of Vienna

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The Siege of Vienna

1683

After a Siege of Sixty days, accompanied with

a Thousand Difficulties, Sicnesses, !ant of

"ro#isions, and great $ffusion of %lood, after a

&illion of 'annon and &us(uet Shot, %om)s,

*ranadoes, and all sorts of +ire !ors, which

has changed the +ace of the fairest and most

flourishing 'ity in the !orld, disfigured and

ruined most part of the )est "alaces of the

same, and chiefly those of the $mperor and

damaged in many places the %eautiful Tower

and 'hurch of St- Stephen, with manySumptuous %uildings- After a .esistance so

#igorous, and the /oss of so many )ra#e

0fficers and Souldiers, whose Valour and

%ra#ery deser#e mmortal *lory- After so

many Toils endured, so many !atchings and so

many 0rders so prudently distri)uted )y 'ount

Starem)urgh, and so punctually executed )y

the other 0fficers-

After so many new .etrenchments,

"alli2adoes, "arapets, new Ditches in the .a#elins, %astions, 'ourtins, and principal Streetsand ouses in the Town4 +inally, after a Vigorous Defence and a .esistance without parallel,

ea#en fa#oura)ly heard the "rayers and Tears of a 'ast5down and &ournful "eople, and

retorted the Terror on a powerful $nemy, and dro#e him from the !alls of Vienna, who since

the +ifteenth of uly last early in the &orning, to the Twelfth of Septem)er, had so Vigorously

attaced it with Two hundred thousand &en and )y endless !orings, Trenchings, and

&inings, reduced it almost to its last gasp-

'ount Starem)urgh, who sustained this great %urden, assisted )y so many *allant 0fficers,

ha#ing gi#en 7otice to the 'hristian Army, )y Discharge of &us(uets from the Tower of St-

Stephen, of the $xtremity whereto the 'ity was reduced, they disco#ered on the Twelfth of

this &onth, early in the &orning, the 'hristian Troops marching down the 7eigh)ouring&ountains of alem)erg, and heard continually the Discharges of their Artillery against the

Turs, who )eing ad#anced thither, were fortified with "arapets of $arth and great Stones, to

hinder the Descent of the 'hristian Army from the &ountains, who notwithstanding did

ad#ance- The Vanguard of the orse and +oot, seconded )y the "olish orse, had a long

Sirmish with the Turs, disputing e#ery +oot of *round )ut seeing themsel#es totally

#an(uished )y the 'hristian +orces, who had surmounted all the Difficulties of the

&ountains, and drawn down their 'annon in spight of them, they retired +ighting, lea#ing to

the 'hristians all their 'amps full of "a#illions, Tents, %arracs, and $ight "ieces of 'annon

9with which they had raised a %attery on that side +our days )efore: and retreated towards

their "rincipal 'amp, )etween the Villages of ernalls, aderling and e2ing )ut as they

passed )y the %astion of &elc they fired their 'annon furiously of them4 The 'hristians

)eing ra#ish;d with the Victory, pursued them with so much heat, that they were not only



forced to lea#e their great 'amps, )ut liewise all their others flying towards ungary4 And it

is certain, had not the 7ight come on, they had totally

defeated and routed the 0ttoman Army-

During these hot Sirmishes on the &ountains, the

'hristians lost near 1<< &en, among whom theSer=eant &a=or of the .egiment of Schult2, "rince

&aurice of 'roy, 'aptain of the .egiment of *rana,

the "rince his %rother, &areshal /ieutenant of the

+ield, was wounded there in his Shoulder4 They fired

then continually against the Approaches and %atteries

of the Turs, with the Artillery from our %astions and

.amparts the %esiegers, animated )y the presence of

the *rand Visier, answered #igorously from theirs, and

great Vollies of &us(uets were discharged from )oth

sides, intermingled with great (uantities of *ranado;s-

The *rand Visier, who was in the Approaches, ga#ethem hopes of carrying the place "rince /ewis of

%aden and 'ollonel eusler entred their Trenches, at

the same time 'ount Starem)urgh sallied and seconded

them, and repulsed the ani2aries, who sa#ed

themsel#es, with the *rand Visier, whose Son was

either illed or taen "risoner, and himself wounded, as ;tis said- 0f late the $nemy had not

shot so many %om)s nor Stones, nor +ire5wors, as they did that Sunday &orning when our

&en descended from the ills towards the Scotch and &el %astions, upon which there stood

a great many "eople to see from a5far our Descent and the 'om)at )ut they o)ser#ed the

$nemy did )ut little urt- Towards the $#ening the Turs seeing the 'hristians &asters of

their 'amp o#er against the Scotch %astion, and that our 'a#alry had entred it, planted Two

"ieces of 'annon and shot against them, a while after, seeing themsel#es surpri2ed, they

(uitted their Approaches and all their Artillery, consisting of Se#enty fi#e "ieces of 'annon,

+ourteen 'annons for %attery, and some &ortar "ieces )eing compri2ed therein- At the same

time there happened a Sirmish in the 'amp with the ani2aries, who were come out of the

Trenches, )ut they made no great resistance, and lie 'owards ran away-

n the 7ight the 'hristians made themsel#es &asters of all the Turs 'amp- Afterwards +our

'ompanies of our +oot entred into the $nemies Approaches with Torches and lighted Straw,

)ut found nothing )ut Dead %odies they too possession of the $nemies Artillery, some

whereof were )rought into the 'ity- All the night long we saw +ires at a distance, the Turha#ing fired as many of their 'amps as so sudden a flight would gi#e them lea#e, and

retreated from the sland )y fa#our of a %ridge which they had made )elow the .i#er, upon

one of the Arms of the Danu)e, the 'hristians ha#ing sei2ed the %ridge a)o#e, on the same

.i#er-

0n &onday &orning we saw all the 'amps and +ields co#ered with Souldiers as well "oles

as *ermans- The 'ity was relie#ed on Sunday a)out +i#e of the 'loc in the Afternoon, and

e#ery )odies curiosity carried them to see the 'amp, after they had )een shut up a)o#e two

&onths-

The ing of "oland ha#ing in the mean time with the greatest Vigor repulsed the $nemy onhis side and put them to flight, lea#ing the "lunder of their 'amp )ehind them, which



from thence to Schwechet, where was the ead >uarters- As soon as the ing saw the

$mperour coming, he ad#anced towards him, accompanied with the "rince his Son, the great

&areschal a)lonowsy, "alatin of .ussia, with se#eral other "ersons of >uality, #ery )ra#ely

attended and as we marched liewise in a great %ody, we made a Demi5circle on )oth sides,

and drew so near to one another that we made a perfect 'ircle, that no )ody could enter-

Their &a=esties )eing on orse5)ac, complimented each other upon the Victory, which the

one attri)uted to the other the ing of "oland had the greatest share of the glory of this day

which he )est deser#ed4 for he may )e truly stiled one of the *reatest ings of 'hristendom,

and the most Valiant- After half an hours 'on#ersation, the $mperour was desired )y the ing

of "oland to see his Army, which he accepted of, and was conducted )y his *reat &areshal-

n effect ne#er any thing could )e seen more *reat and eroic than the +our thousand

ussars, who were all well5armed with 'oats of &ale, and all the rest of the Army #ery

)ra#ely accoutred-

a#ing #iewed the whole "olish Army, the *reat &areshal commanded the said ussars to

mae the 'ourse which they are used to mae when they go to in#est the $nemy, wherewithis mperial &a=esty was highly pleased-

Afterwards is mperial &a=esty returned to 'ourt, where we learn e#ery hour so many

particulars of this happy Success, that the Victory and the /oss which the $nemy has suffered,

is greater than can )e imagined-

!e ha#e taen all the Tents of the $nemy, a)out 0ne hundred and twenty *reat *uns, all their

%aggage, and a #ery great >uantity of Ammunition-

t is confirmed liewise, That the ing of "oland, has 9)esides the Tent of the *rand Visier:

his orses with their rich arness- t is also said, That )esides all the Treasure in Sil#er,

which was designed for the payment of the 0ttoman Army, there were two 'a)inets with

ewels so that the %ooty was so great, that it is not well to )e express;d-

/ast 7ight +orty ani2aries ha#ing sa#ed themsel#es upon the %attlements which are call;d

"a#illions, with a great num)er of 'hristian 'hildren of )oth Sexes, whom they had made

Sla#es, and the "oles ha#ing summoned them to surrender, they )egg;d that they might )e

recei#ed into the ani2ary *uards of the ing of "oland, and unless that might )e granted,

they would ill the 'hildren and defend themsel#es to the man4 !hereupon the ing of

"oland granted their re(uest-

?esterday the ing of "oland )egan to march in pursuit of the Turs, and was to )e this 7ight

at !ischa- 0ur Army is to follow too &orrow- 0ne "art is already past the Danu)e in (uest of

the .e)els-

is mperial &a=esty maes account tomorrow to return to /int2-

1@ Septem)er

The $mperour is gone this day to /int24 !e are now )eginning to cleanse the 'ity of its.u))ish, and carry off the Dead 'arcasses of &an and %east- The Turs had a +rench



ngineer in their 'amp, who hath done #ery much hurt to this 'ity, and ruin;d us < "ieces of

'annon4 There was also a great many +rench among the ani2aries, and many were found

among the Dead with +rench Sil#er and *old in their "ocets- There are daily )rought in a

great num)er of Turs "risoners since the flight of the *rand Visier- t is intended to set the

Turs that are already, and shall )e hereafter taen, at !or on the reparation of our %astions

and 'ourtins- The Sieur aunit2, the $mperours .esident at the "ort, who was found in the*rand Visier Tent, is now in this 'ity-

This moment comes the 7ews that +riday last the 1Bth, a part of the Turs Army fled away in

such haste, within sight of .aa), as if ours were at their )acs the 0fficer who )rought it,

added that in his way from .aa) he met with )ut two Turs, whom he )rought "risoners to

%rucham of 'eytha, where he sold them for four "ecs of 0ats- All the $nemies or .e)els

who had got into the sle of Schut, are retired thence- There are gone down from hence some

%oats full of nfantry towards ungary- !e are in hopes to hear shortly of some great

$nterpri2e on the Turs- ere are daily )rought in a)undance of young children whom the

Turs had taen 'apti#e they ra#ish;d the young &aids and !omen, and cut off the eads of

the old &en and !omen-

ere is 7ews from *rat2, That 'ount %udiani 9who hath desired 'ount Strasoldo to intercede

for him to the $mperour: had commanded 8<<< ussars of his Troops, under the 'ommand

of his Son and the 'ount 7adasti, to fall on C<<< Turs encamped near 'anisa, and that they

ha#e put them all to the Sword- %aron %uroni is dead, and his Son re#olted from the .e)els,

and )egs the $mperours "ardon- The Turs who are "risoners, unanimously affirm, That the

*rand Visier hath caused )rahim %assa Visier of %uda to )e strangled for first gi#ing *round

at the %attle )efore Vienna- "art of the 0ttoman Army is arri#ed near *reeish !eissen)urg-

Since this Signal Victory o)tained )y the 'hristian Army 9who some days had refreshed

themsel#es: we are certainly informed they passed "res)ourgh the C3th of Septem)er, in

pursuit of the scattered +orces of the 0ttoman Army, who fled to Stollweissem)ourgh so that

a few days will )ring us an Accompt of what has passed )etween them- This Victory hath

already gi#en this ad#antage to our Affairs, that the 'ount of Trausmondorse had taen and

confiscated the 'astles and .e#enues of those who had done omage to the Tur and it was

resol#ed to do the lie in ungary-

A True and Exact Relation Of the Raising of the siege of Vienna And the Victory obtained over the Ottoman

Army, the 12th of Setember 1!"#

the siege of vienna

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