The battle of Vienna is one of the most significant battles in European History, it took place in September 1683 between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Hungry against the Ottoman Empire. This battle is largely marked as the end of the Ottoman invasions into Europe.
The Ottoman Empire wanted to take the City of Vienna for its control over the Black Sea to Western Europe, Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean to Germany’s trade routes. The Ottomans repaired and established roads and bridges leading to the Holy Roman Empire as well as moving cannons and ammunition into the Balkans.
The Holy Roman Empire made an alliance with the Polish in 1683 called the Treaty of Warsaw. In this treaty it promised that the Holy Roman Empire would support Poland if the Ottomans attacked Krakow and in return the Polish would come if Vienna was attacked.
On the 14th July 1683 the Ottoman army of 150,000 men laid siege to Vienna. Kara Mustafa Pasha who led the Ottoman force ordered his men to dig trenches towards to the city to help protect his troops from the defenders cannons as they advanced. In 
order to take the city the Ottomans mined tunnels under the city walls to blow them up using large amounts of Black Powder. However the defenders knocked down large trees to help bolster the old palisade delaying the Ottoman attack. This greatly helped in creating enough time for a relief force to arrive in September.
On September 6th the Polish under King John III Sobieski crossed the Danube northwest of Vienna at Tulin to join the Imperial troops of the Holy Roman Empire along with soldiers from Saxony, Bavaria, Badan, F
ranconia and Swabia, giving the Polish King 70,000 men under his command.
The relief army were racing against time to save the city and created an effective leadership structured around the Polish King and the Winged Hussars.
On September 12th the Ottoman force attacked trying to disrupt the Holy Leagues Troops. The German forces were the first to counterattack. The Imperial Army attacked on the left and Centre and after heavy fighting managed to take several key positions from the Ottomans by noon.
The Ottoman force largely focused on taking Vienna still however, their sappers prepared a large final detonation to breach the walls with a total of 10 mines set to explode. The defenders were able to locate and disarm these mines while the Ottoman force was occupied with the relief forces.
On the Right Flank of the Ottoman army the Polish advanced and managed to take the village of Gersthof which would serve as a strong position for a cavalry charge. The Ottomans were now in a desperate position caught between the Imperial and Polish Forces who by 5pm had now become very close to the Central Turkish position.
The Polish Cavalry now arrived onto the battlefield with cheers from the infantry. This was to be the final blow. The Polish King ordered the cavalry attack in 4 groups. Three of these Polish and one from the Holy Roman Empire. 18,000 horseman charged down the hills creating the largest cavalry charge ever recorded in history led by the legendary Polish 
Winged Hussars. The charge easily broke through the Ottomans lines who soon began to leave the battlefield. The cavalry headed for the Ottoman Camps and Kara Mustafa’s headquarters, and the remaining Viennese garrison charged out of their defences to join the attack. Less than three hours after the cavalry charge, the Christian armies had been victorious and saved Vienna.
This casualties of this battle totalled 8000-15,000 Ottomans killed and 5000 captured, 12,000 dead or wounded defenders and 4500 dead or wounded Holy League Troops.
The Blood of History 