September 11th, a day that changed the world.
But this is 1683, not 2001.
I'm talking about the clash of two cultures, two empires, with more than 200,000 soldiers involved in the gigantic Siege of Vienna. The magnificent city of Vienna, Austria, a cultural center of Europe and Western Christianity, was under siege by the forces of the Ottoman Empire.
The siege looked a bit like this:
This was the decisive battle between West and East. The great bastion of Christianity, the capital of the mighty Habsburg Empire, against the most dangerous enemy Europe had ever faced: the Turks.
Facing 200,000 men with a garrison of only 20,000, the Austrians seemed defeated. The siege had cut off all supplies to the city, making the besieged increasingly hungry. The siege lasted two months, from July to September, and only then did a turning point come.
King John Sobieski of Poland arrives to the rescue with a charge of the Winged Hussars, the elite Polish cavalry, routing the Ottomans and ending the siege. This also leads to the decline of the Ottomans for the next 23 decades.
Despite the Poles' bad reputation militarily, this was the time they saved all of Europe. Congratulations to Poland!
And if the miraculous charge of the hussars seems rather familiar to you:
You're right! This battle was essentially the inspiration for the siege of Minas Tirith where the Rohirrim play the part of the Poles.