Great Turkish War
The
Great Turkish War was a series of conflicts between the
Ottoman Empire and
European powers at the time (joined into a
Holy League) during the second half of the
17th century. It marked the end of the Ottoman incursion into Europe.
See also: Russo-Turkish War, 1676-1681After
Bohdan Khmelnytsky's rebellion, when
Russia acquired parts of Eastern
Ukraine from the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, some
cossacks stayed in the south east of the Commonwealth. Their leader,
Petro Doroshenko, wanted to connect the rest of Ukraine with the
Ottoman Empire, starting a rebellion against
hetman (Polish army commander)
Jan Sobieski. The
Sultan Mohamed IV, who knew that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was weak due to internal conflicts, attacked
Kamieniec Podolski, a large city on the border. A small Polish army was defeated by a larger Ottoman one. The Poles agreed to surrender Kamieniec Podolski and the adjacent region and to pay
tribute to the Ottoman Sultan.
When a message about the defeat and treaty terms reached
Warsaw, the
Sejm refused to the
tribute. Accordingly the
Sejm organized a large army under
Jan Sobieski, who won a battle near
Chocim in
1673 without however gaining back Kamieniec Podolski. However, after
King Michael's death in
1674, Jan Sobieski was elected king of Poland.
See also: Russo-Turkish War, 1686-1700After a few years of peace, the
Ottoman Empire attacked the
Habsburg Empire. The Turks almost captured
Vienna, but
Jan III Sobieski led a
Christian alliance that defeated them. The
Battle of Vienna finished the Ottoman Empire's
hegemony in
Eastern Europe.
A new
Holy League was initiated by
Pope Innocent XI and composed of the
Holy Roman Empire (headed by the
Habsburg Austria), the
Venetian Republic and
Poland in
1684, joined by the
Russian Empire in
1686.
The Holy League also battled the Ottoman Empire in the second
Battle of Mohács (1687). The Russian involvement marked the beginning of the
Russo-Turkish Wars.
The League eventually won the war in
1699 and forced the Ottoman Empire to sign the
Treaty of Karlowitz.
Jan III Sobieski died in
1697. The Ottoman Empire returned
Kamieniec Podolski in
1699.
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Ottoman wars in Europe
