Fascinating reading, but it was hardly the Austrians who won in 1683

Submitted by Malcolm (United States), Apr 6, 2018 at 11:07

King Leopold and 60,000 Viennese had fled the city. Because of Leopold's recent persecution of Hungarian Protestants, they joined the Ottoman invaders. Relief armies came from various German states and Poland. The King of Poland was made commander in chief and it was the charge of the mainly Polish cavalry - said to be the largest in history - that put the Ottomans to flight. A century later, Austria showed its "gratitude" by joining Prussia and Russia to carve up Poland between them. Those three empires thus acquired common borders, enabling their clash in World War I and the downfall of all three monarchies. So the paradoxes observed by Mr Pipes continue the ironies of Austrian history.T

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