Holy War
The Turks at the Gates of Vienna
S1 • E3 Aug 22, 2011
The film depicts the epoch of battles between the Islamic Ottoman Empire and the Christian powers of Europe. The fear of being enslaved by the Ottomans was one of the great traumas of Early Modern Europe. For a long time the Ottoman Empire seemed invincible. The showdown at Vienna in September 1683 was to be the last conflict fought on European soil under the banner of the “Holy War”. Following their defeat by the Christian “Holy League” the Ottomans were pushed back deep into the Balkans.