Ottoman Decline: Military Adaptation in the Ottoman Empire, 1683-1699.

Abstract

The Siege of Vienna in 1683 by the Ottoman army marks a key shift in the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. The power of the Ottomans had continuously risen since 1453 but the defeat of the Ottoman army at Vienna marked the beginning of Ottoman decline in military and geographical power. The years following the siege forced the Ottomans to fight a united alliance of Austrian, Venician, and Polish armies from Europe. This article follows the events from the siege of Vienna through to the year 1699, when the war following the siege, finally came to an end with the Ottomans seceeding land to all three of its European opponents. By tracing the academic debate on what impacted the Ottoman defeat the most, the article explores the different theories behind why the Ottomans were defeat and what were the causes for the shift in power away from the Ottoman Empire toward the countries in Europe.