In 1683, two empires - the Ottoman, based in Constantinople, and the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna - came face to face in the culmination of a 250-year power struggle: the Great Siege of Vienna.

Within the city walls the choice of resistance over surrender to the largest army ever assembled by the Turks created an all-or-nothing scenario: every last survivor would be enslaved or ruthlessly slaughtered. The Turks had set their sights on taking Vienna, the city they had long called 'The Golden Apple' since their first siege of the city in 1529. Both sides remained resolute, sustained by hatred of their age-old enemy, certain that their victory would be won by the grace of God.

Eastern invaders had always threatened the West: Huns, Mongols, Goths, Visigoths, Vandals and many others. The Western fears of the East were vivid and powerful and, in their new eyes, the Turks always appeared the sole aggressors. Andrew Wheatcroft's extraordinary book shows that this belief is a grievous oversimplification: during the 400 year struggle for domination, the West took the offensive just as often as the East.

As modern Turkey seeks to re-orient its relationship with Europe, a new generation of politicians is exploiting the residual fears and tensions between East and West to hamper this change. The Enemy at the Gate provides a timely and masterful account of this most complex and epic of conflicts.

Major historian Andrew Wheatcroft reveals the full story of four centuries of Ottoman incursions into the heartlands of Europe, culminating in the momentous 1683 Siege of Vienna.

About the Author
Andrew Wheatcroft is the author of many books on early modern and modern history, including The Ottomans (1995) and The Habsburgs (1996). During the writing of Infidels (2004), on which he was working for more than seventeen years, he researched in Austria, Bahrain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, the UAE, and the USA. His previous books have been translated into over ten languages. He is based in Dumfriesshire, and is currently Director of The Centre for Publishing Studies and also teaches at the Department of English Studies at the University of Stirling.

Reviews
Impressively researched... he has a forensic grasp of the terrain and the tactics, produces excellent miniatures of the frontline generals and deploys extraordinary eyewitness accounts with great skill... Wheatcroft has done us all a service by bringing another part of the story of Ottoman-European interaction to the attention of English-speaking readers * Literary Review *
The book gives a fine account of the siege itself... thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as being a cracking good story * Sunday Telegraph *
It is tremendous stuff, a masterpiece of historical writing * Daily Telegraph *
Wheatcroft captures the sweep of great events in this riveting book. He also nails historical myths that still resonate to this day -- Simon Shaw * Daily Mail *
Well-balanced, readable and timely account of the 1683 siege -- Jay Dixon * Historical Novels Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781844137411
Author Andrew Wheatcroft
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Pimlico
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 498g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 28mm