Product Description

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. 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, but the memory of the Turks, to whom the West's ancient and deep fear of the East is viscerally attached, remains vivid and powerful. Long before their 1453 conquest of Constantinople, the Turks had raised the art of war to heights not seen since the Roman Empire.Although their best recorded and most infamous attack, the 1683 siege was the historical culmination, not the extent, of the Turks' sustained attempt to march westwards and finally obtain the city they had long called 'The Golden Apple'. Their defeat was to mark the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. With Turkey now seeking to re-orient itself towards the west and a new generation of politicians exploiting the residual fear and tensions between East and West, "The Enemy at the Gate" provides a timely and masterful account of this most complex and epic of conflicts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10380 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
`Wheatcroft captures the sweep of great events in this riveting book. He also nails historical myths that still resonate to this day' --Daily Mail

`well-balanced, readable and timely account of the 1683 siege' --Historical Novels Review

Review
A thoughtful and thought-provoking book, as well as being a crackingly good story.

Review
Andrew Wheatcroft, author of the excellent Infidels, re-create[s] this crucial encounter ... his account of the siege itself is fascinating.

Customer Reviews

A highly accessible retelling of a clash of civilisations
The problem with non-fiction is that certain areas of history are covered over and over again. Want to know about Hitler- take your pick. The Romans- how many books do you want? The issue is that where there is feast in certain areas there is famine in others. This book is one of those marvels that tells the story of an area of history largely forgotten. What Andrew Wheatcroft does is explain that this period in Eastern Europe really was an epic clash of civilisations that has affected all the countries and cultures from Austria to Iraq.

The book goes a long way to fill in the gaps about the Ottomans after the golden era of Mehmet the conqueror and Suleiman the magnificent and before the other area discussed in many books- the fall of the empire and World War 1. Enemy at the Gates mainly focuses on Mehmet IV and the second siege of Vienna. While this is the core of the book many other areas are discussed, and really focuses on the 17th and 18th century battle between the mightiest Empire in Europe and the largest in the Middle East.

Most importantly there is no bias, indeed Andrew Wheatcroft spends a lot of time countering the many incorrect and snobbish views of European chroniclers and historians that have built up over the centuries. He does a compelling job of showing that Ottoman decline was not down to decadence and the empire wasn't only backward looking either.

So what you have here is a very well written book, crammed full of fascinating characters (on both sides) all told in an easily digestible way. This is a well researched and first class example of how to draw in a reader on a topic that isn't that well known.

An interesting tale - little covered by other books
The central part of the book covers the last Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 very well. The first part of the book sets the scene but could have done with tighter editing. There is some repetition and the author's chronology of events switches back and forth somewhat confusingly over the preceding century and a half since the first siege. The final part of the book attempts to show the aftermath of the events and the effect on Hapsburg-Ottoman relations. This latter part seems a bit truncated as if the author was given too little room to properly round things off. However a good solid work covering an event important to Eastern and Middle European history but little known to most British readers. Four stars.

The Enemy at the Gate
I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to read and is at an easy pace. It is well researched and explains the issues. It's focus remains on the subject matter and does not wander needlessly. The book is however Western Euro centric and it rarely gives the Ottoman perspective around the reasons for the military operations it carried out. This aside I highly recommend this gripping readThe Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe