The Enemy at the Gate http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Enemy-at-Gate-Andrew-Wheatcroft/9780465020812

Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe

By Andrew Wheatcroft

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Reviews

Wheatcroft (director, Centre for Publishing Studies, Univ. of Stirling, Scotland; Infidels) offers a richly detailed account of the 1683 Ottoman siege of Vienna and subsequent battle with the Hapsburg central European forces. Although focusing on a single military campaign, Wheatcroft draws on decades of his own research on the Hapsburg-Ottoman conflict to provide needed historical context for the events of war. As Wheatcroft aptly states in his introduction, his is in fact a broader study that seeks to understand "Europe's fear of the Turks" within the frame of a specific Ottoman-Hapsburg military clash. Much of Wheatcroft's detail comes from European accounts of life in the Ottoman Empire and first-person descriptions of war, but the inherent bias in these sources is always acknowledged. As a result, Wheatcroft is able to move beyond tales of the "Terrible Turks" to provide a realistic portrayal of Ottoman leadership, a political context for the Hapsburg-Ottoman conflict, and a description of the shifting balance of power between these two dynasties. This is not a work of popular history for the casual reader, but scholars and students of history would benefit greatly from this well-researched account of 17th-century Ottoman-Hapsburg political power.-Veronica Arellano, Univ. of Houston Libs. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

"New York Times Book Review"
"As Andrew Wheatcroft brilliantly shows in "The Enemy at the Gate," the skirmishes and the pitched battles that raged for centuries between Habsburgs and Ottomans, and their numerous vassals on both sides, represented not so much a 'clash of civilizations' as a collision of empires.... [H]is narrative is thrilling as well as thoughtful, a rare combination."

"Washington Times"
"There are two stories here worth telling and well told: the blood-and-thunder tale of the heroic defense of Vienna against the Ottomans in 1683, the surge in morale after the Habsburg victory, and the war to recover Hungary and the Balkans from the Turks. The other story is of the obsessive fear and hatred of the Turks in Christian central Europe, exorcised by the Habsburg victory at Vienna, turning to revenge and reconquest led first by Duke Charles of Lorraine, then by the legendary Prince Eugene of Savoy, ending in exhausted and bankrupt stability."

"Telegraph"
"[A] riveting narrative, Andrew Wheatcroft's "The Enemy at the Gate."..tells the story of the final Habsburg-Ottoman showdown at the gates of Vienna in 1683, one of the genuine turning points in European history."

"Independent"
"Andrew Wheatcroft's "The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe" brilliantly reconstructs the climactic conflict between Muslim 'East' and Christian 'West', at Vienna in 1683."

"Telegraph"
"A masterpiece of historical writing....The story of the siege reads as compellingly as a Dumas novel."

"Literary Review"
"Intensely gripping... "The Enemy at the Gate" is rich and multilayered... Wheatcroft has done us all a service."

"Sunday Telegraph"
"A fascinating and compelling story, a clash between a mighty besieging army and one of the major cities of Europe, involving extraordinary efforts and sacrifices on both sides."

"Financial Times"
"Ambitious...Wheatcroft is undeniably expert in his field."

"Times Highe