The Enemy at the Gate : Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe
Andrew Wheatcroft is Professor of International Publishing and Communication and Director of the Centre for Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling. He is the author of Infidels, The Habsburgs, and The Ottomans, and has been researching the material for The Enemy at the Gate for more than twenty years. He lives in Scotland.
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."
Victor Davis Hanson, First Things
"Wheatcroft offers a riveting account of the slow, methodical
Ottoman approach to Vienna.... [A] masterful account of the siege
and battle."
Michigan War Studies Review
"Wheatcroft displays exceptional awareness of the power of the
printed word not only to crystallize and reproduce specific facts
or news for a mass audience, but to preserve and especially
propagate a particular opinion of a given subject. Throughout, he
strives to distinguish between the actual siege of Vienna in 1683
and the one preserved in the Western imagination, noting print's
power to distort and undervalue the humanity of the Ottoman
Turks."
Choice
"Wheatcroft's real contribution is his illustration of complex
Ottoman administrative and military structures. In fact, the book
reveals these to have been a main source of Ottoman power; not, as
many have suggested, the provocation of fear through terror or
oriental savagery. Wheatcroft also adeptly addresses important
historiographical questions about Ottoman decline, the dangers of
over-reliance on secondary source materials, syncretism of nomadic
steppe tradition with Islamic values, and fine contrasts between
Ottoman and European military techniques."
"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
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