Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe

The Enemy at the Gate

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.

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

The book gives a fine account of the siege itself... thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as being a cracking good story

It is tremendous stuff, a masterpiece of historical writing

Wheatcroft captures the sweep of great events in this riveting book. He also nails historical myths that still resonate to this day

Well-balanced, readable and timely account of the 1683 siege

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.

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.

Embodying Empire

The Habsburgs

The Habsburgs have been described at one extreme as demons &ndash; responsible for a &lsquo;long history of atrocities&rsquo;; and, at the other, as dodos &ndash; living fossils unable to adapt to the modern world. In reality, the flamboyant royal family appear, in many ways, to have behaved much like most other monarchies. Their story, however, is none the less enthralling for that. It is populated by such unforgettable figures as mad Queen Juana, progressing through Spain with her husband&rsquo;s decaying body; the &lsquo;heroically fertile&rsquo; Maria Theresa, and the quixotic Maximilian, &lsquo;Emperor&rsquo; of Mexico.

Richard Overy

Andrew Wheatcroft

The best short work on the origins of the second world war. It is a masterpiece of compression

Stimulating and enjoyable... essential reading

The authors combine passion with understanding to make sound historical sense

It is mesmerising to read about a world careering to hell

The Origins of World War II

Hailed on publication as a thought-provoking, authoritative analysis of the true beginnings of the Second World War, this revised edition of The Road to War is essential reading for anyone interested in this momentous period of history. Taking each major nation in turn, the book tells the story of their road to war; recapturing the concerns, anxieties and prejudices of the statesmen of the thirties.

Andrew Wheatcroft

Praise for The Road to War

The best short work on the origins of the second world war. It is a masterpiece of compression

Stimulating and enjoyable... essential reading

Well-written, authoritative

The best short work on the origins of the second world war. It is a masterpiece of compression

Stimulating and enjoyable... essential reading

Well-written, authoritative

The best short work on the origins of the second world war. It is a masterpiece of compression

Stimulating and enjoyable... essential reading

Well-written, authoritative

Books by Andrew Wheatcroft

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