Ottoman Turks

17 August 2010

Tuesday in class the discussion centered on the Turkish sieges of

Vienna and the Ottoman Empire, complementing our recent visit to the Military Museum which has an Ottoman Turk exhibit, as well as tying in with today's visit to the Wien Museum.

The Ottoman Empire began in 1299 and ended in 1923 when it was dissolved due to its status as a losing power in World War I; its reign was about the same length as the Habsburg Empire in Austria. Its high points were in the 16th and 17th centuries, during which occurred the Turkish sieges of Vienna (in 1529 and 1683). It politically outshone the European power nations such as France and Spain, and was the only nonwestern nation which posed a challenge to the west.

In 1453, Constantinople fell, allowing the Turks to expand westward. After their attemtped siege on Vienna, the Viennese built a city fortress to protect themselves from further attacks (it is now the Ringstrasse which encircles the first district). In 1683, the Turks again attempted to siege Vienna, but were defeated at the battle of Zenta, leading to the treaty of Karlowitz, giving Hungary and Transylvania back to the Habsburg dynasty. In 1717, Prince Eugene of Savoy, a military general within the Habsburg court, finally defeated the Ottomans at a final battle; he was able to capture Belgrade and thus push the Ottomans back from Austria.

At the Military Museum, there was an assortment of weapons, uniforms, and flags, showcasing both the Turkish and Austrian armies. However, I found that the Wiener Museum presented the Austro-Turkish Wars in a much more straightforward and unpretentious manner; the Military Museum was simply too overwhelming and grand to take in each display case. In the Wiener Museum, the two center pieces communicated the style and culture of the Turkish army extremely well. The first center piece was four horse tails, the insignia for the Ottoman army's military ranks. Soldiers and generals received between one and nine horse tails - the more the better. These rugged looking staffs with horse hair, woven materials, and horns on

top illustrated the barbaric nature of the Ottomans, with an oriental flair in their colors and designs. The Ottomans were from the east, and thus were naturally considered barbaric in comparison with their civilized western counterparts. The second center piece was a large iron pole with spikes extending from it - almost reminiscent of a torture device. Rather, the contraption was used as a warning post; flammable fabrics were wound around the poles onto the spikes and were lit on fire, alerting military generals of a possible danger of retreat.

There were also two prominent paintings on display - each contrasting the other. The first was of Kara Mustapha Pasha, the army Grand Vizier (commander) of the Turkish siege of 1863; he was later executed at Belgrade. The painting shows a forlorn man in oriental dress, elegantly outfitted yet both distraught and committed to his fate. In the same room there is another painting, this one of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had Pasha executed. He is painted as a bold and fearless leader, dressed in robes and his war metals, with his imperial regalia draped around him. This pompous painting stands in stark contrast to the forlorn Pasha, and yet accurately details the Austrio-Turkish war.

The rest of the Wiener Museum was equally entertaining; the museum was constructed into three floors, starting with Vienna's Roman foundations and ending with the city's modern art movement and Biedermeier culture. The neatest piece in the entire museum had to have been the original stained glass windows from St. Stephen's removed during World War II - beautiful ornate images from biblical stories and churches. Absolutely breathtaking; only two panels behind the altar have remained within Stephansdom, the remaining panels are kept at the Wiener Museum.

Today's German Word:

Schmecken - 'to taste'