The victory of the lord - Battle of
Vienna.
September 11 is an important day in the world history. The majestic twin
towers of America were attacked by the terrorist on September 11. But this
September 11 has witnessed another important attack in history which is known
to only a handful of people who know the Christian history. In the year 1683,
September 11, a terrific war broke out between the king of Islam and the
Christian kings in the place called Vienna, the capital of Austria.
King David praised the Lord stating, “Some
trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and
boast of the name of the Lord our God. They are bowed down and fallen, but we
are risen and stand upright. O Lord, give victory; let the king answer us when
we call.” – Ps. 20:7-9.
This statement has however come true in our
story which we are about to read. If we have to go ahead with the story we
should first know some very important historical facts which would throw more
light to the events to be discussed further. The byzantine kingdom (the modern
Turkey) was a mighty kingdom under the rule of the Romans who belonged to
Constantine Naples. The Romans ruled this kingdom between the time periods of 3rd century
BC up to 12th century A.D. Then Constantine Naples came under
the control of the Islamite’s who conquered this kingdom from the Romans. The
Islamite’s had Istanbul as their headquarters. They had their palace located at
Thopcapy in the city of Istanbul. Many of the Islamite kings were crowned in
this palace. These Ottoman kings had great greed to conquer many nearby
kingdoms and hence made the people of other states as their slaves and started
to spread their religion through force and compulsion
According to them the religion of Islam is
the only true religion and all the other religions are false. All the other
gods which are being worshiped by the people of the world are also false and
hence they insisted in the concept that all the people all over the world
should worship only the Islam god and follow their religion. For this reason they
forced such hard religious practices on the people who belonged to the places
which they conquered in war and brought under their control. This is the hard
truth which history reveals to us. In this time period the great king Sulaimaan
the magnificent, a great Ottoman king gathered a huge army under his leadership
and set out with an aim of conquering the whole region of Europe and spread
Islam in that region. His attack was very violent and the lands which he
conquered became like those tossed by a whirlwind. He conquered almost all the
places which he travelled to. Belgrade, Albania, Slovakia, and
Hungary were some of the cities which were toppled upside down by the fierce
attack of King Sulaimaan.
The next city in his list was Austria and
its capital was Vienna. This city of Austria is the heart of the great
continent Europe. Hence the great King Mohammed thought that if he could
conquer this city of Austria, then he can easily bring the rest of Europe under
his control. But his calculations went wrong this time. His soldiers were
already tired after the rigorous wars and battle field experiences. They were
mentally and physically weak. Another opponent was the weather condition. It
was rainy season and the river Danube was heavily flooded. Heavy out pour of
rain and the fierce gushing river were the two powerful enemies which King
Mohammed could not defeat. This was a huge loss for him and all that he won in
the past days was just washed out at this one instance. All his provisions,
food supplies and cattle were just like that washed away by this flooded river.
The severe cold and constant downpour of rain lead to the spread of much
dreadful contagious disease. They could not acquire food and hence all the
soldiers and cattle including the king had to starve.
Hence taking into consideration this adverse
natural opposition, King Mohammed II was forced to drop his plan of further
war. He returned to Istanbul as a failure to conquer the city of Austria. The
king was deeply troubled about this incident. Also the thought that he was not
able to conquer this small city of Austria which was actually like a speck of
sand when compared to all the other East European countries which he had
conquered, was a great insult and he was haunted by this thought day and night.
Still he convinced himself saying that this too was the will of his god Allah.
Hence Mohammed II spent the rest of his life with the unquenched desire of
having not conquered the whole of Europe.
The Ottoman kings who succeeded Mohammed II
also had the same dream and tried to bring it to reality. They wanted to bring
the whole of Europe under their control and spread the Islam religion in those
areas and there by establish the rule of their god Allah. In 1571, King Salem
II who was the then Byzantine king decided to capture the city of Venice which
was located in the north eastern part of Italy. For this he came through the
sea route and captured Cypress and Famagusta islands. But the island Malta and its people did
not bend down to this king and opposed him strongly. So king Salem II could not
conquer it easily. Hence the Ottoman king’s trial to conquer this island
resulted in failure. The reason was even after a long time of waiting, the
people of Malta Island did not surrender to this king. All their food and water
provisions were over and they could not get food and water from elsewhere along
the coastal areas. The island Malta was one of the colonies of the Spanish
kings. The Governor of Malta Vallathey tactfully hindered the availability of
food and water reserve. Hence King Salem II returned back to Istanbul along
with his army. The encampment of the Islam king around the island of Malta and
the destruction of Cypress and Famagusta islands set across alarming
shock waves in the minds and heart of the kings of Naples and Spain and the
then Holy Pope Pious V. All of them met together and formed a strong
naval army and sent the army to meet the Ottoman naval army in the South Corinthian
Sea.
This war is named as the battle of Lepanto in
history. The small handful naval army of the beloved Christian countries met
with the giant swarm of Islam army, under the splendid leadership of their
captain John who was just twenty years old. The battled took place on 7th October
1571 and in this battle the Christian army won with the excellent lead of its
captain and the grace of our lady of Rosary. The Ottoman naval army was
completely destroyed in this battle. Historical information states that around
80,000 of the famous Turkish army generals, and the brave soldiers were killed
in this battle. The then Holy pope Clement announced this victorious day
October 7th as the feast day of Our Lady of Rosary. (I have
written about the victory of Our Lady of Rosary as a separate story where I
have given a detailed description of this battle of Lepanto in it). Hence the
great failure in 1529 AD which took place in Austria and the great defeat in
the naval battle in 1571 AD became a strong wound in the hearts and history of
the Ottoman kings.
As a result of this deep wound in the year
1683 AD, Mehmet IV who was the then Ottoman king once again decided to capture
Vienna, the capital of Austria. His thought was just not conquering the city
but was something more than that. It was based on revenge which was the
outburst of the deep wound of failure in the past. He waited to repay for the
failures and somehow wanted to conquer the whole of Europe. He did not want to
lose this battle at any cost. For this he carefully analyzed all the week
points in the previous battle which lead to their failure and carefully set out
an exhaustive plan which will lead to sure success. He wanted to take out the
very thought and every trace of failure from the history of the Ottoman
kings.
In order to plan for the events to follow,
King Mehmet IV called his chief official who was also the army general for the
entire Ottoman troops by name Kara Mustafa Pasha. This chief official was also
called as THE GRAND VIZIER. Mustafa’s parents belonged to Albania. He was born
at Merzifonlu. His bride belonged to Gopurulu king’s family who were very
famous in those days. Later with his constant efforts and outstanding acts of
bravery he grew up to the level of army general. Kara Pasha was entitled with
many honorable posts in the government side and very soon he rose up to the
level of Chief Government Official. On receiving the invitation from King
Mehmet IV, he set out to along with his men to meet the king in his palace at
Thapkapi.
When Kara Pasha entered the palace, Mehmet
IV was seated in his royal throne and Kara Pasha got down from his horse and
bowed down before the king, his forehead touching the ground to show his mark
of respect. After this greeting he went and stood before the king with the same
politeness.
Mehmet IV
welcomed Kara Pasha and said, “Welcome Pasha….. I welcome you to my palace. I
consider it a great honor and privilege to welcome the great Vizier and chief official
of this great Byzantien Islam kingdom. I
hope you must know of my invitation to meet you. We should achieve what was
lost by our forefathers. This victory of ours should mark a new beginning in
the Ottoman history. We should conquer the whole of Europe. For this we should
first conquer the capital city of Austria, namely Vienna. I want it in the
first place. This city is the heart of Europe and so if the heart is conquered
then it would be a much easy task to conquer the rest of the empire. Yes do you
understand my plan…… with the fall of Vienna, Rome will fall and with the fall
of Rome the entire Christian countries will fall…… they will fall to the bottom
less pit….. And what next…. Our great religion Islam will flourish in Europe.
All the churches in Europe will become Mosques… long live the name of Allah…..
I trust you that you will bring my dream into reality…..I trust in your bravery
and your efficient tactics. I am ready to give anything to earn the victory of
Vienna. I am not going to come along with you for this battle. But I want you
to go on my behalf and accomplish my dream. For this, I give you a model of my
scepter……. Behold the model scepter; anyone in my kingdom will bow down before
this scepter. Your word shall be my word. I also give you the keys of my
treasury. You can take as much as you want but in return you should give me the
victory of Vienna. Along with these, take the green flag which bears the name
of our great Lord Allah and be careful to maintain its glory. I bless you in
the name of our almighty God Allah and may he give you victory in all that you
do.”
According to the Kings command, a model of
the king’s scepter was brought in a golden plate. Kara Pasha received the same
with politeness and honor. Then he walked back facing the king and went and
stood along with his men. Then the green flag with the name of Allah was handed
over to him. On Kara Pasha receiving the flag, his men applauded loudly to
express their joy.
Before Kara Pasha could leave Istanbul, he
went to meet his dear beloved wife to say his good bye note. On seeing him, his
wife said, “My beloved, I need some of your precious moments to speak out my
heart before you could leave.”
“Speak my beloved Begum…… speak all that you
want to speak” said Mustafa. On hearing these words from her husband, she spoke
in a soft tone saying, “I had some disastrous dreams last night and they were
pertaining to you and this battle. I fear whether you would like to hear this
or not……. Will you become angry with me?”
Mustafa smiled and took her hand in his
hand and said, “You are the person dear to my heart. I love you a lot my dear.
More than all my other wives and you too know that….. So speak and I will
listen to anything you say…. For I know that you too love me…”
She leaned on her husband’s shoulders and
said, “I know all what you said is true. I have no doubt in your love towards
me but I am much worried about you….. My forefathers were once kings of this
big city Istanbul. But later they became slaves and my life was at stake. But
at that time you gave me a new hope and a new life….. You bought me from the
slave bazaar and on account of my great beauty; you fell in love with me and
took me as your wife. On account of this great favor, I had to deny the
Christian religion which was practiced by my forefathers. I too became a
Muslim. As a gift of our happy married life we have a son at an age of twelve.
I love you and our son more than my own life and you know that very well…..”
As she said these words, her husband
interrupted and said, “My dear all this is known to me very well and I have not
time now to listen to this, so go ahead and tell me the dream about which you
wanted to talk to me.”
With much hesitation she said, “Yesterday I
saw Isha Nabi in my dream……”
Pasha
immediately responded and said, “My goodness, have you not still forgotten that
Isha Nabi? You are a Muslim now and I hope you are aware of it.”
Begam said, “The day I got married to you I
completely broke my relationship with Isha Nabi and I actually erased every
trace of him from my mind. But I think he has not forgotten me, for he has
said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you….’”
These words of his wife caused a slight
irritation for Pasha and he said, “Enough of the words of Isha Nabi…. Why what
is his problem? Is he coming again and troubling you to accept him? Is he an
orphan and has no one else in this world?”
she immediately said, “No my dear you have
mistaken…. He did not come to beg for my heart, he came to warn me of all the
dangers which lies ahead of you in this new venture of yours. This is what he
told me.” Pasha became impatient and urged his wife to speak quickly.
But she said, “My dear do not be in a hurry,
there is a long time for day break and I think this would be the last night we
are together. So be patient and be with me.”
“If you are in
this romantic mood then this is not the right time. 200,000 soldiers are in
front of my eyes and great task lies before me. I have not time for romance and
so please tell me your dream as quickly as possible” said Pasha.
On
hearing this, his wife looked up into his eyes…. Few tear drops rolled down her
cheeks and she said, “my dear wont you understand the heart of a dear wife who
is aware that this would be the last night she could be with her husband?”
Pasha replied, “My dear I remind you once
again, I have great task in front of me and I am on my way to the battle field.
Don’t make me a coward with your tears. Speak all that you want to say right
now.”
On hearing this she said, “I am delighted
to see your bravery but at the same time I am greatly troubled about the
warning which was given by Isha Nabi. Yesterday night I had a dream in which I
saw you riding on a horse all alone in the battle field, holding the green flag
with the name of Allah. Suddenly thousands of arrows were sprung forth from the
sky and attacked you. You fell to the ground. I woke up and convinced myself
that it was just a dream and went back to sleep. Then I saw six opposite party
soldiers chocking you to death with huge ropes. On seeing this I woke up and I
could not sleep further. After this I heard Isha Nabi tell me that if you do
not want such a fate to happen to your husband, do now allow him to partake in
this war. This is my dream. In this I still do not understand which is true and
which is false.”
On hearing this Pasha laughed aloud and
said, “How stupid???? Is this your dream???? Were you so troubled about this my
dear? This is just an illusion. Oh my god you have actually wasted so much of
time to tell this dream dear. Do not fear. No such thing will happen to me. You
wait and see, I will conquer the whole of Europe and establish our flag of
victory and come and stand before you. I too wish to have you by my side
in the battle field. But you have the great responsibility of taking care of
our son. He has to succeed my place as a Vizier. Keep this in mind and do not
have anything else in your thoughts. Our almighty God Allah will bring things
favorable in our way dear. ”
“Oh! It is all because of this deep love
for me, you are taking all your other wives and concubines along with you to
the battle field…. Is it???? They are all ready to leave to the battle field
along with you”
Pasha smiled and said, “Shall I take a
leave darling? Come and kiss me farewell”.
“No my Lord, I still have one more thing
to say. Isha Nabi has given me one more warning…… I deeply desire to tell you….
But will you listen?????” said his wife.
“Go ahead and tell that also…. Any way
those too will a continuation of your previous illusions….. Still go ahead my
dear wife…..” said Pasha.
“Whether you take it as an illusion or a
truth, I will tell you…… Isha Nabi said that if I was not able to stop you from
going to the battle field, then you will be given one golden opportunity in the
battle field. If you fail to utilize it then you and all your wives who are
accompanying you will never return to this city of Istanbul. These words are
truth and will never fail….. For Isha Nabi has said, ‘heaven and earth will
fade away but my words shall never fail’ this is the final warning of Isha
Nabi.”
Kara
Pasha did not speak anything more. He hugged his beloved wife and kissed her
and then turned towards his son and kissed him and then left the place
immediately.
Though he was a brave man, this warning of
his beloved wife steered up the waves of confusion in his heart. So he went to
the Suleiman mosque and sought the help of the prophet on the mosque Laimai
Maha Ji. He told him about his wife’s dream and asked him to pray to Allah
foretell the fate of the battle field.
This prophet in the mosque was very old and
has lost his sight. Still he prayed to Allah and said, “I see the battle field
in my vision….. Huge numbers of soldiers are lying wounded and killed on both
sides. Blood is flowing like a river and the disaster is beyond words could
describe. But I see you without a single drop of blood out of your body. So you
are not going to be killed in the battle field. You are sure to win. So go
ahead with courage and our almighty God has already given you victory.” On
hearing these words Pasha’s heart was calmed and he was very happy.
The next day around 3, 00,000 soldiers
marched from Istanbul to Iderne which was the old capital city of Turkey with
shouts of victory. Pashas’ wife stood along with her son looking at the
marching of soldiers towards the battle field right from her husband to the
last soldier in the troop. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she could not do
anything more than just shed tears at this fate of hers. She did not want to go
back to her house and hence she stood staring at the church but name Hagia
Sophia, built by the Christian king Justinian in fifth century AD.
On the other part of the world, in a church
in North Italy, in the city of Venice this incident took place: The capuchin Father Marco was preaching and he
said, “So dear brothers and sisters repent for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand. Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance. Already the axe is
lying at the root of the entrees; every tree therefore that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So stand firm in Jesus Christ for
he is the true vine and we are the branches. He has said ‘I am the vine; and
you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him bears much fruit.
However, apart from me you can do nothing. If you live in me and my words
remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and
it shall done for you. Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you
into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and
for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death and I
will give you the crown of life. Be careful for the devil is prowling around
like a lion waiting for a chance to swallow anyone who becomes a prey. Pray for
the mercy and grace of our Lord……” As he was preaching these words a blind man
shouted out loudly from the crowd, “Father Marco! You are indeed a person of
power and authority….. I am a person blind from birth, but now I have received
my eye sight…. I can see… I am seeing this world for the first time…. My wife
is here with me and she is the witness for this great miracle of mine.”
Immediately all the people who were there
in the church exclaimed with a loud roar of happiness on seeing this miracle.
At this point the Capuchin priest Marco stopped his sermon and said, “Dear
son….. I have no power of my own. It is the power and authority of God which is
being manifested through me. Jesus Christ has healed you and so give all glory
to him alone.”
Then a lame person came and tore a part of
the garment of the priest and tried to escape and on seeing this Father Marco
said, “Son please wait… there is no power in that cloth. You will not receive
any miracle by just having that piece of cloth. Believe in Jesus Christ and he
will set you free. You will receive your miracle when you accept Christ in your
heart and believe in him. Oh my God! How will I go back with this torn
garment……? I am an old Capuchin priest and I had only this one garment….”
I think at this
point it is very important for me to introduce father Marco to the readers.
Father Marco lived in the town of Aviano in the city of Venice. His actual name
was Carloado Mencio Christophony. When he was ordained as a Capuchin priest, he
was named as Marco and was generally called as Father Marco of Aviano. He was very
pious and had a deep intimate relationship with Lord Jesus Christ. Hence Jesus
Christ blessed him with the gift of healing and performing miracles. He has the
power of travelling in spirit and was found at two places at the same time just
like Saint Anthony of Pathuva. In the year 1676 AD, father Marco blessed a
sister who was bed ridden for thirteen years and immediately she got up and sat
down. Her health returned to her and she also started to walk. This great
miracle made Father Marco well known in whole of Italy. Also Father Marco had
the gift of prophecy activated in him and hence he was able to analyze the time
and fore see the events and dangers of the future.
In such a situation Holy Pope, Innocent XI,
asked Father Marco to go to Vienna the capital of Austria and meet King Loe
Paul 1st. and warn him of the upcoming Ottoman army against
Austria. He also asked Father Marco to advise the king to take all necessary
precautions to safeguard Austria from this war. He communicated this
information to Father Marco through a priest.
The city of Vienna
Austria is a small city situated above
Northern Italy, beyond the Alps Mountains in Europe. The capital city of
Austria is Vienna. This city is called as the heart of Europe. During the first
century AD the Romans had settled in this place and had brought it under their
control. The eastern part of Austria is mountainous region where as the western
side are plains. The river Danube River runs around Austria. The city of Austria
was initially ruled by Habsberg family. They ruled over Hungary also. (In 1529
AD before the Ottoman army could capture Austria they captured the whole of
Hungary. The capital city of Vienna is circular in shape. It is a raised
plateau. The fort and the star shaped city walls were built with an advanced
technology and were very strong during the 14th century AD
itself. Because of this strong city wall the Ottoman army was not able to break
the walls even with the help of huge cannon balls.)
During the time of the beginning of this
story, in 1683 AD, King Leo Paul the 1st was the ruler of
Austria. His first wife did not bear him a boy child and hence he married a
second wife. Also since his wife suffered from breast cancer, he was deeply
distressed. It was in such a situation Holy Pope, Innocent XI sent
Father Marco to meet King Leo Paul and warn him of the forth coming Ottoman
army against Austria. King Leo Paul welcomed Father Marco and requested him to
stay in his palace. But Father Marco refused the kings offer by saying that the
Capuchin priest are forbidden to stay in palaces and have food with the king.
He met the king’s first wife who suffered a lot on account of breast cancer and
prayed for her. She too recovered and was completely cured after some days.
One day, Ottoman army general Kara pasha
sent messengers to King Leo Paul of Austria and King John Sobieski III of
Poland. They submitted the letters to King Leo Paul. When King Leo Paul read
the contents of the letter his face turned red with anger. He commanded his
court men to read the letter fully. The contents of the letter were:
“You dogs who
do not trust in the true god….. We are hand chosen by our almighty God Allah to
punish all of you…. I have come up to Hungary and very soon I will come up to
Austria. Right now I give you a chance to surrender to me. Or else you will
have to face severe consequences. Do you want to know what will happen if you
fail to surrender? I will come into your city and destroy its high towers and
grand palaces and bring them to ashes. Your city will no longer be blessed with
the beauty of nature rather it will be a heap of burning ashes. The cries of
people in pain and agony and the voice of goddess of death will be heard all
over your city. I will host the flag of Allah on the church of Saint Stephen and convert it into a
mosque. You will not even have the chance to come up to your palace entrance. I
will come like a wind to your palace and cut off your head and give it in your
hands. I swear this by the name of my God Allah.” The letter was signed stating
Kara Pasha on behalf of King Mehmet IV. Father Marco also read this letter and
then told the king the reason why Holy Pope had sent him to Austria.
King Leo Paul turned to Father Marco and
said, “Father Marco what should I do now…. I want your guidance and advice on
this. My blood is boiling after reading this letter. I also know that Kara
Pasha is a tyrant. He will surely do what he says. Also the time we have to get
ready to counter fight is very less. What shall I do? Please guide me on this….”
Father Marco was still and calm and said,
“Dear King, he who trusts in the Lord will not speak with anxiety or fear. He
who is in us is greater than he who is in this world is the promise given to us
by Lord Jesus Christ. This includes this man Kara Pasha also. So this is not
the time to fear of be confused. We have to be calm and make wise choices.
Yesterday I saw a star with blood stains in it in the sky. This star came from
West and went towards the East and vanished. So there is going to be huge bloodshed
in our country. Blood will flow like a river in this country. The battle could
not be stopped. But I would suggest you to call King John Sobieski III of
Poland to join with you in this battle. You can seek his help.”
King Leo Paul immediately said, “That is
impossible Father Marco, there is no chance for this….I hate king John of
Poland and I hate the very sight of him…. He too hates me….he never respects me
and hence I too never respect him. The reason is he is not of royal background.
He is not worthy to sit in the throne of Poland. This is the reason I hate
him.”
Father Marco listened to this statement
patiently and said, “Dear King please do not mistake me. This is not the time
for such thoughts and misconceptions. Take away all this thought of hatred.
Whether you like it or not he is the king of Poland now. His people have
accepted him as a king and who are you to stand against this? It is his country
and his government. We need not get into it. There is a treaty between Austria
and Poland which states if Vienna is in trouble the capital city of Poland
should come to assist and similarly if the capital city of Poland is in
trouble, Vienna should run for support. This treaty is still alive and hence we
can very well call Poland for help. So do not delay, use this agreement and
call King John for assistance.”
But King Leo Paul strongly refused to do
this and said, “No father Marco, I cannot forego myself respect and go and beg
for help from that arrogant King of Poland…… please do not ask me to do this.”
Father Marco replied, “Dear king please do
not be angry. Anger leads to destruction. As it is said in the bible, even if
you are angry do not sin…… your anger should die down before sunset. This is
not the time to be angry of think of all past hatred. Please listen to my
words….. Keep aside your self- respect and honor aside and think of your people
and your country….. You are well aware of the danger your people are in and
still there is no point to think of your personal enmity. As a king you have to
consider the welfare of your people in the first place and do not hand them
over in the hands of that tyrant Kara Pasha. The king of Poland is far better
than the tyrant Kara pasha. We have already lost our Christian countries in
Eastern Europe because of lack of unity among us. The enemy knows this well and
that is why he has boldly challenged you. If this situation continues he will
surely conquer the western European countries also. If he has to achieve this
then our city of Vienna is the entry gate for him to enter into Western Europe.
So we are in a much more responsible situation to safeguard the entry of Kara
Pasha into Western Europe. I hope you still remember the contents of the letter
sent by Kara Pasha. This is just not a war between Austria and Kara Pasha. This
is a war between the Christians and Islam’s….. Between good and evil….. Between
light and darkness….. so all the Christian nations should join hands together
and stand against that Islam enemy. If Vienna falls then Rome will fall and
with the fall of Rome the whole of Europe will fall…. Then the people of Islam
religion will rule all over the world. In order to stop this great disaster,
our Lord Jesus Christ has given the opportunity and responsibility in our
hands….. God has trusted you and has given this responsibility to you….. I hope
now you understand the situation clearly. Go ahead and do your duty.”
These inspiring and wise words of Father
Marco changed the heart of King Leo Paul and he set out immediately to seek
help. He approached the king of Germany, King Charles V and asked him to help
him in the war. The king of Germany willingly agreed to help King Leo Paul with
the help of his friendly nations “The Holy Nations of Germany”.
The city of Hungary
The capital
city of Hungary is Budapest. The great River Danube, which never runs dry, has
its origin in the black forest of Germany, flows from East towards the western
regions, runs around the city of Vienna and flows all the way through Hungary
and many other states of Europe and finally falls into the Black sea. Buda and
Pest are the two cities situated on either side of this river in Hungary. A
strong iron bridge unites these two cities and stands across the river. In 1529
AD before the Ottoman’s failed to conquer Vienna, they had conquered Hungary.
In the present time, Northern Hungary was under the control of Catholics and
South Hungary was under the control of Protestands. In ages past
the whole city of Hungary was ruled by the Habsberg family. But due to some
political reasons South Hungary went into the hands of Protestands. At that
time the official head of South Hungary was Imre Thokoli. The king of Austria,
Leo Paul hated the Protestands. The hostile feel of King Leo Paul leads to many
unhappy consequences in Southern Hungary. Hence now King Leo Paul had two
enemies namely the Islam’s and Protestands. Hence these two enemies joined
hands against King Leo Paul. They entered into an agreement stating, if Vienna
was conquered by Kara Pasha, then Northern Hungary too will come under the
control of Imre Thokoli and thereby he will be the king of whole of Hungary. Up
to the time of capture of Vienna, Imrie Thokoli had to supply all necessary
things and soldiers for Kara Pasha. This was the agreement.
Imre Thokoli was in the peak of excitement
on hearing Kara Pasha who was the representative of the great Ottoman king
Mehmet IV of Byzantium kingdom, announce that Imrethokoli will be the king of
whole of Hungary. Excited by the thought that he is going to be the king of
whole of Hungary, Imrethokoli asked Kara Pasha for any further help he would
require from him.
Kara Pasha replied, “Oh great king
Imrethokoli of Hungary you need not give me anything….. But when it comes to
official matters giving and taking becomes part of the deal. I would suggest
you to pay a meager amount as tax to our great king Mehmet IV and also give me
some reward for this favor of mine. My king will surely listen to me and will
make you the king of whole of Hungary and there is no doubt in that.” Thinking
that very soon he is going to be the king of whole of Hungary Imrethokoli
listened to all that Kara Pasha told him.
Tatar troops
The next person
to come and meet Kara Pasha was Crimean Tatar who came with about 25000 men on
horses. These Tatar troops were brave soldiers who were spread between Mongolia
and Hungary and belonged to the mountain regions. Their main occupation was
breading and raising horses. The great army general Chengiz khan had come from
Mongolia and captured the regions from Mongolia up to Hungary in the Western
part of Europe and then returned to Mongolia. On his way back many of his army
soldiers got settled on the mountain regions of between Mongolia and Hungary.
These men who were the descendents of the great warrior Chengiz Khan were
rough, bold and brave men and were called as Tatar’s. On hearing that Kara
Pasha had come to wage war against Austria, the Tatar troop leader came to meet
Kara Pasha and introduced him as the Khan of city of Crimea. He volunteered to join
with Kara Pasha in the war against Austria and asked him to join him and his
men in his army. This gave great excitement in the heart of Kara Pasha and it
was reflected in his eyes and he exclaimed “My Almighty God Allah is gracious
on me….. He has sent such great warriors to me to assist me in this war even
before I could ask his help….. Insha Alla.”
At the same time in the eastern part of
Vienna, some Christian men joined and attacked a Muslim woman and tired to kill
her. Father Marco who came there said, “Stop this act of injustice… how can
some men join and try to kill a woman? Are you not ashamed of this…? This is
displeasing in the eyes of God….. This is injustice….. How can you Christians
do such a cruel act?” immediately one of the men shouted back, “Look Father
this is none of your business…. Do you know what had happened? Yesterday some
of the Muslim men had come into our village and kidnapped few of our Christian
women. When some of our Christian men went to rescue the woman, the Muslim men
had killed them mercilessly. So we want to take revenge….. Eye for an eye and
tooth for a tooth…. Blood for blood and life for a life…..” Father Marco
replied, “Even in such a situation it if no right for you to ill-treat this
poor woman who is deaf and dumb. She is innocent and not worthy to be punished.
Let her free for God’s sake….. I know her and her husband Abdulla for a long
time and they are good people. Even our Lord Jesus Christ has told us, ‘He who
takes the sword will die by the sword’…….. ‘Revenge is mine and I will repay
for the injustice done to you…..’ so leave this issue in the hands of God.” on
hearing this, the men left her and went away.
Father Marco turned to Abdulla and said,
“Dear Abdulla we are good friends from childhood. A great war is going to take
place. So take your wife and go to a safe place. Also I want you to do me a
favor. Go and meet Kara Pasha on my behalf. Tell him all that I tell you
without any change.” Accordingly Abdulla went to Hungary to meet Kara Pasha. On
reaching Hungary Abdulla was easily able to identify the tent of the great
official general of king Mehmet IV, Kara Pasha among the thousands and
thousands of tents. But he did not get a chance to meet him. When he approached
the tent entrance, the soldiers at the entrance scolded and pushed Abdulla away
harshly. But Abdulla shouted out, “Save me Lord Kara Pasha…. Save me….” On
hearing this Kara Pasha came out to the tent entrance and asked, “Who shouted
out my name for mercy?”
using this opportunity Abdulla said,
“Hosoor….. I am Abdulla….. Friend of your childhood friend Father Marco….he has
sent me to meet you and convey some important information about this war.”
Pasha was annoyed at this statement and said, “You fool…. I don’t know any
priest and I am not a friend for any one….. Don’t waste my time when I have
much to do about the war ahead…. Get out of my sight as I don’t want to see any
one right now.” Abdulla quickly said, “Hosoor….. I beg your pardon….. Father
Marco was the name given to him after he joined the capuchin priesthood. His
actual name is Carloado Mencio Christophony. I think now you would recognize
who this person is. Father Marco also asked me to state this incident: thirty
years back, once when you were in the harbor of Venice on your regular
inspection, there was a huge rock tied above your head. No one noticed it and
suddenly the ropes which held it broke and in a fraction of a second a young
man pushed you away from under the rock and saved your life….. That young man
is none other than Father Marco.”
On hearing this Kara Pasha exclaimed, “Yes
Abdulla, what your saying is true…. But why did he send you to meet me? What is
the reason behind this meeting?” Abdulla now gained much more confidence and
said, “My Lord after this incident both of you became good friends and Father
Marco presented a pendent….. Do you remember it sir?”
Kara Pasha replied, “Yes I do remember and
it is still near my heart tied around my neck in remembrance of him. What
else?” with some hesitation Abdulla said, “He asked you to stop this war as
much as possible.” On hearing this Kara Pasha’ face changed its expressions and
he said in a stern voice, “enough Abdulla….. I am not interested to hear
anything more from you. I cannot stop this war at any cost. Don’t waste your
time trying to change my mind. You too are a Muslim and so I will send you back
without any harm. At the same time, you are coming from Vienna….. Why don’t you
be a good messenger between me and the people of Vienna? You are a good friend
of my friend. Would you like to stay with me?”
on
hearing this Abdulla said, “My Lord this is a great privilege. I am ready to
serve you and will do anything you command me to do.” So saying Abdulla left
the presence of Kara Pasha and after he left the place, Kara Pasha called two
of his men and asked to have an eye on Abdulla.
Now a secret….. Two of the friends of Kara
Pasha were princes. They belonged to the kingdom of Maldovia and Valachia.
Since Mehmet the IV conquered these kingdoms during his earlier war, these two
kings were under the control of Mehmet IV paying tax to him. Because of this
they were forced to go and join with Kara Pasha in the war against
Vienna. But they were not at all interested in this war. This was
depicted in their conversation. In their tents they spoke in soft voices
stating, “What do you think about this war prince of Maldovia ? ” “Prince of
Valachia, this is not a battle but just a waste of time. We are here to take
part in this because we have no other options… am I right? What do you say?”
Prince Valachia said “Do you know how this Kara Pasha has insulted our
ancestors? If I happen to think of it, my blood boils like as if it is on the
oven…. But what to do, we belong to small kingdoms and we cannot afford to
stand against such a great enemy. So I too had to join in this war on account
of compulsion. Do you all that this Kara Pasha is doing using the name of King
Mehmet IV? Do you know how much of wealth this Kara Pasha has taken for him
using the name of his king? Because of all this we are pushed into a pitiable
state to run behind him for lack of food and at the same time not able to give
up our own prestige. In order to have an upper hand on us, this Kara Pasha has
insulted our ancestors many time and robbed them of their posts. Even now if he
comes to know about our conversation he will surely kill us. Ok… Ok… we will
wait for the right time and will teach him a good lesson in the battle
field. Tactfully we will join with him and at the same time ensure he is
defeated in the battle and for this we will wisely lead our soldiers.” The plot
of these two princes brought great disasters on the side of Ottoman army during
the battle of Vienna.
The cloud of War
It was the time when the king of Vienna set
out to seek the help of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation in order to
protect his country from the forth coming threat of war. On 14 AD 1683 the army
of Kara Pasha surrounded the city of Vienna like that of a whirl wind around
the city. They were filled with wrath and were very swift in achieving their
goal. The fort wall around the city of Vienna was well built and strong and was
maintained properly. At this time the responsibility to protect the city and
its fort walls were in the hands of Prince Crap Ernst Rudiger Von Starhemberg.
He had just 11000 armed forces with him. Apart from this he had 5000
volunteers. With this available scarce resource he was in a critical position
of safeguarding Vienna up to the return of its king Leo Paul. Hence he had to
be wise enough to tackle this great army of enemies around him. Since this was
a war which determined the life or death of the whole city of Vienna, the
Prince had given orders to shoot anyone who was found sleeping during duty
hours. He also estimated that if the war was to begin then it has to come from
the northern plains. He also asked the people to move on the safe places and
vacate the city. Once the people had vacated the city, the prince demolished
all their houses and also removed every heap of dust and waste so that he can
clearly observe the movements of his enemies.
When Kara Pasha came to know of all the
safety measures taken by Prince Ernst he appreciated his wise decisions. In
spite of all this Kara Pasha wanted to prove that he was no lesser than Prince
Ernst and hence he made hiding pits all along the way to the fort of Vienna so
that his soldiers could easily hide to prevent the huge cannon balls or small
bullets shot by the soldiers of Vienna. Since he required huge number of people
for his work, he went to the place where the people of Vienna had got relocated
and captured 40000 of them as captives and made them to dig these pits. He had
also set up 15000 tents on the banks of the river Danube which was flowing
around the city of Vienna for his soldiers and his wives and his concubines who
had come along with him. He had set up 1500 tents exclusively for the women who
belonged to the royal race. He ensured that they had steady supply of water and
for this he made the women of Vienna as their slaves. Kara Pasha also
ill-treated the people of Vienna. He made them work all throughout the day and
during night he made them rest within a fenced area just like those used to
keep cattle. Kara Pasha surrounded Vienna from all sides. He prevented the
transport of food, chemicals to manufacture bullets, and even any kind of
medical facility to enter into the Fort of Vienna.
As these incidents were taking place, Louis
XIV was the king in France. He was known for his excellent knowledge and wisdom
in official matters and government affairs. Holy Pope Innocent XI understood
the threat posed by the Islam army forces by the war against Vienna. He clearly
understood that if Vienna fell into the hands of the Islam forces then it will
be the opening place for the Islam rulers to set foot in the Christian land.
Hence he sent special letters giving a detailed picture about the dangers of
the war and how the Christian empire will soon fall into the hands of the Islam
rulers. He sent these letters to the concerned kings of the European nation
through special messengers. Accordingly one of the special messengers by the
title nuncio sent by Holy Pope Innocent XI met the king of France, Louis XIV. But
the king of France did not accept the request of Holy Pope. He stated that he
had very good business relationship with the Ottoman kings and if he stood
against the Islam army in this war then it would affect the business
relationship and ultimately his economy will be affected. So he communicated
that he will not support the Holy Nations army in the forth coming war through
the messenger Nuncio. Actually King Louis had a secret wish deep within his
heart that if the Islam army captured Austria then it would be of good to him.
For, he planned to capture the cities on the other side of the Rhine River and
some of the western parts of germany while the Islam army attacked Austria which
was on the eastern side of Germany. This ambitious nature of Louis XIV made him
refuse the request of the Holy Pope.
So he planned to prevent the king of Poland
to extend his supporting hands towards the Holy Nations army. According to the
Parliament rule of Poland if the king wanted to support a particular army in
war then two thirds of the members of the Parliament should express their
consent. For this the members of the parliament will come together and vote for
this cause. As per the voting status the king of Poland will be allowed to wage
war against a particular country. Already the peace treaty between Poland and
Austria was in force and hence King Louis had planned to bribe the members of
the parliament so that they will vote against the King of Poland to support the
king of Austria in the war. For this purpose King Louis had given huge amount
of money to his messenger in Poland to take care of the plan. This plan was
also communicated to Kara Pasha and hence Kara Pasha was very confident that
Poland will not come to support Vienna. So he was patiently waiting for the
open attack.
The special messenger of Holy Pope, Nuncio
clearly understood the wicked plans of the king of France and immediately
communicated them to Holy Pope. When the Holy Pope came to know these plans he
sent Nuncio to Poland on behalf of him as a messenger. He said, “Nuncio you are
a very talented person and you are well equipped about details of this world.
This war is not just a war which decides the victory or failure of two
countries. Our priority should be to safeguard the catholic nations from being
captured by those Islam rulers and most importantly we should safeguard our
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So if we lose in this war then all our catholic
countries will be destroyed and along with it Christianity will come to an end,
then all the nations will be forced to follow only Islam religion. We should
somehow try and prevent this disaster. Our Lord God Jesus Christ who is the
only true living God will be with us and help us in this. We should be ready to
pay any price to have victory on our side.
‘Victory at all cost……
Victory in spite of all terror…….
Victory however long or hard the road may be………..
For without victory there is no survival……….’
This war is
going to decide our very survival in this world. Even if we have to lose
all the riches of our Vatican church I am ready for it. For we are using it for
the right purpose…… for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ…… as Jesus said, ‘Give
and it come back to you, good measure, pressed down running over…’ so hurry up
and go to Poland. Speak with the members of the Parliament and ensure we have
the majority of votes. Go in peace and our Lord Jesus Christ will be with you
to guide you and give you success in all that you do.”
So Nuncio fled to Poland as fast as he
could. He met all the members of the parliament of Poland individually and
explained about the importance of the war and why they should join hands to
stand against the Islam army. Since the grace of God was on him and the
blessing of Holy Pope was with him, all the members of the parliament paid heed
to his voice. They understood their mistake of accepting the bribe from the
king of France and there by stand against Lord Jesus Christ himself. They were
not ready to go to hell nor were they ready to bring on a curse on them by
making way for the downfall of the Christian empire. Since they too were followers
of Christ, true Roman Catholic men, they asked for the blessing of Holy Pope to
be with them always. That which the money gives by King Louis could not do was
easily done by the grace of God and the blessing of Holy Pope. The members of
the parliament decided to extend their support in favor of the king of Poland
to support Vienna in the war. They also ensured that this information did not
reach Kara Pasha.
On the other hand Kara Pasha was very happy
and cool thinking that none of the Holy nation countries will come to help
Vienna in the war. Kara Pasha was not an ordinary man, he was very powerful and
if he wanted he could have captured this small city of Vienna in just a single
day. But he did not do it since he was waiting for the powerful cannons and
explosives. Even otherwise he could have easily destroyed the fort wall of
Vienna with the help of his powerful army. But God’s plan was different and
Kara Pasha’s mind flowed in the same thought process. He wanted to capture that
beautiful city of Vienna without causing any damage to it. He wanted to take
all its riches for himself. So he patiently waited to execute his thoughts at
the right time. But he carefully did all the necessary preparations for the
war.
The Palace of Linz – Austria
Though the city
of Austria had many grand palaces the palace of Linzs was of special
importance. This was because in this palace the meeting which decided the fate
of Austria took place. King Leo Paul headed the meeting. The king of Poland,
John Sobieski III was also present for the meeting along with his efficient
ministers. The purpose of the meeting was to decide who was to head the army of
the Holy Nations of Germany. This was an important issue to be decided on. In
the discussion each one of the members put forth their opinion but they did not
arrive at a common decision. Father Marco suggested the name of John Sobieski
on his behalf for this honorable post. But many of the members opposed this
decision of Father Marco. But the reason they stated was the same. All those
who opposed this decision stated that John Sobieski was not of royal origin.
The discussion went on and no one seemed to
arrive at a conclusion. As time passed away Father Marco lost his patience and
began his speech, “I could see the great kings and their representatives
present in this hall and I am here to share a few words with all of you. Though
I am a priest who lives detached from this world, I have come as a
representative on behalf of Holy Pope. So kindly listen to my words. Please do
not stand divided among you. Have this point in your mind before you could
choose the right person to lead the army on our behalf. He should be a capable
person qualified enough to lead the army and whether he is of royal origin or
not does not matter here. Mere birth does not decide the courage and
qualification of an individual especially during critical times like this.
Jesus Christ did not choose his disciples based on their birth or educational
qualification. He chose mere fishermen and those who were considered low in the
society. So select a person as I have told now….. Let us not waste our time
speaking of our own greatness. The king of Poland has won many battles. By
saying this I do not underestimate the other kings present here. Please do not
think that way. King John had a great knowledge about the war tactics used by
the Islam kings. Hence he can execute his ideas efficiently in this war. Since
we are at the last hours we have to take quick wise decisions. We have to do it
quickly before our enemy could grab the opportunity. This is not the time to
decide on who is great, but we are here ready to face the battle to save the
name of the Christian kings and also stand to show our love and loyalty to our
Lord Jesus Christ. We are here for this war to bring glory to our Lord. So keep
aside all your differences and join together as one team. I request you to
agree on my decision of making King John as the leader of our army.”
There was silence in the hall for some time.
All the members gathered in the hall then expressed their consent to choose
King John to lead the army and that all the others will listen to him and
support him in the war. This was clearly communicated and agreed upon. They
asked King John Sobieski to express his views and thoughts and so he explained
his plans. The Kahlenberg mountains are situated on the northern part of
Vienna. The summit of the mountain is a flat surface. So keeping this in mind
Kara Pasha would have definitely decided that there is no chance to climb up this
mountain and attack from there. Attacking the enemy from the point which he has
actually ignored will surely give us positive results. Taking up the cannon
army up the mountain and attacking the enemy from there will be my
responsibility. Luckily our enemy has set up his army camp just below the
mountains and this had made our work easy. The mountain top is a very good spot
to throw the cannon balls on the enemy. The rest of the army should be placed
behind the enemy army. We will divide our entire army into three divisions and
attack our enemy face to face. When it comes to the fort of Austria, we will
ask the Austrian soldiers who are inside the fort to fight against the enemy
who stand in front of the fort. If we operate in this manner then we are sure
to succeed.
“Light as such leads and guides; where knowledge and virtue always rides
Whether it’s the sun, moon or the star; or the light of a candle with
lesser power,
All help us only for a part of the day; and never accompany us
throughout our way…..
But
High from above, comes a light; which stimulates within us the right
insight
It remains far beyond our ordinary sight; but beings in peace and ends
all fight
Makes the bonds of love more and more tight, and happiness and joy
reaches great height
The light of wisdom; the gift of God; is the most valued one of all
reward…..”
The grace of
God and the blessings of Holy Pope brought in great wisdom in the minds of the
members and all their ego and pride vanished from their hearts. Now they all
joined hands as one team and started to work together to face and defeat their
enemy.
At the same time Kara Pasha was also in a
deep discussion with his army generals and assistants about how to go on with
the attack. They discussed on how to position their men in the battle field and
how to attack their enemy. Crimean Tatar the head of the Tatar tribe said,
“Respected sir, did you not notice that we are just below the foot of the great
mountain Kahlenberg? If our enemy attacked us from the top of this mountain then
we are sure to face great disaster. Have you failed to notice this or have you
ignored this?”
But this aroused the anger of Kara Pasha
since he felt that he was being insulted or underestimated of his war tactics.
So he said, “You are a sure fool….. How dare you find fault in my wisdom and
experience of war? I have seen so many battles and I think you should come to
my place to know of my name and fame. I think your mind as blunt as your nose.
That mountain is a steep mountain with no vegetation in it. I think no idiot
will ever climb up that mountain and waste his energy and time and attack us
from there. That mountain is too hard even for animals to climb. So do not give
such stupid ideas.” The eyes of Kara Pasha were blind folded by his pride. He did
not stop to listen to anyone. But Crimean Tatar did not stop here, he continued
and said, “Please do not mistake me. If such a thing happened…..????? if
Sobieski attacked us from the mountain top???? We should be prepared for
anything and should analyze every possible way of attack when it comes to war.”
These words set the heart of Kara Pasha on
fire and he said, “I don’t want to hear another word from you. You are here to
listen to me and I am not here to listen to you. So keep quiet and just obey my
command. That King Sobieski is now an old lion…. He is so old that he has
hardly any strength to get up from bed or even walk. He can never climb up the
mountain and attack me from there. He will never even be able to come to the
battle field and stand against me. You just stand behind me in the battle field
with your men and when in call you for assistance you can come. Just keep this
in mind and stop giving stupid suggestions.” When the heart is on fire some
sparks come out of the mouth. In such a way these harsh words came out of Kara
Pasha. He just ignored any kind of suggestions.
Then Kara Pasha stood up and
exclaimed, “Oh Vienna…. The city of beauty and the home town of Mother Nature….
You will be mine in just two days….. The great churches and the tall towers and
grand palaces which adorn your city will be mine for ever. 
The great tower of
Saint Stephen church, I will set the flag of our Lord Allah on the top of your
tower. I will make this church as the mosque of Allah. This will be my humble
gift for my God. I will ensure that none of the churches or great palaces in
your city will ever have a small scratch on them. Just two more days and all my
dreams will come true. Wait till then…..”
As an old saying goes like this, “Be good
to the people on your way up in life for you will have to meet them on your way
down” But Kara Pasha was not bothered about anyone and was on the peak of
pride. The harsh insulting words of Kara Pasha affected the heart of Crimean
Tatar. Also when he came to know that he has to stand with his men in the
second row in battle was discouraging information. He wanted to stand in the
front row in the battle field for that decided his prestige and bravery. The
way Kara Pasha underestimated the bravery and capability of Crimean Tatar
caused a deep wound in his heart and he could not accept it. It was a great
insult for him. Since he could not do anything at that time, he cursed Kara
Pasha as much as he could. So in his anger, he said in his heart, “Kara Pasha
how dare you insult me like this. You have insulted me to the worst extent. You
underestimated my bravery and considered me like a joker….. Like your slave…..
You failed to give me my due respect. You don’t know the bravery and courage of
me and my men….. You will see it soon. Now let me tell you…. Since you made me
stand behind you in the battle field, I will be the person who will stab you on
your back before that king of Vienna thrusts his sword through you. Let the
battle begin and I will teach you a good lesson. I will put an end to your
pride. Your defeat is for sure…..”
September 10, 1683 AD
Father Marco
was busy in his small hut discussing about the war. at that time, Abdulla’s
wife came and knocked at the door. Father Marco opened the door and saw her and
her face showed traces of hunger and thirst. So he called her inside and gave
her some food to eat and some water to quench her thirst. He looked at her and
said, “My dear daughter, why did you come all the way her during this critical
time of war? Anything may happen to you and so you better hurry up and go back
to your husband. That will the only safe place for you.”
But
she showed signs that she was not able to find her husband and that she did not
want to go back to him and live with him. This was quiet surprising for Father
Marco and so he told her, “why is it like that dear child? What happened to
you? Whatever it is you can’t stay here. This is a monastery for priest like me
and women are not allowed to stay here.” But she took the hands of Father
Marco and kept it on her belly and said that she was nearing her delivery time
and that her husband Abdulla never took care of her. So she requested him to
allow her to stay in the city of Vienna. But Father Marco feared that the
people of Vienna will surely kill her if she stayed within the city for she was
a Muslim. So he advised her and forced her to go and stay with her husband. So
saying her brought her safely out of the Fort of Vienna.
But when she came out, her own husband
Abdulla caught her and arrested her and put her in the fenced cage along with
the other Vienna slaves. She caught hold of her husband’s legs and pleaded to
take her back as his wife. But the sudden life and post given by Kara Pasha
blindfolded his eyes and he no longer wished to live with his wife who was deaf
and dumb.
After a siege of two months the people of
Vienna did not surrender to Kara Pasha and so he decided to no longer wait but
to start the war immediately and bring it under his control. Once he decided to
do this, he called his messenger Abdulla and told him, “Abdulla, you know the
local language of the people of Vienna, do you? So do one thing for me. Take a
white flag as a symbol of peace and go ahead. As you go look at the soldiers
all along the fort and keep saying loudly asking them to surrender to me so
that they can save their lives and soul. I will wait till the next day after
you return.”
Abdulla did as instructed by Kara Pasha. He
took a white flag and went round the fort wall of Vienna and kept shouting as
he was instructed. As he went around he also saw Father Marco. After this he
returned to Kara Pasha with the satisfaction the he has carefully executed all
the orders of his master Kara Pasha. Kara Pasha asked Abdulla, “Welcome
Abdulla, how was your experience when you went round the fort wall? Did you see
the grip of fear on the faces of the Vienna soldiers when they heard my
announcement?”
Abdulla said, “I am sorry my master, none of
the soldiers seemed to exhibit any trace of fear on their faces. Rather they
stood bravely and ready for war.”
Kara
Pasha was surprised and asked immediately, “How do you say that? Are you sure?
They were not afraid? Then what is the reason for it?”
Abdulla said, “Once again I beg your pardon my
Lord, Father Marco is the person behind their strength.”
Kara Pasha laughed loudly and said, “Ha Ha
Ha Ha….. What Father Marco…. He is just a priest…. One how is old and has
discarded this very world….. You mean to say he is the source of strength for
those soldiers….. can he lead this war…. has he got the guts to meet me face to
face in the battle field…… he can only kneel down and pray to his so called God
who is capable of nothing…….”
Abdulla interrupted and said, “No Sir,
please do not underestimate Father Marco. I know him very well. He is a
multi-skilled personality. He is like the prophet Elijah in the olden times. He
has the power of prophecy. He can read our minds and easily find out all our
war moves and accordingly lead his army. I somehow gathered this information
about him.”
Kara Pasha exclaimed in surprise and said,
“Is it, you have given very valuable information to me. Go immediately and meet
Father Marco and tell him I wanted to meet him immediately. Do not delay. Keep
this as a secret. I want to meet him outside the fort and in the second watch
of the night. Tell him that I am responsible for his safety.” Accordingly
Father Marco met Kara Pasha in person.
“Respected sir,
please accept this humble salute of this priest”
“Kara Pasha is
also saluting you Father Marco….. Insha Allah”
“Insha Alla Kara
Pasha, may I know the reason why you wanted to meet me?”
“Nothing
great….. You are my good friend and once you have saved my life. I wanted to
repay that good deed of yours. I am going to start the war tomorrow. So I
advise you and your entire priest to leave the city of Vienna at the earliest
and save your lives. This is all that I can do as of now. This will give me the
peace and satisfaction that I have repaid your help in the right way. Life for
life and mercy for mercy…. With we can end our friendship also.”
“Thanks for
this help of you Kara Pasha. But let me tell you that I did not save your life
expecting anything in return from you. I did that help out of humanitarian
grounds. No one will see a person die just like that. At that time I never had
the thought that you will rise up to such a great post and become a great
warrior nor did I ever think I will become a priest…..”
“I did not mean to say that you expected
anything in return….. And moreover though you did not know what the future had
in hold for us, I very well expected to attain this position in my life in the
later days. It all happened as I wished for. It was purely the grace of my
almighty god Allah. Even now I am here to begin this war to fulfill the wish of
my God. In this I did not want to cause any harm to the person who saved my
life. I am also warning you on humanitarian grounds….. Knowing that the person
who saved my life is in danger….. I felt like meeting you and help you escape
from this…..”
“Thank you so much Pasha….. I am happy to
know that you are so concerned about my life….. I am a priest and I am not
bothered about my life. But after knowing your good intention, I am much more
concerned about your life. As you are doing everything according to the command
of your god Allah, I want to warn you as per the command of my true living God
Jesus Christ. You are sure to lose in this battle. So do not waste your time in
this war. It would be better for you and all your men to return home safely
without wasting your resources, time, life and above all your name and fame. I
guarantee your life if you have decided to return. I speak this in the name of
my Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Insha Alla
Father Marco, you may take leave”
“Insha Alla
Kara Pasha let us take leave”
Kara Pasha thought to him-self that all this
plans to convince that old priest with his power has become a failure. He also
wondered how this old priest could speak with so much of power and authority
that he was not able to speak against him. Immersed in this deep thought Kara
Pasha returned to his tent. As he entered his tent, the sky turned dark all of
a sudden and with heavy roar of thunder the rain poured out. It poured out so
heavily and steadily that Kara Pasha sat back in surprise wondering how this
sudden change happened in nature. He felt that nature has turned against him.
But, suddenly when the lightning flashed in the sky, the words of his Italian
wife, flashed like lightning in his mind. That which she told him when they
last met each other that he would be given a chance in before the war and that
if he failed to use it, then he would have to face great disasters came to his
mind. He also remembered that she said that this was a warning from her Lord
Jesus Christ. This struck the rod of fear in the iron heart of Kara Pasha. He
feared that he words of Father Marco would be the warning which his wife told
him. But still he said that his God was greater than all and decided to go
ahead with what his God had commanded him to do.
September 11, 1683 AD – the war began
The Fort of
Vienna looked like a star with sharp edges within a circle. The fort was
double- walled and strong and each sharp edge of the fort had a specific name.
The distance between two sharp edged points was 12 meters. So if there
was any damaged caused to any one of the edges the enemy would easily enter the
fort but breaking the wall with the help of their strong cannon balls. This was
known to the Islam troop and their special squad of soldiers, by name
jenassaries, was experts in this.
Kara Pasha had
his entire army in his direct control and he commanded he cannon troops to
begin their attack. So, huge cannon balls were shot one after another towards
the fort of Vienna. Meanwhile the soldiers used the hiding pits to move forward
towards the fort.
The Fort in charge Ernst Rudiger Von
Starhemberg monitored the movements of his enemies and did not fail to notice
their advancement. As a counter action he gave orders to his soldiers and began
the attack. The soldiers fired blazing cannon balls on their enemies
specifically on the soldiers who advanced through the secret hiding pits. In a
fraction of a second many of them were united with their God Allah. Kara Pasha
who noticed the fast approaching danger for his army quickly increased the
number of cannon ball attack. Many huge cannon ball tankers were used and the
attack became more intense. This intense attack left many of the soldiers on
the walls of Vienna wounded and some of them lost their lives. But God was on
the side of the people of Vienna. As a bible verse rightly states, “If God is
on our side, who can stand against us?” this became true in the case of this
battle.
The king of Valachia and the king of Maldovia
now acted as per their plan. They were responsible for the cannon troops and so
they secretly executed their plans against Kara Pasha. It was like behaved in
such a way that no one could doubt their activities. They used many fake cannon
balls so that though it would fly and burst like a real one, it would not harm
anyone. They had all these fake cannon balls ready a long time back. Now
they used it at the right time. But if they continued such fake balls for a
long time then Kara Pasha would become aware, so they used few real cannon
balls in-between to make the scene look real. Only these few real cannon balls
caused injury to the Vienna soldiers. The other fake cannon balls only spat
fire on the walls. The ultimate aim of these two kings was, this would give the
Vienna soldiers time to get ready with other alternatives and also wait for
their other army men to come and join them. But since the hard hand of
Kara Pasha was on them they could not continue this drama for a long time and
they were forced to use powerful cannon balls. They stated the attack with
powerful cannon balls against the fort wall of Vienna.
Due to the constant firing of very powerful
cannon balls even the strong fort of Vienna began to crack. As a result of this
intense attack, the fort of bark Basin was totally damaged. Once again the
cannon balls hit the walls of Bark Basin and thus the wall fell down along with
its adjacent wall. This paved way for the Turkish soldiers to climb up the fort
walls like ants out off their hole. They used explosives, guns and arrows to
attack the Vienna soldiers as they climbed up the wall. But the men of Vienna
were no lesser then the Turkish men. They counter attacked the Turkish soldiers
with the help of guns and pouring hot oil on the soldiers who climbed the
walls. In this attack there was huge loss of life and materials on both sides.
Since this situation continued up to evening, Kara Paha commanded his men to
return back.
Ernst Rudiger Von Starhemberg checked the
damage in the fort wall that very evening and filled in the gap using sand bags
and somehow managed the situation. But this would be nothing in front of the
powerful cannon balls. Still he did all that he can and waited for his king Leo
Paul to come along with the Holy Nations army force. He took up the full
responsibility in safeguarding the fort. So he called for his explosive
specialists. The explosive experts of Vienna were called as Moos. They were
specially trained to find out the hidden explosives and deactivate them. They
did this with the help of their smelling power. The captain of Moos group was Michael
Lavits.
Ernst Rudiger Von Starhemberg called Michael
and said, “Michael Lavits…. I don’t think that this damage caused to the wall
was by mere cannon balls. I think they must have dug secret underground tunnels
and used explosives through them and made them burst so that the walls could be
damaged. So take your men and go and find out for hidden explosives in the
underground tunnel around the fort wall and deactivate them. Hence Michael and
his men had to work the whole night. So they found out lot of such explosives
hidden underground by the Turkish soldiers and deactivated them. But still they
had the doubt of more of such explosives and continued their search. According
to their doubt they found out huge barrel like explosives hidden near Lobos
Basin fort. If that exploded then the whole of Lobos Basin was sure to fall.
Luckily they found out such explosives and deactivated them.
The night time of September 11 witnessed
many secret events. Ernst Rudiger Von Starhemberg called Michel and told him,
“Michael we have done all that we could do to safeguard this fort of Vienna.
But we do not have food or water left for us. Tomorrow might be the last day of
our life. We have to be prepared for anything. Just one more powerful cannon
ball can bring down the whole Lobos basin fort wall down to the ground. Then
all the disaster that would follow will be too terrific for the city to bear.
That leaves me with great worry. Our king has not yet returned and so I now
leave everything in the mighty hands of our Lord.”
Just as he said the last words the king of
Austria, Leo Paul returned to Vienna. The news of the return of the king
aroused the spirit of patriotism in the hearts of each and every soldier. They
expressed their happiness by singing praises to and bursting explosives. There
was great roar of happiness inside the fort.
Kara Pasha heard this shouts of joy coming
from within the fort walls and understood their king has returned. So he said
in his heart, “Oh the coward has returned…… he who ran in fear when he heard
the very word of my coming has returned back to die in my hands. Tomorrow I
will show him and the people of Vienna my true power and that day will be their
last day. I will break down the fort walls, enter the city and cut off the
king’s head and give it in his hand. This will happen and for this I will
eagerly wait for dawn.”
On the same night the king of Poland,
Sobieski reached Vienna with his 30000 horse force (called as Hussar) and about
80000 soldiers of the Germany Holy league. Sobieski climbed the steep mountain
of Kahlenberg mountain region along with his cannon army amidst huge
difficulties. He finally reached the flat plain above the mountains. When he
viewed from there he was able to have a clear picture of the whole set up of
Kara Pasha and how he had positioned his army. Sobieski positioned his Hussar
troops to attack the Right side army of Kara Pasha and he had positioned the
Germany Holy League army to attack the centre army force of Kara Pasha. He had
also positioned the armed forces of Prince Lorene to attack the left side army
of Kara Pasha. He had instructed all his troops to wait for him command and on
receiving his command they have to get into immediate attack. The sign of
command was the burst of cannon balls from the top of Kahlenberg Mountains.
Crimean Kan Tatar came to know that the
king of Poland was climbing up the Kahlenberg Mountain with his army though his
spies who were all over the plains of the mountain. But he did not bother about
it. He did not tell it to anyone especially to Kara Pasha. This was the time of
his revenge and he said, “Everything is happening as I have foreseen. Kara
Pasha did you think that you are the only great wizard in this whole world? You
thought that everyone else is a fool? Tomorrow you will know who is wise and
who is a fool. The person who will teach you the right lesson is now right on
the mountain top. Tomorrow will decide the disaster of your troop and that will
bring an end to your pride and may be your life. Did you think that only you
know to take revenge? Ha ha ha this is the time of my revenge.”
Ernst Rudiger Von Starhemberg had taken
many preventive and precautious measures to protect the fort of Vienna and his
soldiers. For this he had build many protective wall around the fort. In those
places where he expected for direct attack he had kept small iron balls with
sharp spikes on the ground. This would prevent the enemy horses from coming
near the fort. So if any horse happened to stamp these iron spiked balls it was
sure to break its leg bones and fall down along with its rider. Even if the
rider escaped from this fall he was sure to be shot by the bullets which
emerged from the guns of the Vienna soldiers. Also there were huge fences which
no horse could easily cross. If they tried to cross they were sure to fall on
the fence while they jumped.
September 12, 1683 AD
The great day
which marked an important landmark in history dawned. The world has seen many
battles and bloodshed was nothing new in war. But this war marked a new record
in history. As the sun came out from behind the clouds, the whole mountain of
Kahlenberg was covered with clouds. On one of the huge rocks on this mountain,
Father Marco offered sacrificial mass for the victory of Vienna. The sermon
which Father Marco gave on that occasion is very famous in history. Like the
Sermon on the Mount recorded in the Bible, this sermon too was an important
one.
It
stated, “dear citizens, the war which is about to break is not to decide on our
own victory or failure….. It is neither to save our country from the enemies,
but this war is to prove our loyalty and reverence towards our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is our Lord who has permitted this war. This is to prove his
greatness and his love for us and to show those pagans that he is the only
almighty God. Just like how God gave permission to satan to torment Job, he has
permitted these Islam men to come against us. If we stand with God the victory
is ours. For God has said, the battle is mine and I will fight for you. Keep
this in mind and fight in the battle. Our enemy should be completely destroyed
and this will bring glory to our God. If Jesus Christ is to rule in our
Christian territory, then the Islam troops should be destroyed. If we fail to
save Vienna today, then we will have to lose Rome tomorrow. And with the fall
of Rome the whole of Europe will fall into the hands of those tyrants. Then we
will be their slaves…… slaves for them and for their God. It is not something
new that the people who belong to the states which are captured by the Islam
rulers are undergoing the worst torments. They are pushed into so much of shame
and disgrace and pain which could not be expressed in words. We should never
become the next in that list. It will not end with you….. Think of your
children and the generation to come. Do you want them to live in slavery? Do
you want them to live in shame? So keep all this in mind and fight like great
warriors keeping in mind to give glory to God. Never think of the result of war.
Our God is a God of victory. Jesus christ is his name. He will surely give us
victory. You are standing here not to die but to kill the enemy and to give a
good future to your children. Our God will stand with you and give you victory.
This is his holy cross….. You wicked enemies flee with fear…. Flee with
fear…..” He actually roared like a lion and this sound was heard by Kara Pasha
who was far below the mountain in his tent.
He took his telescope and looked at the
direction from where the voice of Father Marco was coming from. He saw Father
Marco holding up the cross and shout out ‘Flee away enemies….. Flee….”a huge
flag was planted next to him. The flag had the impression of Holy Mother Mary
having Infant Jesus in her hand. Kara Pasha saw this. For a moment, Kara Pasha
felt the picture of Mother Mary come to life. She came and stood in front of
Kara Pasha and said angrily, “Kara Pasha I warn you, leave my country and my
people and go back your way.” She pointed out her right hand towards him
and said this statement. As she said these words, Infant Jesus who was on her
right hand waved his hand and warned him saying, “Wait I will teach you a good
lesson.”
Kara Pasha was struck with fear and then
gained his conscious again and said, “Oh no all this is an illusion.” He turned
to the king of Maldovia and said, “Prince of Maldovia turn your cannon tankers
towards that mountain and fire some cannons at them.” He did as Kara Pasha
commanded. Few cannon balls busted right in front of Father Marco and Father
Marco fell down unconscious. Kara Pasha continued and said, “Prince of
Maldovia and Prince of Valachia, get ready with your cannon troops and attack
the city….. Bring down its fort walls and destroy it….. Allah will teach
these pagan dogs a good lesson. This is the end of Vienna. “Thus the war began.
The soldiers marched towards the fort on
foot and on horses. Though everything was well planned and executed, Kara Pasha
equally divided his army and allowed a part of it to march towards the enemy. He
kept the remaining half with him to be of help at a critical point. The Turkish
armed forces and army showed all their power and war tactics in the battle
field. Though Kara Pasha lost a huge number of his horses and soldiers, the
army which came later easily uprooted the fences made of spears and killed huge
number of Austrian soldiers. Also the Turkish jenassaries soldiers were experts
in shooting arrows and thus they killed a huge number of Austrian soldiers
using their bow and arrow.
Slowly the
sun’s rays came out with full power and light and thus the mist which covered
the Kahlenberg Mountain vanished.
Now the king of Poland had a clear view of
the battle field and gave command for his cannon experts to start the attack.
This attack destroyed a huge number of his emergency help troops. Also the
cannon balls targeted the tents where Kara Pasha’s family members stayed. Hence
he had to run from the battle field to save his family. The German army and the
army of Prince Lorene welcomed Kara Pasha who returned from the battle field in
great haste. Since the cannon balls flew down at the tents of Kara Pasha
continuously, all the tents were consumed by fire. Now Kara Pasha was almost
mad and did not know what to do and how to proceed. He ran around in terror and
lost his senses.
He shouted out, “Oh my God, my family ………
my wives …….. My children…. They are being consumed by fire….. How am I to save
them….. Crimean Kan Tatar where are you…… Go and kill all those who are on the
mountain top….. Hurry up and go with your men…”
The long awaited time for revenge came in
the hands of Crimean Kan Tatar. He said, “Kara Pasha I warned you of such a
situation long back and you failed to listen to me. Now I can’t listen to you
anymore. I don’t want to be with the loosing group and bring disgrace on me. I
am leaving this battle field right away with my men. Go and be with those who
shake their heads for money and fear of you. Good bye.”
So
saying Crimean Kan Tatar left the battle field along with his 25000 horse
troops. Kara Pasha shouted back in pain and anger, “Kan this is sure betrayal
from your part”
But Kan replied, “What do you mean by
betrayal? Have I betrayed more than you? That is born with you and is there in
your blood. But we are true warriors and you failed to give the due respect for
warriors. How much of betrayal? How much of bribe? How much of murder you must
have done to come to this post? I have no time to listen to your stories…. I
make a move….”
So
saying Kan and his men left the battle field and Kara Pasha. Even at that point
Kara Pasha said, “Stop there Kan, if only I win in this battle then I will
ensure that your whole life would be in trouble.” Kan smiled and said, “Ha ha
ha good joke. I thought you are always a stern man, but only now I know that
you have a good sense of humour. I appreciate your guts which make you say that
you will win even at this worst situation. Listen to my words carefully….. You
are sure to lose in this battle….. Pride will always have a fall and you
are not an exception.”
These words of Kan added fuel to the
burning heart of Kara Pasha. He became an animal and his thoughts became wild.
He called one of his army generals and gave a secret command. Accordingly that
army general gathered some of their soldiers and went to the 40000 citizens of
Vienna whom they had captured and kept as slaves. They just caught hold of them
and killed them mercilessly irrespective of whether they were men or women or
children or elders. Thus in no time a huge mountain of dead bodies was formed
in the battle field. This incident is described as one of the most terrific and
un-humanitarian act in history. But Abdulla had somehow sensed the mind of Kara
Pasha and anticipated such things to happen. So he bribed the soldiers and
released his deaf, dumb and pregnant wife from the group of slaves and escaped
to a safe place.
Lobos Basis fort of Vienna fell down with a
crash as a victim of the constant cannon ball attack. But the Austrian soldiers
faced the Turkish forces face to face who tried to enter into the city of
Vienna through the broken fort wall. At the same time the Hussar horse troops
of King John Sobieski attacked Kara Pasha’s men face to face in the battle
field. The Hussar troops were well known for their swiftness and powerful
attack in those days. They usually have two wings attached to their back and
use spears to attack. As they march swiftly their wings will give a peculiar
noise. When the horses of the enemy see these horses with wings and noise, they
will be terrified and lose their control. They will start to run to and fro and
will not listen to their rider. In this way the attack took place. Kara Pasha
lost a huge part of his army and his troops were scattered. On seeing this Kara
Pasha accepted the fact that he was sure to lose. Once he understood his defeat
he vanished from the battle field.
The worst part
of the battle followed. The cannon troops and the Hussar troops of King John
Sobieski fought so professionally that it was praised by many people in
history. The Turkish soldiers who ran to save their lives had no other way of
escape other than to dive into the Danube River and in this attempt they got
caught in the quick sand and were drowned. This number was more than the people
who died in the battle field. King Imrethokoli of Hungary who had come to
support Kara Pasha in the battle was killed in the battle field.
King Leo Paul asked his men to search for
Kara Pasha who lost terribly in the battle. At that time, Kara Pasha was riding
on his horse holding the green flag with the name of Allah and advanced towards
John Sobieski. When he was at a distance of a bullet hit, King John commanded
his men to shoot him. The next moment hundreds of bullets pierced the body of
Kara Pasha and he fell down to the ground dead. King John of Poland commanded
his men to throw away that dog out of his sight. As the soldiers lifted up the
dead body, they noticed that it was not Kara Pasha but it was Abdulla. King
John frowned and said, “That dog has cheated us. He has run like a coward from
the battle field. So it is no use to search for him.”
(When Kara
Pasha met his Italian wife the night he was about to leave for the battle, she
told him about her dream and the first half stated that Kara Pasha was riding
on a horse with the green flag of Allah and thousands of arrows pierced him
from the sky. Kara Pasha used this dream to escape and hence sent Abdulla in
his disguise. But anyway the first part of her dream came true)
The King of
Austria, Leo Paul appreciated the king of Poland, John Sobieski stating he had
come as their savior to save him and his country. All their enmity came to an
end and a new friendship blossomed between them. “Friendship is an
intricate design woven into the fabric of life by a master. It creates a rare
and priceless tapestry shot through with the gold and silver threads of happy
memories. If you would bestow the perfect gift one that would increase in value
and take an added luster with the years….. Give friendship” thus
the two kings were now knit with the band of friendship.
Kara Pasha who escaped from the battle field
for his life could not take his wives and children and all his wealth along
with him. He gathered as much of money as he could and ran for his life. In his
haste he just like that left his wives, concubines and their children right
there in the battle field and ran to save his life. The state of these women
and their children was pitiable. All that they had cooked were scattered and
was burnt down along with them in the attack.
Unable to
withstand the fierce attack of the king of Poland and his troop, the men of
Kara Pasha left their cannon tankers, explosives and weapons and ran for their
lives. All these became the possessions of John Sobieski.
At the end of
the war around 2000 jenassaries soldiers and 1500 of Kara Pasha’s wives and
concubines were arrested and brought for trial before King Leo Paul. Father
Marco who fell down unconscious in the mountain of Kahlenberg was alive by the
grace of God. He came to the palace of King Leo Paul and pleaded for the 2000
Turkish soldiers and 1500 women.
King Leo Paul said, “Father Marco you have
witnessed with your own eyes all the merciless things Kara Pasha has done to
our people. How can you still come and plead for his men and women?” Father
Marco gave a calm reply, “Lord, please be merciful to them on account of our
Lord Jesus Christ. As the bible states, love your enemies and do good to them,
forgive these innocent men and women. They are just the slaves of Kara Pasha
and do what their master commands. Even in the case of these women they were
the handmaids of Kara Pasha and never had the freedom to do things on their
own. Consider their pitiable state and forgive them. So I request you to
forgive them as the Lord has forgiven all our sins for us. If you are a true
Christian then you will surely forgive them.”
King Leo Paul accepted the request of
Father Marco. He released all the soldiers and wives of Kara Pasha and set them
free. They got settled in Vienna states historical evidence.
(The prophecy
of Kara Pasha’s Italian wife that if he failed to listen to the words of Isha
Nabi, then none of his men or wives of children of he himself would return to
Istanbul came true)
King Leo Paul
expressed his gratitude and showed his reverence towards all the soldiers of
Holy Nations league, who gave their lives in the battle field. When he
expressed his gratitude and reverence towards the 40000 people who were
mercilessly killed, he shouted loudly and cried. (But soon all his grief turned
into anger. He wanted to teach a good lesson to Imrithikoli and his men. So he
chased them out of Hungary. Then he took control of the whole of Hungary. All
the wealth of the Protestands were taken over and given to the Catholics.)
December 25 1683 AD….. Belgrade
Kara Pasha
reached Belgrade and sent a messenger to meet King Sulthan Memhet and explain
the details of the war. King Mehmet asked the messenger to give him a detailed
picture of the war. This messenger used it as a good opportunity and told the
king all that Kara Pasha did using the king’s name. All that he looted killed
and how he became so proud which paved way for his defeat in the battle. On
hearing this information, King Mehmet was shocked at such an arrogant and
irresponsible behavior of Kara Pasha. His eyes turned red with anger. The king
further asked the messenger, “Keep aside all this, now tell me what happened to
the holy flag of Allah, that green flag with the name of Allah inscribed on
it?” The messenger replied, “my Lord Kara Pasha did not give due respect to any
one in the battle field, but he also failed to give due respect to the flag
also. He used the flag to save his life. He gave the flag in the hands of one
of his spies and sent him disguised like him into the enemy troop. The king of
Poland, John Sobieski, killed him on the spot and took the flag with him. Now
it is in the custody of the king of Poland.”
King Mehmet lost all his patience and tore
his clothes in grief and said, “I can’t bear to hear this….. How could he do
such a thing….. I thought he was a great warrior and he would bring glory to my
nation and moreover to the name of Allah. But now he has lost the most valuable
treasure of our nation…… the flag of Allah……I won’t forgive him for this act
since I had strictly instructed him about the safety of the flag. He won’t
escape punishment. I command Kara Pasha to be put to death immediately and his
Italian wife and son would bear witness to his death. He deserves this
punishment and this would be a lesson to anyone who even thinks of bringing
shame to the name of Allah. Let this punishment be executed in Belgrade where
he is currently residing. This is my royal command.”
According to the command of Sultan Mehmet, a
group reached Belgrade along with Kara Pasha’s wife, son and the death
sentence. Kara Pasha was awaiting them in his home. The men read out the death
sentence to Kara Pasha. On hearing it, he did not speak anything. He was given
chance to speak to his wife and son for the last time. His wife said, “Beloved,
did I not warn you about my dream. Why did you not consider that last chance in
the battle field?” Kara Pasha replied, “My dear, I am lucky to have a wife like
you….. All that you said came true…… as you said none of my wives or even me
could enter Istanbul after this war. It’s all my fate. I deserve this……” then
he carried his son in his arm, hugged him and kissed him. Then he looked at the
soldiers and said, “One last request, please ask my son and my wife to leave
this place. I don’t want to die in front of them.” Then the soldiers removed
Kara Pasha’s title, name, authority, wealth, fame….. His scepter…… the treasury
keys and in a moment he stood there just like an ordinary man. Then a silk rope
was brought. (According to the Islam tradition, all those who betray the king
and are sentence to death, if they are government officials, then they will be
honored even in their death by hanging them on a silk rope.)
This was the worst punishment for Kara
Pasha. He could not bear the thought that he has lost all that he had earned in
his life in just a fraction of a second. What more could he have in life. He
felt that it would have been good if he would have died in the battle field. It
would have brought honor to his name. Now he had to die as a betrayer. I did
not listen to my wife, or to my friends….. Not even to Father Marco who had
once saved my life…. And I failed to even stand for my religion….. Shame on
me…… this is a good reward for my pride. Then he told the men beside him
“ensure whether you have put the knot correctly or else I have to go through
pain and suffering there also.” So saying he laughed loudly and these were his
last words.
“Sometimes the prize is not worth the cost. The means by which we
achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.” But Kara Pasha failed to have this in mind
when he tried to achieve victory. He was very ambitious and to attain what he
wished for he went to any extent. Even if it was to kill, betray, loot and what
not….. He was ready to do. He did not think of simple pleasures in his life. He
ignored the love of his wife and the friendship of those who came to help him.
He wanted name and fame for him and in this he failed to fear his own God. He
tried to save his life and ultimately lost it. You can’t satisfy anyone in this
world….. No one is faithful in this world….. Man runs behind perishable things
and forgets the eternal blessings.
December 25, 1684 AD
On the very
same day which is the birth day of Lord Jesus Christ, Kara Pasha was hanged to
death by the soldiers, three of them who stood on his right and three of them
who stood on his left. The second dream of Kara Pasha’s Italian wife came true.
The Vienna war which started in 1529 and ended in failure continued in 1683 and
once again resulted in failure, brought about an end to the hostile enmity
between the Christians and Muslims for nearly 150 years.
After this battle none of the Ottoman
Muslim rulers ever had the wish to capture any of the Christian countries in
Europe. The King of Poland, John Sobieski who won the battle of Vienna on
September 12, 1683 AD said the same words of Julius Caesar. They were, “Veni
Vidi Vici” which means, “We came, we saw and this was the victory of the Lord”
In history the
result of this war was a great disaster for the Islam rulers. On account of
this war many countries in Europe which were under the control of Ottoman
rulers fought for their freedom and made them loose their strength. They made
these Ottoman Sultans to go back to their place of origin.
A sweet message: when Kara
Pasha ran from the battle field for his life, he left behind the coffee which
was boiling in the kettle. Father Marco who came there tasted it and liked it.
He added milk and honey to it and made it ever sweeter. The coffee shop owners
of Vienna called their shops as Cappuccino in memory of this priest. It
was from then on coffee was introduced and used in Vienna and this spread all
over the world. Father Marco reached his last days. He died on August 13, 1699
AD in Vienna. In 2003 Holy Pope, John Paul II honored him with the title of
Saint.
“Victory is our Christian faith
Doesn’t come suddenly one day
It is all the little battles
That we fight along life’s way
Forgetting things that are behind
And reaching for the things before
Laying aside every weight and sin
Is how we will win this great war
We must learn to run with patience
Keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord,
Protected with God’s might armor
His word is our wonderful sword…….”
