Ottoman
Austrian Army Spanish War of Succession
The Habsburg Empire dominated Germanic central Europe at the start of the eighteenth century, dwarfing its rivals in size, population, and military might. Prussia numbered only 1.6 million persons and Bavaria 2.0 million; the Habsburg lands held 11.0 million. In the first decades of the century, Habsburg armies under the skilful command of Prince Eugene of Savoy had fought well…
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Ottoman advance towards Byzantine – 14th century
The speed of the Ottoman advance seemed nothing short of miraculous – as if ordained by God. By geography, custom and luck, the Ottomans were best placed to prosper from the disintegration of the Byzantine state. The early sultans, living close to their men and to nature, were attentive to…
Da Vinci Demon[s]
James Faulkner plays Pope Sixtus IV, who plots to use Da Vinci’s genius for his own plans to help the Church’s wealth and authority. There was general surprise when his successor, Cardinal Francesco della Rovere, took the name of Sixtus IV; Sixtus III had died in 440, more than a…
The Continuing Mongol Threat in Eastern Europe
Battle of Liegnitz Following the cataclysm of 1241–1242, King Béla IV of Hungary made efforts to prepare for the next assault, instigating the construction of stone castles on his eastern frontiers and entering into marriage alliances with several of his neighbors, including a Cuman chief whose daughter married his son…
The Advance of the Turks and the Crusade in the Later Middle Ages
Battle of Nicopolis 1396 In the early fourteenth century the Byzantines lost western Anatolia to the Turks, of whom the most successful were the Ottomans who established themselves opposite Constantinople. This blocked further expansion until 1354, when involvement in the Byzantine civil wars allowed the Ottomans to establish a bridgehead…
marques de Santa Cruz, (1526–1588)
Don Álvaro de Bazán, marqués de Santa Cruz de Mudela Né Alvara de Bazán. Spanish admiral. Spanish admiral, member of the Order of Santiago, considered the primary organizer of the Spanish Armada against England in 1588. Born on 12 September 1526 in Granada, Spain, Bazán was the son of the…
Sinai-Palestine front
Baron (Freiherr) Kress von Kressenstein, 1916 Disabled British Mark I female tank at the Second Battle of Gaza An strategic misstep occurred when the Ottoman General Staff appeared to underestimate the importance of the Sinai-Palestine front and the risk of a constantly growing British military presence, which was forming into…