Great Turkish War

The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century. The Great Turkish War was a disaster for the Ottomans, from which they were unable to recover.

1667-1683

After Bohdan Khmelnytsky's rebellion, when the Tsardom of Russia acquired parts of Eastern Ukraine from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, some cossacks stayed in the southeast of the Commonwealth. Their leader, Petro Doroshenko, wanted to connect the rest of Ukraine with the Ottoman Empire, starting a rebellion against Hetman (Polish army commander) John III Sobieski. The Sultan Mehmet IV, who knew that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was weakened due to internal conflicts, attacked Kamieniec Podolski, a large city on the border.

The small Polish force resisted the Siege of Kamieniec Podolski for two weeks but was then forced to capitulate. The Polish Army was too small to resist the Ottoman invasion and could only score some minor tactical victories. After three months, the Poles were forced to sign the Treaty of Buchach in which they agreed to surrender Kamieniec Podolski, Podolia and to pay tribute to the Ottoman Sultan.Kemp, Arthur, Jihad: Islam's 1,300 Year War Against Western Civilisation, (Lulu.com, 2008), 38.

When the news about the defeat and treaty terms reached Warsaw, the Sejm refused to pay the tribute and organized a large army under Jan......
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