In 1683, the Ottoman Empire was at the height of its power, occupying a huge swath of eastern and central Europe. The Ottoman Turks, wanting to overtake Vienna, surrounded the city with three hundred thousand troops. The city had little hope of withstanding the Ottoman attack unless the Viennese could send an envoy through the enemy lines to get help from the Polish army 287 miles away. The Polish army could attack from the rear, the Viennese from the front.
