War of the Cession

CESSION, WAR OF THE).

Austro-Turkish Wars, 1682-99.

Concurrently with these campaigns, the emperor had been engaged in a much more serious war on his eastern marches against the old enemy, the Turks. This war arose in 1682 out of internal disturbances in Hungary. The campaign of the following year is memorable for all time as the last great wave of Turkish invasion. Mohammed IV. ad vanced from Belgrade in May, with 200,000 men, drove back the small imperial army of Prince Charles of Lorraine, and early in July invested Vienna itself. The two months' defence of Vienna and the brilliant victory of the relieving army led by John Sobieski, king of Poland, and Prince Charles on Sept. 12, 1683, were events which, besides their intrinsic importance, possess the romantic interest of an old knightly crusade against the heathen. But the course of the war, after the tide of invasion had ebbed, differed little from the wars of contemporary western Europe. Turkey figured rather as a factor in the balance of power than as the "infidel," and although the battles and sieges in Hungary were characterized by the bitter personal hostility of Christian to Turk which had no counterpart in the `'Vest, the war as a whole was as methodical and tedious as any Rhine or Low Countries campaign.

After gradually advancing his position in 1684-85, in 1686 Charles, assisted by the elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria, be sieged and stormed Budapest (Sept. 2) . In 1687 they followed up their success by a great victory at Mohacz (Aug. 12). In 1688 the Austrians advanced still further, took Belgrade and entered Bosnia. Next year, in spite of the outbreak of a general European war, the margrave Louis of Baden, who afterward became one of the most celebrated of the methodical generals of the day, managed to win a battle at Nisch (Sept. 24), to capture Widin (Oct. 14) and to advance to the Balkans, but in 169o, more troops having to be withdrawn for the European war, the imperialist generals lost Nisch, Widin and Belgrade one after the other. The new tide, however, was stopped, and several years of desultory war followed, until in 1697 the young Prince Eugene was ap pointed to command the imperialists and won a great and decisive victory at Zenta on the Theiss (Sept. I 1). This induced a last general advance of the Germans eastward, which was definitely successful and brought about the peace of Carlowitz (Jan. 1699).

(C. F. A.) The naval war opened with desultory fighting early in 1688, but nothing of importance happened till after William of Orange's successful expedition to England in November, which gave him strategic control of the English fleet and the whole anti-French alliance.

In March 1689, Louis XIV. sent the exiled King James II. of England over to Ireland, to conduct guerilla operations against the Protestant forces of the new government. Admiral Arthur Herbert was unable to put to sea in time to stop him, and also failed to intercept reinforcements of 6,000 troops protected by a French fleet under Chateaurenault. He found them, however, in Bantry Bay on May 1, 1689, but in the action which followed he made little impression, chiefly owing to the reaction of internal politics on the morale and administration of his fleet. The French, however, did not press the Irish campaign ; and after the relief of Londonderry on June 28 by Leake's ships, James' position de teriorated and English troops were able to cross from Chester unopposed. Early in 1690 Louis XIV. ordered the Toulon fleet to Brest, where it arrived after eluding an Anglo-Dutch squadron. The whole French fleet of 7o of the line then came up Channel un der the Comte de Tourville and met the main Anglo-Dutch fleet off the Isle of Wight under Herbert, now Lord Torrington, who had only 55 of the line. Torrington at once retired, not wishing to engage unless very favourably placed, and all the time seeking an opportunity to slip round to westward of the French and so cut them off from home. However, in deference to the wishes of the Council of Regency, he forced an action on June 3o off Beachy Head and fought for many hours against his superior and well-ordered enemy, but was prevented from obtaining any defi nite successes by the impetuous conduct of his Dutch allies. Mean while, with naval assistance, William III. completely routed the Franco-Irish forces in the Boyne campaign.

During 1691 Tourville contented himself with operations against English and Dutch commerce, and it was not till 1692 that he was ordered to attack the English fleet with the idea of covering the transport of an invading army across the Channel. This time he had only 44 of the line against the Anglo-Dutch fleet of 99 under Admiral Edward Russell, but on finding them off Cape Barfleur on May 19, he engaged without the least hesitation. Fickle winds and occasional fog assisted him, and after fighting for seven hours, without losing a ship, he began to withdraw. The allies pursued and his fleet was completely dispersed and routed, 1 2 of the line, which had taken refuge in the bay of La Hogue, being destroyed on the nights of May 23 and 24 by a light squadron under Admiral Rooke (see LA HOGUE, BATTLE OF, for account of the Barfleur campaign) .

The French now entirely abandoned fleet operations, and again turned their attention to commerce destruction. In this they were very successful, for the allies failed to exercise their un doubted command of the sea, and in June 1693 the outward bound Smyrna convoy of some 40o ships, under a weak escort, was attacked by Tourville off Lagos, and 8o ships were lost. Raids were, therefore, attempted on French bases, of which those on Brest in 1694 and Dunkirk in 1695 were the most important, but in most cases the French were well prepared and the attempts failed. French stations in the West Indies, Nova Scotia and on the West African coast were also attacked from 169o-93.

In the concluding stages of the war, William III. initiated a concentration of Anglo-Dutch forces in the Mediterranean under Russell, who in 1694 drove the French from Barcelona, Spain having joined the allies. William now ordered Russell to winter his fleet at Cadiz, and though in the spring of 1695 it failed to attack Toulon owing to the defection of Savoy, French Medi terranean trade was temporarily ruined. Rooke was now left in command and again wintered at Cadiz, but early in 1696, Louis XIV. feinted with another invasion scheme and got Château renault's Toulon fleet safely into Brest. All English forces were therefore concentrated in the Channel, and Rooke was recalled, ending the new Mediterranean fleet. (G. A. R. C.; W. C. B. T.)