Jeżeli lubisz kawę, dziękuj Polaka. (If you like coffee, thank a Pole.)

Today, September 12th, is the anniversary of The Battle of Vienna, one of the most decisive battles in Western history.

In 1683 an invading Turkish army of 150,000 men was on the verge of conquering Central Europe. Their siege was Vienna was nearly complete, and only a last ditch, frantic defense had repelled the latest assault. Within days, if not hours, a large chunk of Europe would fall under Islamic rule.

That'd be about the time these guys showed up.



King Jan III Sobieski of Poland, honoring a mutual defense treaty, organized a relief expedition to Vienna. Upon arriving at the battlefied the Polish army launched an infantry attack that tied up the Turkish troops; after twelve hours of fierce fighting Poles held the high ground on the right.

Then, at 5 pm, Sobieski ordered the single largest calvary attack in history, with over 20,000 horsemen crashing down on the enemy.

Sobieski was in the lead, along with 3000 of his heavy lancers - the feared Winged Hussars.

These famous cavalrymen would ride into battle with wings of eagle or ostrich feathers attached to their back. It is rumoured the sound of the wings frightened and confused enemy horses, disrupting any defense. Certainly the sight of the signature wings struck fear into their riders as well.

What, at the start of the day, seemed a certain victory for the Turks quickly turned into a murderous rout. The winged horsemen bowled over the first line of defense, sliced and hacked through the rest, and burst through into the heart of the Ottoman camp, narrowly missing capturing the Turkish leader.

Said Sobieski, paraphrasing Casesar: “Veni, vidi, Deus vicit:” “I came, I saw, God conquered.”. For his victory against them, the Turks would label Sobieski the "Lion of Lechistan [a contemporary name for Poland]"

The implications of the battle were clear: Islamic forces never again threatened European soil in any meaningful way, and centuries of conflict were at an end - at least until modern times.

One result of the battle is less obvious. The Turks fled the battlefield so abruptly they left a kings ransom of items behind in their camp. Among them were stores of hard, bitter beans. While the drink made from the beans had been introduced to the wealthy and royal elsewhere in Europe, an enterprising Pole opened a shop in Vienna and sold the liquid to the masses.

Ladies and gentlmen: the introduction of coffee into everyday European life.

h/t