In 1683, two empires--the Ottoman, based in Constantinople, and the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna--came face to face in the Great Siege of Vienna. Within the city walls the choice of resistance over surrender to the largest army ever assembled by the Turks created an all-or-nothing scenario: every last survivor would be enslaved or ruthlessly slaughtered. Both sides remained resolute, sustained by hatred of their age-old enemy, certain that their victory would be won by the grace of God. A thrilling assessment of how two societies met the primal challenge of war, "The Enemy at the Gate" provides a timely and masterful account of this most complex and epic conflict.