
The Enemy at the Gate
Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe
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Narrated by:
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Stefan Rudnicki
About this listen
In 1683, an Ottoman army that stretched from horizon to horizon set out to seize the "Golden Apple", as Turks referred to Vienna. The ensuing siege pitted battle-hardened Janissaries wielding 17th-century grenades against Habsburg armies, widely feared for their savagery. The walls of Vienna bristled with guns as the besieging Ottoman host launched bombs, fired cannons, and showered the populace with arrows during the battle for Christianity's bulwark. Each side was sustained by the hatred of its age-old enemy, certain that victory would be won by the grace of God.
The Great Siege of Vienna is the centerpiece for historian Andrew Wheatcroft's richly drawn portrait of the centuries-long rivalry between the Ottoman and Habsburg empires for control of the European continent. A gripping work by a master historian, The Enemy at the Gate offers a timely examination of an epic clash of civilizations.
©2009 Andrew Wheatcroft (P)2020 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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In his first book of history, Away Off Shore, New York Times best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick reveals the people and the stories behind what was once the whaling capital of the world. Beyond its charm, quaint local traditions, and whaling yarns, Philbrick explores the origins of Nantucket in this comprehensive history. From the English settlers who thought they were purchasing a "Native American ghost town" but actually found a fully realized society, the story of Nantucket is a truly unique chapter of American history.
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There once were some (wo)men in Nantucket...
- By Darwin8u on 02-03-19
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Sea Power
- The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans
- By: Admiral James Stavridis USN - Ret.
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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From the time of the Greeks and the Persians clashing in the Mediterranean, sea power has determined world power. To an extent that is often underappreciated, it still does. No one understands this better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. In Sea Power, Admiral Stavridis takes us with him on a tour of the world's oceans from the admiral's chair, showing us how the geography of the oceans has shaped the destinies of nations and how naval power has in a real sense made the world we live in today and will shape the world we live in tomorrow.
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Highly Recommend. Brilliant, engaging & thoughtful
- By Francis Claro on 06-22-17
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The Walls Have Ears
- The Greatest Intelligence Operation of World War II
- By: Helen Fry
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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At the outbreak of World War II, MI6 spymaster Thomas Kendrick arrived at the Tower of London to set up a top secret operation: German prisoners' cells were to be bugged and listeners installed behind the walls to record and transcribe their private conversations. This mission proved so effective that it would go on to be set up at three further sites - and provide the Allies with crucial insight into new technology being developed by the Nazis. In this astonishing history, Helen Fry uncovers the inner workings of the bugging operation.
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inresting look into a secret world.
- By Christopher Daniels on 05-22-20
By: Helen Fry
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Road to Surrender
- Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II
- By: Evan Thomas
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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So begins this suspenseful, impeccably researched history that draws on new access to diaries to tell the story of three men who were intimately involved with America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb—and Japan’s decision to surrender. They are Henry Stimson, the American Secretary of War, who oversaw J. Robert Oppenheimer under the Manhattan Project; Gen. Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, head of strategic bombing in the Pacific, who supervised the planes that dropped the bombs; and Japanese Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo.
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Why they decided to drop the atomic bombs
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 08-08-23
By: Evan Thomas
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Fire and Brimstone
- The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917
- By: Michael Punke
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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The worst hard-rock mining disaster in American history began a half hour before midnight on June 8, 1917, when fire broke out in the North Butte Mining Company's Granite Mountain shaft. Sparked more than 2,000 feet below ground, the fire spewed flames, smoke, and poisonous gas through a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Within an hour more than 400 men would be locked in a battle to survive. Within three days 164 of them would be dead.
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Fairly Solid Book With Good History
- By Matthew on 08-18-16
By: Michael Punke
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Last Witnesses
- An Oral History of the Children of World War II
- By: Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
- Narrated by: Julia Emelin, Allen Lewis Rickman
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, Last Witnesses is Alexievich’s collection of the memories of those who were children during World War II. They had sometimes been soldiers as well as witnesses, and their generation grew up with the trauma of the war deeply embedded - a trauma that would change the course of the Russian nation. Collectively, this symphony of children’s stories, filled with the everyday details of life in combat, reveals an altogether unprecedented view of the war.
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And how many years to forget?
- By Darwin8u on 09-16-21
By: Svetlana Alexievich, and others
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Last Stand
- George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West
- By: Michael Punke
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the last three decades of the 19th century, an American buffalo herd once numbering 30 million animals was reduced to 23. It was the era of Manifest Destiny, a gilded age that viewed the West as nothing more than a treasure chest of resources to be dug up or shot down. Supporting hide hunters was the US Army, which considered the eradication of the buffalo essential to victory in its ongoing war on Native Americans.
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Depressing history of American tragedy
- By J. A. Bowen on 05-16-16
By: Michael Punke
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Aftermath
- Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
- By: Harald Jähner, Shaun Whiteside - translator
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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How does a nation recover from fascism and turn toward a free society once more? This internationally acclaimed revelatory history of the transformational decade that followed World War II illustrates how Germany raised itself out of the ashes of defeat and reckoned with the corruption of its soul and the horrors of the Holocaust - and features over 40 eye-opening black-and-white photographs and posters from the period.
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Where are the photos?
- By Cassandra on 01-17-22
By: Harald Jähner, and others
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Magna Carta
- The Birth of Liberty
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The Magna Carta is revered around the world as the founding document of Western liberty. Its principles - even its language - can be found in our Bill of Rights and in the Constitution. But what was this strange document and how did it gain such legendary status? Dan Jones takes us back to the turbulent year of 1215, when, beset by foreign crises and cornered by a growing domestic rebellion, King John reluctantly agreed to fix his seal to a document that would change the course of history.
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Complicated period of history made accessible
- By NH on 12-09-15
By: Dan Jones
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Money for Nothing
- The Scientists, Fraudsters, and Corrupt Politicians Who Reinvented Money, Panicked a Nation, and Made the World Rich
- By: Thomas Levenson
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In the heart of the Scientific Revolution, when new theories promised to explain the affairs of the universe, Britain was broke, facing a mountain of debt accumulated in war after war it could not afford. But that same Scientific Revolution - the kind of thinking that helped Isaac Newton solve the mysteries of the cosmos - would soon lead clever, if not always scrupulous, men to try to figure a way out of Britain’s financial troubles.
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Financial innovation's first song of the siren.
- By Michael Barnett on 09-06-20
By: Thomas Levenson
What listeners say about The Enemy at the Gate
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-25-22
Great History!
Great overall history of the Hapsburgs and the Ottomans from their height of power in the 17th and 18th centuries to their fall. Day by day account of the 2nd Siege of Vienna.
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- Michael Champagne
- 06-26-23
Amazing
Really awesome book which gets into the nitty gritty of 16th-17th century warfare. Highly recommend!
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- V
- 12-17-21
Excellent read on this period in history
Very well narrated. Lots of details, and told in a manner in which kept me glued to listening!
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2 people found this helpful
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- MB
- 04-28-22
Great in spots, too fast moving in others
Great in spots, too fast moving in others. The layout to get to the siege was ok, the siege itself I could have used more time and detail. Informative overall and tied back to how we are where we are today, which was a nice touch.
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2 people found this helpful
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- David
- 02-20-22
Superb history
A great sweep of narrative history anchored from the 1683 siege of Vienna to 1718 when the Holy Roman Empire pushed the Ottoman Empire out of Hungary. The foreground and epilogue to this conflict are thoughtfully presented. The author may annoy those who adhere to certain mythologies surround this conflict. Good. A central theme here is to understand something of the reality of what happened and how events served certain retelling of history in ways convenient to statecraft. This period of history casts an enormous shadow. Students of the history of The West - and this includes the Ottomans - should find this book well worth their time. Good as an introduction. Good as the art of narrative for those who already have some background. Superb writing. Excellent narration.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Donald
- 12-28-22
Kinda boring
Could have been better. Was it worth the 5.99 usd price? Probably, but not much more.
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- Greg
- 08-27-21
Details of the Siege
I wouldn't call this a history. Most of the book describes military unit level action of the siege of Vienna. Lots of gory detail of the injury and death of soldiers and civilians. This book gave me an appreciation of the struggle between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans but not of their civilizations.
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6 people found this helpful
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- D. Campbell
- 09-20-23
History as Science, And Poor for It
History as science, an assortment of facts, is boring.
History that matures into myth, that floats on a bed of poetry, is what captures us.
Wheatcroft has written this history as science. And he didnt even do it well, in my opinion. He comes across as a tired Westerner who lionizes Ottoman military efficiency and power, while writing off the perspective of Christendom.
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4 people found this helpful
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- J. B. Greene
- 03-28-25
Eh Very Unromantic Take
I'm not saying history should be Romanized, but there's a balance to it. This felt more like a list of facts from someone who very much sympathizes with the Ottoman Empire and treats the West as nothing but fools. I'm not upset that I listened to it, but I won't remember it in a couple year's time.
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- Ben H.
- 09-20-21
Look elsewhere
Author is sad that the Ottomans lost. in his mind the Hapsburgs etc. are bums and the Ottomans are chads.
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15 people found this helpful