Venimus, vidimus et Deus vicit: so wrote King John III Sobieski to Pope Innocent XI, after the armies of the Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth with additional allies smashed the Turkish hordes of Grand Vezir Kara Mustapha after a fearsome siege of Vienna.
We easily forget that on that fateful
September 12th, European history hung in the balance; had the Turks won
the day, the road would have been open to Rome, and the Turks had
planned to take and rape Rome. Indeed, the Grand Vezir's had pledged to feed his
horse oats on the High Altar of St. Peter's.
Prior
to his departure for Austria, King John placed himself and his army in
the hands of the Black Madonna at Czestochowa. Remember this great
victory and this great man. Remember his faith and his courage.
This battle was so important that any attempt to describe it falls short. God bless King John Sobieski. Venimus, vidimus et Deus vicit indeed.
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