Battle of Párkány The Battle of Párkány ( ) ( October 7 – 9 , 1683 ) was fought in the town of Párkány ( today : Štúrovo ) , in the Ottoman Empire , and the area surrounding it as part of the Polish - Ottoman War and the Great Turkish War . The battle was fought in two stages . In the first stage the Polish - Lithuanian troops under John III Sobieski were defeated by the Ottoman army , under Kara Mehmed Pasha on October 7 , 1683 . In the second stage of the battle John III Sobieski , supported by Austrian forces under Charles V , Duke of Lorraine defeated the Ottoman forces , which were supported by the troops of Imre Thököly , and gained control of Párkány on October 9 , 1683 . After the defeat , Austrians would siege Esztergom and captured after short siege at end of 1683 . Prelude to battle . On May 1 , 1683 the Ottoman Empire attacked the Holy Roman Empire and besieged Vienna on July 14 , 1683 . On September 6 , the Polish - Lithuanian army under John III Sobieski arrived in Tulln , and united with imperial forces and additional troops from Saxony , Bavaria , Baden , Franconia and Swabia who had answered the call for a Holy League that was supported by Pope Innocent XI . The Ottoman army totaling around 150 , 000 men under Kara Mustafa Pasha was eventually defeated on September 11 , 1683 . The main part of the Ottoman forces retreated in the Balkans . A part of the Ottoman army under Kara Mehmed Pasha encamped in Párkány , in Hungary , where they were supported by Imre Thököly , a local ruler . The Polish forces under John III Sobieski followed the Ottoman troops in Párkány in order defeat them as they retreated . First stage of battle . On October 6 , 1683 the Polish army reached the environs of Párkány . The army commanders advised caution , suggesting the advanced guards should rest for a day . Instead , Sobieski decided to surprise the Ottoman army by attacking them with his cavalry . On October 7 , 1683 the Polish troops totaling around 5 , 000 soldiers under Sobieski advanced in a rather disorganized manner towards the Ottoman positions . A Polish dragoon regiment under Stefan Bidziński was leading the advance . Suddenly a mass of Ottoman cavalry surged forward to attack them . The dragoon regiment was caught completely by surprise – it did not even have the match - cords of its muskets lit – and was quickly overwhelmed . The surviving dragoons fled back in panic into Sobieski ' s main force closely followed by the Turkish horse , and forced the Poles to beat a hasty retreat , to the safety of the Imperial army which was following on several kilometres behind . The Polish army lost around 1 , 000 soldiers ; only the intervention of the imperial cavalry prevented the Ottoman troops from causing far heavier losses . Second stage of battle . On October 8 , 1683 imperial reinforcements totaling 16 , 700 troops under Charles V , Duke of Lorraine joined the Polish army . After defeating the Polish cavalry Kara Mehmed Pasha was sent 8 , 000 elite cavalrymen by Kara Mustafa Pasha . The troops of Imre Thököly were waiting for attack orders on the outskirts of Párkány . On October 9 , 1683 the Imperial Army formed three lines . In the centre of the lines were positioned 7 , 600 infantrymen under Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg . The Polish army was positioned on the wings . John III Sobieski led the right wing , and Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski the left wing . On the right side of the lines 4 , 500 German cavalry under Ludwig Wilhelm , Margrave of Baden - Baden were positioned . On the left side of the lines 4 , 500 cavalry were positioned under Johann von Dünewald . The Ottoman forces attacked the first line of the imperial army unsuccessfully and were flanked by the Polish cavalry . The Ottoman army was defeated and lost about 9 , 000 men during the battle . Aftermath . After defeating the Ottomans in Párkány , the imperial forces continued their march and defeated the Ottomans multiple times , while gaining control of Ottoman territories in Hungary . Kara Mustafa Pasha was executed for failing to defend the Hungarian territories of the Ottoman Empire .