ABSTRACT
Two major sieges were the most dramatic military episodes of this period. That of Vienna by the Turks in 1683 ended in total defeat and was a key moment in the balance of military power between the West and Islam. Four years later, in 1687, the fortress of Golconda (near Hyderabad in India) with its four-mile-long outer wall was besieged by the Mughal army under the Emperor Aurangzeb. The walls were bombarded with artillery while two mines were driven under them, although they exploded prematurely. The fortress finally fell by betrayal (a frequent result of sieges in India), Mughal forces entering through an opened gateway. This success led to the annexation of the sultanate, anchoring Mughal power in central India, a long-standing Mughal goal, although an achievement that was to be reversed by the mideighteenth century.
