Ranting to /dev/null

Heroes of the Great War, I

I've decided, for my own edification, to each week feature an important figure from the historic war between Islam and the West. Frequently, these people, almost all of them men, were pretty unpleasant individuals, but they all did something that helped the war.

This week: John (Jan) III Sobieski, Kind of Poland from 1674 to 1696. It was he that lead the Christian forces to victory at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, leaving Poland all but unprotected to do so. His hussars formed the bulk of the September 12 cavalry charge that drove the Turks south of the Danube permenantly. The Catholic Encyclopedia also has an article, which tends to be a bit more fawning, but gives some good detail.