Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this. I am constantly amazed as I continue to comb through YouTube discovering a variety of different documentaries to review and share. Today, we are looking at a little-known figure from history: Eugene of Savoy. This two-part series is called More Than Just Enemies and the run time for this episode is 51:20.
On October 11, 1697, the Ottoman army is annihilated in the Battle of Zenta. The victorious army was led by Eugene of Savoy and this victory ends the steady rise of the Ottoman Empire. It is a look at the two empires at the time: The Hapsburg Empire and the Ottoman Empire. During times of peace, there were many cultural exchanges. However, there were times of war and thousands were killed as a result. Who were the people that lead these empires? What is the story of the battles between the Hapsburg Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The story begins with Prince Eugene of Savoy. He is one of eight children and he has extraordinary interests. He is growing up under the rule of King Louis XIV and Eugene of Savoy was his son. He is growing up in a world of court politics and intrigues. Even in this world, Eugene of Savoy had a love for knowledge. He enjoyed learning mathematics and astrology. In the Ottoman Empire, they too use astrologers to study the stars. There are court astrologers who tell the fortunes of the Sultan. Astrologers are respected, but it can be a dangerous job. They would tell the Sultan to make war. One wrong prediction and the astrologer could lose their head. It is here we learn about Harem and meet Gülnuş Sultan. She was captured at five years old and sent to the Harem. She, like Eugene of Savoy, had to assert their place. Gülnuş Sultan would eventually become a favorite. The Harem ensured the continuance of the Ottoman Dynasty. Then we go back to the court of Louis XIV and the court politics. Eugene of Savoy’s mother Olympia was mistress of Louis XIV. She was the most important woman in court and rumors flew around her. There were rumors that she used poison to dispatch her rivals. In fact, she becomes accused of several poisonings. She escapes from Paris. Her son Eugene of Savoy was left in the care of the church. His thirst for knowledge seems to be better suited to live in the church. However, he decides on a new path and this is one path that will cause him to rebel against King Louis XIV. Louis did not appreciate the insolence. Eugene of Savoy flees Paris and makes his way to the Hapsburg Empire. It was at the time the Ottoman Empire was expanding its borders towards the Ottoman Empire. Now we find ourselves back at the harem and the tensions among the women, particularly between the sultan’s mother and the favorites. There was also competition between the women who had the Sultan’s sons for power as well. Normally when a new sultan was crowned his brothers would be killed. This section is pretty funny with the recreation of an ambassador and the sultan discussing the Hapsburg emperor. Then the filmmakers show a clip from the Turkish television series The Magnificent Century. Additional to showing this clip, the filmmakers talk about how interest is growing in Turkey in this era in history. The Ottomans were going to march on Vienna. The Hapsburg emperor grows nervous about Ottoman progress. Eugene of Savoy arrives at the Hapsburg court. He is looking to fight for the emperor. Eugene of Savoy asks for a regiment, but the Emperor allows him to volunteer as a soldier. Vienna comes under siege and thousands die in the siege. Will Vienna and the Hapsburgs emerge victorious? Or will Vienna fall? How does Eugene of Savoy deal with the battle? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. This is a good change of pace in terms of a documentary exploring this little-taught area of history. The storylines were good and the pacing was very good as well. I also enjoyed hearing from the experts and the recreations were very well done. This would be a documentary to mine for clips for a history class and for research purposes.
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |