Abstract
This article of Viennese Ottomanist Markus Köhbach, published first in German in the Osmanlı Araştırmaları Dergisi [Journal of Ottoman Studies] describes how the Ottoman-Habsburg relations were shaped between the sixteenth and the twentieth centuries and what were the milestones of this relationship focusing on the diplomatic aspects. It stands as a short guide covering political, military, and diplomatic actions between these early-modern multinational empires and offering a framework for future monographies of this relationship. Moreover, it defines some diplomacy mechanisms in the early modern period and exemplifies how the Ottomans and Austrians employed them. Starting with the Battle of Mohacs, the rivalry between these empires continued during the following two centuries on different fronts and became a significant chapter of the European balance of power. This narrative of the two archrivals, sharing the same fate at the end of the First World War, poses new questions for historians.