Late 1683: In late 1683, England was ready for war. War fever was very high, and Englishmen cheered as William of Orange's boat left the harbor, heading for Southern Holland. The English had decided that they would attempt to liberate this region of the Netherlands from French control, and William of Orange was at the head of the army that was attempting to take back his country. But when the English landed into Southern Holland, a massive French army was already waiting for them. Even though the attack was meant as a surprise invasion, the French somehow knew of the English plan already. In spite of William's best efforts to win the battle, his English army didn't stand a chance against the vastly larger French force. The English were smashed, and even William was almost captured, but he and a few of his top commanders managed to escape and pilot a ship back to England. In England, the populace was livid. Many suspected James of passing information along to the French, but he denied the allegations. However, the allegations were confirmed when a group of Parliamentary Whigs demanded to search James's quarters and found a series of letters he had written addressed to Louis XIV. James was then put on trial for treason and was executed. William of Orange was declared as the new King of England and assumed the throne as William III. At the same time, the new Tsar of Russia, Peter, was touring western Europe in order to model his country off of western models of absolutism. He was visiting the court of Louis XIV when he heard about the regicide. He was horrified by it, and Louis XIV convinced him that he must show Russia that such a murder would never be tolerated there. Peter returned to Russia and, in a show of force, declared war on the Protestant Union. At this point, things were looking very bad for the Protestants, but all that would soon change. In Vienna, the Ottoman siege had turned into a pitched battle when Habsburg troops attempted to break it. Jon Sobieski and the Polish Winged Hussars arrived to assist the Austrians, but during the battle Sobieski was struck by a bullet which pierced his heart, killing him instantly. The Polish troops then began a shattered retreat, and without their support the Habsburgs surrendered to the Ottomans. The Ottomans marched triumphantly into Vienna and held the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, under captivity. Leopold was forced to sign a humiliating treaty in which all Austrian lands not in the Holy Roman Empire were ceded to the Ottomans. This included most of Slovakia, Croatia, and the city of Zagreb. Leopold was also forced by treaty to withdraw his country from the Catholic League and make peace with the Protestant Union, as the Ottomans held an informal alliance with the Protestants. Additionally, since Leopold was leaving the war, the northern Netherlands were given to his ally France. With the Austrians out of the war, there was now hope for the Protestant side. King William III was overjoyed when he heard of the Ottoman victory, and he ordered new medallions to be printed that bore a traditional Dutch inscription from a century earlier: "Rather Turkish than Papist". Many Protestants now thought that the war would be quickly and easily won. But they had no idea of how long and devastating for all of Europe the war would really be...