The Highest Throne (The Ottoman Wars) Pike & Shotte supplement with Kara Mustafa Pasha book miniature

The Highest Throne covers the warfare between the Ottoman empire and their European adversaries throughout the 1500 and 1600s. It is a time of myths, legends, and battles that resonate even today and shaped European history. Within this supplement are rules for fighting some of the most famous battles in history: the Great Siege of Malta, the 1683 Ottoman attack on Vienna, and the devastating Hungarian defeat at Mohacs. Alongside these famous battles are lesser-known conflicts that were fought throughout the Mediterranean and even beyond as empires expanded, and nations sought to position themselves as global superpowers.

This book provides a snapshot of a time when Venice fought the Ottomans for control of Crete and Cyprus, and when gold from the Spanish conquest of the Americas fuelled the Hapsburg family’s wars against the Ottomans in eastern Europe. Within these pages you will encounter Portuguese adventurers fighting in Ethiopia, outnumbered Hungarian and Croatian cavalry charging heroically out of besieged fortifications, Venetians fighting the Ottomans in the Parthenon’s shadow, Polish Winged Hussars leading devastating charges, and legendary figures like Suleiman the Magnificent and the Knights Hospitaller.

The goal of the book is to help wargamers enjoy the dynamic and colourful period that coincides with the rise of the Ottoman empire as a global force. To this end, the book provides exciting army lists, entertaining characters, and collecting and gaming advice for a variety of forces. There also are some fun facts and interesting histories that hopefully inspire gamers to learn more and dive into this truly captivating historical timeframe.

Special Figure: Included with the book is superbly detailed miniature of Kara Mustafa Pasha, a Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and commander of its forces at the famous Siege of Vienna in 1683. Almost on the cusp of victory, the Ottomans were ultimately thrown back by the timely intervention of a Polish army led by King John III Sobieski at the head of a column of Winged Hussars. Kara Mustafa Pasha would pay for his life for this defeat, being ritually strangled with a silken cord on the orders of Sultan Mehmed IV.

Miniature sculpted by Shane Hoyle. Studio miniatures painted by Andres Amian.

Models supplied unassembled and unpainted