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 the forces of Bethlen Gabor, and the great army marched directly to Vienna. General Buquoi met the army at the long bridge across the Danube, and a bloody battle was fought that lasted till night, when the Imperialists retreated to the other side of the river, burning the bridge behind them. Before anything further could be done, Ferdinand returned to Vienna, and himself took command of the troops.

About this time a confederation was formed at Pressburg between Bohemia, Hungary, and Transylvania, and messengers were sent to Constantinople to negotiate an alliance with the Sultan of Turkey. The Vienna campaign, that had promised so much, was given up without any advantage to the besiegers. This was due partly to the inclemency of the weather, but mostly to the disorders arising among the troops on account of a lack of provisions and the non-payment of their dues. The reverses that the armies of Bethlen Gabor met in Hungary, while he was besieging Vienna, led him to enter into a truce with Ferdinand, and so both he and Thurn raised the siege and departed from Vienna.

The coming winter gave Ferdinand an opportunity to strengthen himself by seeking help from other Catholic princes. Philip III of Spain, seeing the danger threatening the house of Hapsburg, sent his kinsman both money and troops; the Pope, knowing that the cause was his own, did the same; Maximilian, the Duke of Bavaria, was won over by the promise of the whole of Upper Austria, and John George by the promise of both Upper and Lower Lusatia. The King of Poland, on account of his Catholic faith and his friendship for the house of Hapsburg,