History 321: State and Society in Early Modern Europe:
The Thirty Years War
Questions
1. Why did Sweden invade the Holy Roman Empire?
2. What explains Sweden’s initial success?
3. What challenges did Sweden face?
Swedish Invasion
1627: earliest consideration April 1630: Swedish Council of State
accepted Gustavus’ claim about Lübeck, 1629
religious motive: to restore monasteries to Protestants? “Gustavus did not intend this.
Oxenstierna later admitted that religion was merely a pretext, while Gustavus said that if it had been the cause then he would have declared war on the pope” (p. 462)
Swedish Invasion: Manifesto
1. Security reduce the Emperor’s power
but no call for help from the Empire German liberties for the peace of Europe
2. Satisfaction territorial gain: Stralsund, Pomerania (20 July
1630)
3. Contentment of the army “to make war at Germany’s expense” (p. 464)
Swedish success “Sweden possessed the technical expertise
and manpower for its invasion, but not the resources to sustain it. Gustavus was gambling his country’s fortunes on the chance he could succeed where Christian of Denmark had failed and break south from his bridgehead” (p. 459)
alliance with France alliance with German states military conquest and assertion of power
Swedish success Alliance with France
Treaty of Bärwalde (23 January 1631) France: 400,000 talers Sweden: 36,000 troops in HRE Sweden: no attack on Catholic League Sweden: religious freedom for Catholics
a problem for France Treaty of Fontainebleau (31 May 1631)
France: recognition of Maximilian I’s electoral title
France: defence of Bavaria against all enemies
Bavaria: no support for France’s enemies
Swedish success “Success depended entirely
on the German Protestant princes who were now caught between the Swedish lion and the imperial eagle” (p. 465)
Gustavus to Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg (brother-in-law): “I don’t want to be hear
about neutrality. His grace must be my friend or foe” (p. 465).
Georg Wilhelm (1619-1640)
Swedish success Leipzig Convention (1630)
“not a call for holy war” “not a confessional
alliance” “a neutral block” (40,000
troops) Ferdinand II’s
stubbornness: Edict of Restitution
caution of Protestant princes
initial support only from Christian Wilhelm: administrator of Magdeburg (1598-1631)
Swedish success the battle for Magdeburg
strategic importance for alliance with Protestants
Colonel Falkenberg Gustavus’ invasion of Mecklenburg fall of Frankfurt on the Oder (13 April 1631) destruction of Magdeburg (20 May 1631)
“The disaster became a defining event in the war and did much to shape its subsequent interpretation as a benchmark for brutality” (p. 470).
Swedish success Ferdinand II cancelled Leipzig manifesto (14 May
1631) new Swedish allies
Brandenburg (June 1631) Hessen-Kassel (27 July 1631) Saxony (12 September 1631)
after unsuccessful negotiations with Empire after Tilly’s invasion of Saxony (5 September) Johann Georg’s objective:
not religious war but pressure on the Emperor
Swedish success
Battle of Breitenfeld (17 September 1631) +7,000 dead Swedish losses: 2,100 men imperial prisoners “Breitenfeld was the first major defeat of
Catholic forces since the beginning of the war” (p. 475).
Swedish success more conquests 1631-32
Erfurt (2 October) Würzburg (15 October) Frankfurt am Main (17 November) Mainz (23 December) Lower Palatinate Mecklenburg
Swedish success assertion of power
allies Saxony
invasion of Bohemia (1 November 1631) agreement with Empire?
Hessen-Kassel British support: 6,000 troops Dutch Republic: “limited subsidies” (p. 480)
Swedish success
assertion of power Baltic Bridgehead
Stralsund, Pomerania, Wismar in Mecklenburg archbishopric of Bremen (1631)
Swedish success assertion of power
strategic bases Erfurt, Magdeburg (1632) Würzburg, Nürnberg (Franconia) Mainz (Rhineland) Frankfurt (lower Rhine) Augsburg (Swabia)
relative religious freedom for Catholics
Swedish success assertion of power
finance (p. 482) French subsidies contributions from German states, cities “German money not only paid the
mercenaries who comprised between three-quarters and nine-tenths of the total army, but also covered 51 per cent of the 1 million riksdalers spent on the Swedish and Finnish contingent each year between 1630 and 1648” (p. 483).
Swedish success assertion of power
German collaborators “to raise and command troops” (p. 483) relatively small armies (5,000 troops) that
were not entirely reliable minor Protestant princes (Wilhelm, Bernhard
of Weimar) compensation: “donations” ecclesiastical
properties at a price
Swedish success assertion of power
consequences for the imperial constitution conquered territories = Swedish fiefs allies: first allegiance to Swedish king feudal dues governors asserted “Swedish overlordship” (p.
486) “…the clear direction of Sweden’s German
policy was to usurp imperial authority and partition the Empire, restricting Habsburg influence to its hereditary lands” (p. 487)
Swedish success Imperial weakness
Tilly’s army: disorganized, “crammed into Bavaria” (p. 487)
Tilly’s death, 30 April 1632 Catholic refugees (in Cologne) “For most people, regardless of confession, the
spread of the war brought disease, hardship, and uncertainty” (p. 488).
Swedish success Imperial weakness
“unable to rescue Catholic Germany” (p. 492) Charles of Lorraine: his army could not disrupt
Swedes (October 1631) Spain: subsidies and more troops in Lower
Palatinate France: invasion of Lorraine France: offer of protection: Mainz
Ferdinand recalled Wallenstein, December 1631 “unconstrained military and plenipotentiary
powers” (p. 492)
Swedish success
military developments, 1632 Imperial objective: secure Habsburg patrimony Catholic League army: Bavaria, Westphalia Swedish attack on Bavaria
Battle of Bamberg (9 March 1632): Imperial victory
Battle of the Lech (15 April 1632): Swedish victory
Gustavus’ entry into Munich (17 May 1632)
Swedish success military developments, 1632
Battles in other regions Steinau in Silesia (29 August, 4 September):
Swedish victory Alte Veste near Nürnberg (9 September):
Imperial victory Lützen in Saxony (16 November): Swedish
victory death of Gustavus Adolphus
Challenges for Sweden Chancellor Axel
Oxenstierna in charge League of Heilbronn,
1633 many German states France
keep Sweden busy in Empire
support for Dutch protect German
Catholics control Lorraine
Challenges for Sweden murder of Wallenstein (24 February 1634)
reasons significance
Challenges for Sweden
Swedish mutiny orchestrated by
officers donations
continued Spanish
intervention Duke of Feria
(governor of Milan) ordered to march north
relieved siege of Konstanz
Challenges for Sweden Spanish Intervention
Olivares’ plan restore Spanish strength
along the Rhine obtain Imperial
assistance against the Dutch
send more troops to assist the Empire with Cardinal Infant Fernando (Ferdinand)
cousin of Archduke Ferdinand (Ferdinand III, 1637-1657)
the two Ferdinands
Challenges for Sweden Spanish Intervention
Battle of Nördlingen (6 September 1634): Imperial victory
surrender of Württemberg (November 1634) surrender of Heidelberg (November 1634)
French efforts control of Philippsburg (September 1634)
lost to Imperial forces (January 1635) proposal to exercise greater control of
Heilbronn League: money, troops, restoration of Catholic worship
Challenges for Sweden loss of allies to
Empire Pirna talks, 1634-1635 Saxony Hessen-Darmstadt other Lutheran states