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