The Battle of Bamberg took place on 9 March 1632 during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
. The army of the
Catholic League led by Count
Tilly Tilly may refer to:
Places France
* Tilly, Eure, in the Eure ''département''
* Tilly, Indre, in the Indre ''département''
* Tilly, Yvelines, in the Yvelines ''département''
Elsewhere
* Tilly, Belgium, a village in the municipality of Viller ...
surprised and routed the Swedes led by
Gustav Horn and captured the city.
Background
After his victory at the
Battle of Breitenfeld, the Swedish king
Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
conquered large parts of northern and central Germany in 1631. The troops of the Emperor and of the Catholic League were pushed back to
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. The bulk of the Swedish army wintered around
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, where Gustavus Adolphus had set up his headquarters.
Part of the Swedish army under General Horn remained active and conquered several places in
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
. He had only two Swedish regiments, the rest of his 12,000 troops being German recruits. On 10 February Horn captured the episcopal city of
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
, the capital of the Prince-Bishopric of the same name. The defense of the city was left to the civilians and militia of the prince-bishopric, because the professional units of the Catholic League had fled the city. After a siege of only nine hours, the city's defenders surrendered to the Swedes as they ran out of ammunition.
Battle
The Catholic League led by Count Tilly began its counterattack in March. Tilly gathered the garrisons from the
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
and added 8,000 men of the Bavarian militia to his army. From
Nördlingen
Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was bui ...
he marched with his army to Bamberg, arriving on the evening of 9 March. The vanguard raided the Swedish cavalry posts outside the city. The fleeing cavalrymen caused panic among the defenders in the eastern part of Bamberg. The League army broke through the defenses at the Monastery of the Holy Sepulchre. The eastern part of the city with unfinished trenches was quickly abandoned by the defenders, but the bridge over the
Regnitz
The Regnitz is a river in Franconia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is in length.
The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which meet in the city of Fürth. From there the Regnitz runs northwa ...
which gave access to the center was fiercely defended. When two of Horn's regiments managed to completely recapture the bridge, Tilly ordered two heavy guns to be placed in a beer garden overlooking the bridge. After a shelling, the bridge had to be abandoned. The Swedish commander, the Count of Solms-Laubach, died from the injuries sustained during the shelling. The fighting lasted until midnight, after which the Swedish army gave up the defence. Horn lost a third of his men, mainly through desertion, and withdrew to
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban agg ...
.
Aftermath
Count Tilly was too weak to further exploit his success in Bamberg. Gustavus Adolphus needed another victory after the Swedish defeat to convince his various German allies, such as
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
, to continue supporting Sweden. The king marched from Mainz to
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, absorbing Horn's remnants. On March 31, Gustavus Adolphus arrived in Nuremberg, where he was welcomed as a hero. A week later he captured
Donauwörth
Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...
, murdering surrendering Catholic troops and friendly Protestant burghers and gathered enough men to invade Bavaria.
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Bamberg
1632 in Europe
Conflicts in 1632
Bamberg 1632
Bamberg 1632
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17th century in Bavaria
Battles in Bavaria
Battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe
Bamberg