The Battle of Oldendorf (german: Schlacht bei Hessisch-Oldendorf
[Schattkowsky (2003), p.241]) on 8 July 1633
was fought as part of 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 ...
between the
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...
with its Protestant German allies and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
near
Hessisch-Oldendorf
Hessisch Oldendorf ( is a town in the Hamelin-Pyrmont district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Weser, approximately northwest of Hamelin. The adjective "Hessisch" has been used since 1905 to distinguish it from other towns ...
,
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
[ The result was a decisive victory for the Swedish Army and its allies.][
]
Prelude
The Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
, William V William V may refer to:
*William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
*William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
*William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
*William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
*William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
*William V, ...
, as a Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
ally of Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
had campaigned in 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 ...
, Ruhr area
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
and the Sauerland
The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited.
The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...
, successfully reducing the imperial presence there.[ The imperial defense of the ]Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...
area in 1633 was led by Jost Maximilian von Gronsfeld.[Guthrie (2003), p.238]
The battle was preceded by a Swedish siege of the nearby imperial-held town of Hameln
Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Hi ...
, laid in March 1633 with support of Hessian and Lüneburgian troops.
Battle
On 8 July, the Swedish army commanded by George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle – 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.
George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and Dorothea of Denmark ( ...
[Jaques (2007), p.448][Guthrie (2002), p.252] and Marshal Dodo zu Innhausen und Knyphausen
Dodo Freiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen (sometimes Knijphausen or Kniphausen; 2 July 1583 – 11 January 1636) was a German professional soldier who saw extensive service in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), rising to the rank of Field M ...
[ faced an Imperial relief army commanded by Field Marshal Jobst Maximilian von Gronsfeld,][ Count John of Merode][ and Lothar Dietrich Freiherr von Bönninghausen.][ Merode commanded 4,450 infantrymen and 1,245 cavalry troops, Bonninghausen 4,475 infantry and 2,060 cavalry, Gronsfeld 2,000 infantry and 600 cavalry.][ The armies met near Hessisch-Oldendorf, northwest of Hameln.][
Both armies attacked, a rare event in the Thirty Years' War, which besides Oldendorf only occurred in the ]Second Battle of Breitenfeld
The Second Battle of Breitenfeld, also known as the First Battle of Leipzig, took place during the Thirty Years' War on 2 November 1642 at Breitenfeld, north-east of Leipzig in Germany. A Swedish Army commanded by Lennart Torstensson decisively ...
.[Usually, one of the armies (the less numerous one), would take on a defensive position, while the other army (the more numerous one), would attack if its leader, having evaluated the defense of the opponent, found an attack promising. Guthrie (2003), p.121.] The left wing of the Swedish forces was commanded by the general of Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
and later imperial field marshal Peter Melander. Subsequently, field marshal Torsten Stålhandske
Torsten Stålhandske (Porvoo, Finland, 1 September 1593 – Haderslev, 21 April 1644) – Swedish for "Torsten Steelglove", sometimes written "Stålhansch" in the Swedish of the time and referred to in German literature as ''Torsten Staalhansch' ...
led a Swedish brigade. The later field marshal Gottfried Huyn von Geleen
Gottfried, Count Huyn, Baron of Geleen or Godefridus Comes ab Huyn Baro de Geleen (died 27 August 1657), rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor during the 30 Years War.
Biography
Gottfried was born in Fland ...
participated in the battle on the imperial side.
Gronsfeld was captured[ after his wing was routed by Melander, leaving over 3,000 dead and wounded and 1,000 prisoner. The Swedes lost 700 soldiers.][Burschel (1994), p.272]
Aftermath
The Swedish victory in Oldendorf and the subsequent victory in the Battle of Pfaffenhofen on 11 August balanced their defeat in the Battle of Steinau
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
on 10 October. Overall, Swedish and Imperial forces were "on even terms" in 1633.[Guthrie (2003), p.28] This only changed in the following year. While the Swedish forces won the Battle of Liegnitz on 8 May and the Battle of Landshut on 22 July,[ their defeat in the Battle of Nördlingen on 6 September 1634 brought about a change in the balance of power.][Guthrie (2003), p.29]
Melander, the Swedish commander at Oldendorf, intrigued with the Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
in 1635 to merge Hesse-Kassel's forces into the Imperial army and have Hesse-Kassel sign the Peace of Prague.[ These plans failed, and personal quarrels led him to leave service in 1640 and to re-enter it as the Imperial commander of Westphalia in 1645.][ The Peace of Prague reconciled many Protestant states with the Holy Roman Emperor, most notably the ]Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz.
In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
.[ As a consequence, Sweden's and Hesse-Kassel's forces stood alone against a growing anti-Swedish, pro-]Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
coalition in 1635 - a disequilibrium eventually stirring France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
's intervention in the Thirty Years' War.[
In 1647, Hessisch-Oldendorf became the winter quarters of the Swedish army commanded by ]Carl Gustaf Wrangel
''Fältmarskalk'' Carl Gustaf Wrangel (also Carl Gustav von Wrangel; 23 December 1613 – 5 July 1676) was a Swedish Statesman and Military Commander who commanded the Swedish forces in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northe ...
retreating from Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, followed by the then imperial commander Melander who took his quarters in Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
.[Guthrie (2003), p.234]
Gallery
File:Dodo von Knyphausen, Nordisk familjebok.gif, Dodo von Knyphausen
Dodo von Knyphausen (1641–1698) was a German nobleman from the Duchy of Prussia in the service of Brandenburg-Prussia during the reigns of Electors Frederick William and Frederick III.
A government office to collect revenues in Brandenburg h ...
File:Georg (Braunschweig-Calenberg) Residenzmuseum Celle.JPG, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle – 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.
George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and Dorothea of Denmark ( ...
Notes
Sources
References
Bibliography
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External links
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1633 in Europe
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