The Capture of Mannheim was undertaken on 2 November 1622 by the Imperial-Spanish army commanded by

Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League (Ge ...

against the Protestant troops under the Englishman Sir

Horace Vere Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565 – 2 May 1635) (also ''Horatio Vere'' or ''Horatio de Vere'') was an English military leader during the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War, a brother of Francis Vere. He was sent to the ...

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 ...

. Horace Vere (DNB00)

Background

In September 1620, the Imperial-Spanish troops led by the

Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

and Don

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread po ...

invaded and conquered the Lower Palatinate. The Protestant garrison under Sir

held

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, af ...

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, but the rest of the Palatinate fell into Spanish hands.Polišenský/Snider p.90 On 19 September 1622 the Imperial-Spanish army defeated the Protestant troops under Sir Gerard Herbert at

and the Catholic army went on to conquer the town.

Siege of Mannheim

The Spanish continued their progress towards

. The city was defended by the Anglo-German-

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

troops commanded by

. The

subjected Manheim to a siege, and the Imperial-Spanish forces swiftly defeated the Protestant troops. The city was conquered by the Spaniards, and Vere, and a few hundred of his men, retired to the citadel. Finally, and without hope of reinforcements, Vere was forced to capitulate. Just

remained under control of the Protestants commanded by Sir

John Burroughs John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871. In the words of his bio ...

, but was taken one year later by the Spanish troops under Don Guillermo Verdugo.

Aftermath

Sir Horace Vere - Horatius Veer (1565-1635)

The courage displayed by

against great odds was recognised in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, when the General returned early in February 1623, even if his salary and expenses were never paid in full by the treasury. On 16 February 1623 he was appointed

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

for life, and he became a member of the

Council of War A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle. Under normal circumstances, decisions are made by a commanding officer, optionally communicated ...

on 20 July 1624. In 1624, Vere travelled once more to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

in order to second Prince

Maurice of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

in the defence of the important fortress of

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, under siege by the Spaniards under Don

Ambrosio Spinola Ambrogio Spinola Doria, 1st Marquess of Los Balbases and 1st Duke of Sesto (1569-25 September 1630) was an Italian ''condottiero'' and nobleman of the Republic of Genoa, who served as a Spanish general and won a number of important battles. He i ...

from August.

Notes

References

* Rudolf Schäfer: ''Höchst am Main''. Frankfurt am Main 1981: Frankfurter Sparkasse 1822. * Rudolf Schäfer: ''Chronik von Höchst am Main''. Frankfurt 1986: Waldemar Kramer. * Adalbert Vollert: ''Sossenheim. Geschichte eines Frankfurter Stadtteils''. Frankfurt 1980: Frankfurter Sparkasse von 1822. *

Johann Philipp Abelin Johann Philipp Abelin was a German chronicler whose career straddled the 16th and 17th centuries. He was born, probably, at Strasbourg, and died there between 1634 and 1637. He wrote numerous histories under the pseudonyms of Abeleus, Philipp Arla ...

: ''Theatrum Europaeum'', Vol. 1, Frankfurt 1662, plate 1622, pages 630-633. * * Josef V. Polišenský/Frederick Snider: ''War and society in Europe (1618-1648)''. Bristol: Cambridge University Press, 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mannheim, Capture of Battles of the Thirty Years' War Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire Battles involving Spain Battles involving England 1622 in Europe Conflicts in 1622 Capture 1622 in the Holy Roman Empire Electoral Palatinate Battles in Baden-Württemberg

Background

Siege of Mannheim

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References