Battle of White Mountain
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| Battle of White Mountain | |||||||
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| Part of the Thirty Years' War | |||||||
| Image:Battle of White Mountain.jpg The Battle on a contemporary gravure | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Image:Flag of Bohemia.svg Bohemia | Image:Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor (after 1400).svg Holy Roman Empire Image:Marienfahne.gif Catholic League Image:Flag of New Spain.svg Spain | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Image:Flag of Bohemia.svg Christian I of Anhalt-Bernburg | Image:Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor (after 1400).svg Karel Buquoy Image:Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor (after 1400).svg Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,000 infantry 11,000 cavalry | 18,500 infantry 6,500 cavalry | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 5,000 dead or wounded | 700 dead or wounded | ||||||
Thirty Years' War |
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| Plzeň – Záblati – Dolní Věstonice – White Mountain – Wiesloch – Wimpfen – Höchst – Fleurus – Stadtlohn – Dessau Bridge – Lutter am Barenberge – Stralsund – Wolgast – Frankfurt – Magdeburg – Werben – 1st Breitenfeld – Rain – Fürth – Alte Veste – Lützen – Oldendorf – Nördlingen – Wittstock – Rheinfelden – Breisach – Chemnitz – Honnecourt – 2nd Breitenfeld – Rocroi – Tuttlingen – Freiburg – Jüterbog – Jankov – Mergentheim – 2nd Nördlingen – Zusmarshausen – Lens – Prague |
The Battle of White Mountain, November 8, 1620 (Bílá hora is the name of White Mountain in Czech) was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 20,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 25,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Karel Bonaventura Buquoy and of the Catholic League under Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly at Czech Bílá Hora, near Prague (now part of it). The battle marked the end of the Bohemian period of the Thirty Years' War.
Contents |
[edit] Prelude
Initially the revolt of the Protestants in Bohemia went well, and they broke out of their isolated political position by electing Frederick V, Elector Palatine as their king. But things changed when Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria regrouped the forces of the Catholic League. He sent Tilly straight to Prague.
[edit] Battle
The Bohemian commander, Christian of Anhalt, assembled his troops, and deployed them on the slopes of a hill (Bílá Hora in Czech, Weißer Berg in German, both meaning White Mountain) blocking the road to Prague. His troops occupied a solid position, with his right flank covered by a hunting castle, his left covered by a brook, and a small brook with some moors in front of them.
According to some reports, a monk brought along a picture of St. Mary, which had been defaced by the Protestants, which incited furor among the Catholic troops.
Tilly observed the enemy position and sent his well-trained men over a small bridge crossing the brook. In just two hours of heavy fighting, they smashed through the center of the enemy line. This decided the battle.
[edit] Aftermath
With the Bohemian army destroyed, Tilly entered Prague and the revolt broke down. King Frederick with his wife Elizabeth fled the country (hence his nickname the Winter King). Forty-seven noble leaders of the insurrection were tried, and twenty-seven were executed on what is called "the Day of Blood" at Prague's Old Town Square.
Freedom of religion in Bohemian lands came to an abrupt end and Protestants were forcibly converted or fled and/or expelled from the country. Spanish troops, seeking to encircle their rebellious Dutch provinces, seized the Palatinate. With Protestantism threatening to be overrun in Germany, Denmark entered the struggle.
[edit] References
ar:معركة الجبل الأبيض be:Бітва на Белай Гары be-x-old:Бітва на Белай Гары cs:Bitva na Bílé hoře da:Slaget ved Det Hvide Bjerg de:Schlacht am Weißen Berg es:Batalla de la Montaña Blanca fr:Bataille de la Montagne Blanche gl:Batalla da Montaña Branca it:Battaglia della Montagna Bianca hu:Fehérhegyi csata nl:Slag op de Witte Berg ja:白山の戦い pl:Bitwa pod Białą Górą ro:Bătălia de la Muntele Alb ru:Битва на Белой Горе sl:Bitka na Beli gori sr:Битка код Биле Хоре fi:Valkeavuoren taistelu sv:Slaget vid Vita berget uk:Битва на Білій Горі
