The Battle of Breitenfeld

The soldiers of the Swedish army struck the church bell with all their might. The bell had been taken as loot from the papal chaplains of the Holy Roman Empire by the Swedish soldiers. The sound of the bell echoed loudly in all directions, and the Swedish soldiers cheered. The ringing of the bell was the sound of victory. It was the first victory of the Protestant forces over the Imperial forces. King Gustav of Sweden watched the scene and laughed, saying, "How happy our brothers are."

 

 

1. Background
The Thirty Years' War, which began due to the Reformation, had now entered its third phase. The theater of the war was the Holy Roman Empire, which was not a single unified state, but rather a confederation of several princely states. These states were fiercely divided between the Protestant and Catholic factions, and surrounding countries had intervened, turning the war into an international conflict. The war had predominantly been in favor of the Catholics, and the Protestant forces were on the defensive.

 

2. Sweden's Intervention
In 1630, under the pretext of defending the Protestant cause and controlling the Baltic trade, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, known as the "Lion of the North," invaded Germany with the support of France. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire responded by appointing Tilly as the commander-in-chief to confront the Swedish forces. Tilly was the Empire's greatest general, known for his deep faith and nickname, the "Saint in Armor." However, the Protestant princes did not welcome Sweden's intervention. They feared that if Sweden were to win, King Gustavus would demand corresponding territorial gains. Therefore, the Swedish army, lacking the support of the Protestant princes, faced difficulties in securing supply lines. Surprisingly, it was the Catholic side that ended up assisting Sweden.

 

3. The Horrors of Magdeburg
Tilly, leading the Imperial army, retreated to Magdeburg and aimed to attack the Swedish forces in the Emperor's controlled territory. However, Magdeburg was a Protestant city. After a three-month siege, Tilly's forces finally captured the city, but the ensuing pillaging and slaughter led to the deaths of about 30,000 civilians. The news of this massacre spread quickly across Germany, and many Protestant princes began to support Gustavus. With this newfound support, Gustavus Adolphus advanced toward Tilly’s army, and, in alliance with the Protestant forces of Saxony, the Protestant and Catholic armies were set to face off in a decisive battle at the Breitenfeld Plain.

 

4. Size and Deployment of the Armies
Tilly’s army was positioned to the south with 32,000 soldiers and 34 pieces of artillery. His deployment consisted of 17 tercios (Spanish-style formations) in the center, with cavalry on the wings. The tercios were formed with 150 men per rank, creating 10 ranks, with pikemen in the center and musketeers surrounding them. Around the square formation were four additional musketeer units totaling about 1,500 men. The Swedish army, positioned to the north, had 30,000 soldiers and 100 pieces of artillery. The Swedish forces had superior firepower, with their musketeers making up 70% of the army, compared to the Imperial forces' 30%. Furthermore, the Swedish muskets had a higher rate of fire, as the Swedish soldiers could fire three times for every one shot of the Imperial forces. Additionally, Swedish units had light artillery, which supported the infantry. King Gustavus deployed his troops in a linear formation, with reserves in the rear and cavalry on the wings.

 

5. The Artillery Duel
The battle began with an artillery exchange. For about two hours, Tilly’s army suffered significant damage due to the superior firepower of the Swedish artillery. Tilly then ordered his forces to advance. Even as the tercios moved forward, Gustavus continued his artillery bombardment. When the tercios came into close range, the Swedish-Saxon alliance stopped their artillery fire and engaged in infantry combat. As the infantry fought, Swedish light artillery also opened fire, causing severe casualties among Tilly’s soldiers. Every time the artillery fired, more of Tilly's men fell. Meanwhile, the Swedish musketeers continued their fire. Tilly's tercios were nearly annihilated when Pappenheim, commanding Tilly’s left-wing cavalry, made an independent charge. However, Pappenheim's cavalry was quickly repulsed by the Swedish forces.

 

6. The Desertion of the Saxons
Meanwhile, Tilly’s right-wing forces attacked the Swedish left flank, which was composed of the Saxons, causing them to retreat. About half of the Protestant forces withdrew from the battlefield. With the Saxons fleeing, the Swedish left wing became vulnerable, and Tilly seized the opportunity to push his tercios forward to flank the Swedish position. He intended to surround them by attacking their left side and sending his cavalry to strike the Swedish rear, which would have resulted in a decisive Imperial victory.

 

7. Gustavus's Counterattack
However, King Gustavus quickly reacted by deploying his reserves to the left wing, reorganizing his troops into a new formation. Additionally, the Imperial cavalry that had tried to attack the Swedish rear was stopped by Swedish reserve cavalry. Gustavus then led two cavalry regiments himself, joining the right wing in a counterattack. First, his cavalry defeated the Imperial cavalry, and then, in a flash, they broke through Tilly’s defense lines and attacked the Imperial flank. They also captured Imperial artillery, using it to fire on Tilly's forces. With the Swedish forces attacking from almost all directions, the situation for Tilly’s army quickly turned disastrous, and the Imperial forces began to collapse.

 

8. Battle Outcome
In this battle, Tilly’s forces suffered a catastrophic loss, with 26,000 casualties out of 35,000 soldiers, including both dead and captured. It was a near-total defeat. This battle demonstrated the success of Gustavus's military reforms and dealt a significant blow to the Imperial forces, who had been on a winning streak. For the Protestant forces, who had been suffering from repeated defeats and low morale, this victory was of profound importance. It marked their first triumph in the war. Following this battle, the Protestant forces launched a major counteroffensive. Throughout the Thirty Years' War, the Protestant and Catholic forces alternated in gaining the upper hand. The outcome of the war was deeply influenced by the Battle of Breitenfeld.