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Battle of White Mountain

 

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Battle of White Mountain


 
 
The Battle of White Mountain, November 8, 1620 (Bílá hora is the name of White Mountain in Czech) was an early battleBattle

Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat t...
 in the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought between 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of today's Germany, and involved most o...
 in which an army of 20,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of AnhaltChristian of Anhalt

Christian of Anhalt, was the Prince of Anhalt-Bernberg and advisor to the Electors Palatine Frederick IV as well as Frederic...
 were routed by 25,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand II, of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Holy Roman Emperor from 1620-1637....
 under Karel Bonaventura BuquoyKarel Bonaventura Buquoy

Karel Bonaventura Buquoy was a military commander who fought for the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War....
 (as he is known in Czech; Charles in his native French) and of the Catholic LeagueFacts About Catholic League (German)

The Catholic League was a confederation of Catholic German states formed in order to counteract the Protestant Union....
 under Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly at Bílá Hora, near PraguePrague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic....
 (now part of the city). The battle marked the end of the Bohemian period of the Thirty Years' War.
PreludeInitially the revolt of the Protestants in BohemiaBohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic....
 went well, and they broke out of their isolated political position by electing Frederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V, Elector Palatine

Frederick V was Elector Palatine, and, as Frederick I, King of Bohemia....
 as their king. But after Frederick accepted the crown of Bohemia in 1619, the Protestant UnionProtestant Union

The Protestant Union was a coalition of Protestant German states that was formed in 1608 to defend the rights, lands and per...
 signed the Treaty of Ulm (1620)Treaty of Ulm (1620)

The Treaty of Ulm was signed on July 3, 1620 between representatives of the Catholic League and the Protestant Union....
 with the Catholic League, declaring neutrality and refusing to support him.






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Timeline

1620   The Battle of White Mountain, the first battle in the Thirty Years' War, takes place near Prague, ending in a decisive Catholic victory in only two hours.






Encyclopedia


The Battle of White Mountain, November 8, 1620 (Bílá hora is the name of White Mountain in Czech) was an early battleBattle

Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat t...
 in the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought between 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of today's Germany, and involved most o...
 in which an army of 20,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of AnhaltChristian of Anhalt

Christian of Anhalt, was the Prince of Anhalt-Bernberg and advisor to the Electors Palatine Frederick IV as well as Frederic...
 were routed by 25,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand II, of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Holy Roman Emperor from 1620-1637....
 under Karel Bonaventura BuquoyKarel Bonaventura Buquoy

Karel Bonaventura Buquoy was a military commander who fought for the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War....
 (as he is known in Czech; Charles in his native French) and of the Catholic LeagueFacts About Catholic League (German)

The Catholic League was a confederation of Catholic German states formed in order to counteract the Protestant Union....
 under Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly at Bílá Hora, near PraguePrague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic....
 (now part of the city). The battle marked the end of the Bohemian period of the Thirty Years' War.

Prelude

Initially the revolt of the Protestants in BohemiaBohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic....
 went well, and they broke out of their isolated political position by electing Frederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V, Elector Palatine

Frederick V was Elector Palatine, and, as Frederick I, King of Bohemia....
 as their king. But after Frederick accepted the crown of Bohemia in 1619, the Protestant UnionProtestant Union

The Protestant Union was a coalition of Protestant German states that was formed in 1608 to defend the rights, lands and per...
 signed the Treaty of Ulm (1620)Treaty of Ulm (1620)

The Treaty of Ulm was signed on July 3, 1620 between representatives of the Catholic League and the Protestant Union....
 with the Catholic League, declaring neutrality and refusing to support him. In the following months, Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria regrouped the forces of the Catholic League, and in November, sent Tilly to Prague.

Battle

The Bohemian commander, Christian of AnhaltChristian of Anhalt

Christian of Anhalt, was the Prince of Anhalt-Bernberg and advisor to the Electors Palatine Frederick IV as well as Frederic...
, 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 PraguePrague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic....
. 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 Roman 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.

Aftermath

With the Bohemian army destroyed, Tilly entered Prague and the revolt broke down. King FrederickFrederick V, Elector Palatine

Frederick V was Elector Palatine, and, as Frederick I, King of Bohemia....
 with his wife ElizabethElizabeth Stuart

Elizabeth or Elisabeth Stuart may refer to:...
 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. Today, 27 crosses have been inlayed in the cobblestone as a tribute to those victims.

Freedom of religion in Bohemian lands came to an abrupt end and Protestants were forcibly converted to Roman Catholicism or fled and/or were expelled from the country. SpanishSpanish Empire

The Spanish Empire was the first truly global empire....
 troops, seeking to encircle their rebellious DutchDutch Republic

he Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in the same location as the mod...
 provinces, seized the Palatinate. With Protestantism threatening to be overrun in GermanyGermany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe....
, DenmarkDenmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 entered the struggle.

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