Why Was Wallenstein Important To The 30 Years War

Jonathan Agbeyegbe
Susan May
German 333
Thesis: Albert Von Wallenstein’s Exploits and Importance to the 30 Years War

Albrecht von Wallenstein was a great commander as well as a very complicated and ambitious human being. Albrecht von Wallenstein was very important to the 30 year war and was actually one of the reasons the war lasted so long. Albrecht von Wallenstein was the champion of many battles and skirmishes during the 30 year war. Two different times he built an army which brought great valor and prestige to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Ferdinand II. Von Wallenstein would then go on to betray Ferdinand by means of treason. His treasonous act spanned from simple insubordination, to forging his own alliances, worse yet still to

the egregious act of plotting a full blow Coup d’état. During the course of the 30 year war von Wallenstein had also been relieved of commander and aided the opposition in taking key protestant victories to force Ferdinand II hand in reinstating him as the supreme commander of the Habsburg armies.
Albrecht von Wallenstein was born on September 24th 1583 and was a Bohemian by birth. Throughout his life Albrecht von Wallenstein and many others would see him as neither German nor Czech and neither truly Catholic nor Protestant. He would be seen as a Bohemian who became a powerful Prince of the Empire of Germany, and a man with a large amount of resentment and contempt. Even at an early age Albrecht von Wallenstein had been in service to the Royal houses of Austria. There he completed many campaigns fighting the Turks, fellow Bohemians, Hungarians, Venetians, and the Transylvanians. Von Wallenstein’s reputation was established through his merits during these conflicts and his ambition’s would continue to grow pushing him upwards from there.
Albrecht von Wallenstein approached Emperor Ferdinand II with a desire to construct and lead an Imperial Army in the Emperors name. The Emperor had long been in search of a way to free himself of his dependency on Bavaria and the league for protection and this was his ticket out. At this time Count Wallenstein was a powerful officer and the wealthiest noble in Bohemia. To the great disbelief of many of the princes and nobles of the Empire, Albrecht von Wallenstein pledged not only to raise an Imperial army for the Emperor but that he and his friends would fully fund and clothe the army. All that was requested was to be allowed to grow to 50,000 men and be bestowed the mantle of the Emperor. Once empowered by the name and office of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, Albrecht von Wallenstein was quick to grow his forces to 20,000 followed by 30,000 in over a few months.(1)
The Emperor’s only aid to Albrecht von Wallenstein’s cause was the use of his name. The reputation of Albrecht von Wallenstein and the promises of rich, fame and quick promotion opportunities brought even more men to Albrecht von Wallenstein Imperial army. An imperial army was now in Germany and no one actually knew how Albrecht von Wallenstein planned to financially sustain his numbers. Von Wallenstein deviously developed a balanced system to tax allied towns as well as enemy town for war costs. His army who wreak havoc on each location they passed through. He would go on to tax the peasants who had neither interest nor investments in the war. This would upset the princes of these regions who would complain to the Emperor but the Emperor in a weird way was being forced to accept these methods.
Albrecht von Wallenstein entered the battle of Prague as a colonel and displayed his expert combat capabilities. After his masterful performance during the battle at Moravia, Albrecht Von Wallenstein would be awarded the title of major-general. Von Wallenstein would later take the title generalissimo of the Emperor at sea and by land. The might of von Wallenstein’s forces could have easily forced a peace but he continued to add to his ranks and soon grew his numbers to 100,000.(2) The callousness of von Wallenstein to the heavy price in which German citizens were forced to pay to sustain his mighty force was unforgivable to many. Here, is where von Wallenstein suffered his first serious blow to his ambition. He sought out to capture the sea port town of Stralsund which was at the time operating neutrally and acted totally independently from Denmark. Von Wallenstein wanted to use this strategic port to stage advantageous campaigns into Sweden.
Albrecht von Wallenstein didn’t really have a navy though the generalissimo of the sea he was.

Without ship a blockade was never set up to cut off supplies to inhabitants of Stralsund. Foolishly Albrecht von Wallenstein instead set up a land blockade and continued for months to lay siege to the continuously resupplied port town. The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II then sent word for Albrecht von Wallenstein to stop the siege and return. Albrecht von Wallenstein refused the orders and continued his fruitless assault on Stralsund. Stralsund realizing the gravity of the situation they were in with the big Bohemian wolf sitting at their door, requested protection for the King of Denmark. After realizing that his support wouldn’t come in a reasonable amount of time Stralsund was forced into and alliance with Gustavus

Adolphus.
Stralsund had always prided itself on its neutrality as well as its ability to act independently from Denmark. By the actions of Albrecht von Wallenstein alone had this powerful alliance between Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Stralsund been forged. Furthermore, Albrecht von Wallenstein in a roundabout way was the architect of Sweden’s easy passage way into Germany. This gave Sweden an enormous boost in moral and greatly extended the 30 year war by allowing Sweden onto German territory. After his retreat Albrecht von Wallenstein returned to business as usual, and the princes of the land would continue to be oppressed while having their lands raided and their women raped. Albrecht von Wallenstein purposely placed a wider divide between the Emperor Ferdinand II, the princes and all other such nobles and clergy in the Empire. His thought process was that the Emperor Ferdinand II would alone wield absolute power and he would move about by means of the Emperor’s name / mantle. Who could challenge his lawless military if only the Emperor was his superior?
After the Emperor sent his troops to Mantua, the plight that had so harshly befell on Germany was now a curse moving slowly over Italy. Some say even in the Vatican City prayers were being sent up asking for Protestant armies to arrive. Sept 1630 von Wallenstein was removed from command by Ferdinand II under great influence from the Jesuit Order. The armies of Austria where turned over by Albrecht von Wallenstein to the newly elected commander General Tilly. Tilly suffered many small defeats and was later bitterly defeated by Gustavus Adolphus at Breitenfeld.
The Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus who was also known as the “Snow King” or the “Lion of the North” began to gain momentum with victory after small victory. Adolphus was rapidly advancing against Austria moving through Franconia, and Bavaria. Maximillian of Bavaria (The most powerful ally Austria had) seemed to be open to the proposed neutrality being dangled in front of his face, which would have permitted Gustavus Adolphus to march by to crush Austria. Gustavus Adolphus wielded absolute power with no equal in his kingdom, nor did he have a master above him, which made all his orders final. That was his secret to victory; his soldiers were extremely disciplined and were severely dealt with if they stepped out of line. As Gustavus Adolphus’s victories continued to amass the generals under the Holy Roman Emperor began to demand authority over their troops and the liberty to act independently from the leaders above them. This further weakened the harmony between Ferdinand II’s forces during combine attacks. As the lower class Protestants witnessed this they became emboldened and began to actively and openly speak against the Emperor.
Without Albrecht von Wallenstein in command Austria was easily defeated at the battle of Breitenfeld. This defeat signaled to all the other power that the great nation of Austria was on a severe decline. Austria was in desperate need of a noteworthy general would could rally the troops and reinvigorate the masses. Emperor Ferdinand II for the first time begins to hear the rumblings in his court calling for Wallenstein’s return. The Emperor first offers himself up as the next supreme commander of the armies, which was quickly and respectful put down by his closest advisors. The Emperor’s son King Ferdinand III who was already the King of Hungary and Bohemia was next to be proposed for the position. Ferdinand III too was rejected, siting his youth and military inexperience as his disqualifying factors.
Emperor Ferdinand II confessed that losing Albrecht von Wallenstein was like cutting off his right arm. Each defeat suffered opened up this same wounds for the Emperor to remember he had self-inflicted this pain and misery on himself and his subjects. The emperor began to wish he had only lost a general in von Wallenstein but knew he had seriously insulted and angered an equally yoked fierce and ambitious man. Truth be told, had von Wallenstein not been so enraged but the Emperor’s treatment of him, he would have continued to enjoy all the perks of his proximity to the crown without making an upwards grab. But since he had witnessed for himself the ease of which the sovereign could lower the station of any of his subjects, he too wanted to wield that power.
Meanwhile, Gustavus Adolphus continued to conquer most of the northern part of Germany with the Emperor losing city after city and town after town. During this period the 30 year war came within months of a swift a final end. The string of events developed with Albrecht von Wallenstein beginning to follow the many exploits of Gustavus Adolphus. After learning of his victory in Leipzic, von Wallenstein immediately sent word to Gustavus Adolphus pursuing a friendship with him. Count Thurn now of Sweden was to meet with Gustavus Adolphus on von Wallenstein’s behalf to extend an invitation to a mutually beneficial alliance. Gustavus Adolphus was to supply Albrecht von Wallenstein with 15,000 Swedish soldiers which would be combined with the men he would be responsible for rising. This force would then be commanded by von Wallenstein with the sole purpose of defeating Bohemia and Moravia. Von Wallenstein would then conduct a surprise attack to conquer Vienna and force the Emperor Ferdinand II out of Austria.
Albrecht von Wallenstein was extremely excited after receiving a favorable response from Gustavus Adolphus. After Gustavus Adolphus’s victory at the battle of Breitenfeld, Albrecht von Wallenstein pressed him even harder for this mutually beneficial alliance. Apparently he was a bit too aggressive as Gustavus decline the offer stating his numbers were currently too low to forsake even a few troops. A short time later, Gustavus realized this alliance would have put an immediate stop to the war and sought a reengagement to the alliance. Unfortunately, Albrecht von Wallenstein’s pride had already been wounded causing him to immediately refuse the outdated offer. Albrecht von Wallenstein now looked to the Elector of Saxony for a friend and ally. Von Wallenstein played upon the resentment he knew the Elector to have for Gustavus power and prestige as the King of Sweden and promised to low both he and the Emperor’s stations.
Albrecht von Wallenstein knew that no matter what course of action he wanted to take, he would first need to amass a brave and loyal army. There was no secret or discreet way to go about raising an army without drawing the attention of Ferdinand II and every prince and noble in the empire. Albrecht von Wallenstein knew his only chance was to regain his status with the Emperor and slowly plot his revenge against the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II for removing him from command and against Gustavus Adolphus for refusing his proposed alliance. For all this to work Albrecht von Wallenstein knew he needed unlimited authority and troop devoted to him first. In order to ensure unlimited authority was granted to him by Emperor Ferdinand II von Wallenstien would need proxies pushing his cause forward with the Emperor while he appeared to be disinterested in a return to command.
Albrecht von Wallenstein and his friends then set out to promote the successes of the Empire’s enemies to further embarrass Ferdinand II. This was pushed further by Wallenstein advising the Saxons to forgo their attack of Silesia and Lusatia to instead head towards the defenseless kingdom of Bohemia. The Saxons rapidly cut through this kingdom with lots of navigations being provided by von Wallenstein. Von Wallenstein later met with the Saxons to finalize their partnership goals. Emperor Ferdinand II could no longer ignore the increasing numbers of Protestant victories, the Swedish army marching on the Rhine lands and von Wallenstein’s friends along with those he had bribed constantly commenting on the current state of affairs. The Emperor finally gave in and sent representatives to Albrecht von Wallenstein to propose a possible return to command.
The moment for Albrecht von Wallenstein revenge was finally at hand and he wanted to return the injuries Ferdinand II had done him with interest. When approached about possible returning to command, von Wallenstein gracefully described the peaceful and opulent lifestyle he was now accustomed to living. He painted a perfect picture of tranquility, contentment, and a mysterious magnificence he was enjoying and oversold a reluctance of ever wanting to return to the cold battle field.(3) The Emperor pushed back with a handful of rewards and opportunities meant to incite Wallenstein to action. Albrecht von Wallenstein continued his deception by declining an invitation by Ferdinand II to the imperial court. Emperor Ferdinand II then sent a proposition that attach Ferdinand III as von Wallenstein’s co-commander, to which Wallenstein bitterly protested.
Albrecht von Wallenstein then designed and accepted a three month contract after which time he would step down as commander. This period was to be used to build a new standing imperial army. With Emperor Ferdinand II’s blessing von Wallenstein embarked on his journey. Within the three month time he amassed a force of 40,000 men a stationed them in Moravia.(4) After bearing witness to the ease of this troop formation the Emperor was more determined than ever to keep Albrecht von Wallenstein as commander.
Emperor Ferdinand II continued to push for Albrecht von Wallenstein’s return to service.

This time Ferdinand II sent Albrecht von Wallenstein’s friend Prince Eggenberg and authorized him to secure his commission at any cost or sacrifice. This just strengthened the resolve of von Wallenstein to hold out and force Emperor Ferdinand II into yielding unlimited control of his armies. “Wallenstein required the uncontrolled command over all the German armies of Austria and Spain, with unlimited powers to reward and punish. Neither the King of Hungary, nor the Emperor himself, were to appear in the army, still less to exercise any act of authority over it. No commission in the army, no pension or letter of grace, was to be granted by the Emperor without Wallenstein's approval. All the conquests and confiscations that should take place were to be placed entirely at Wallenstein's disposal, to the exclusion of every other tribunal. For his ordinary pay, an imperial hereditary estate was to be assigned him, with another of the conquered estates within the Empire for his extraordinary expenses. Every Austrian province was to be opened to him if he required it in case of retreat. He further demanded the assurance of the possession of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, in the event of a future peace; and a formal and timely intimation, if it should be deemed necessary a second time to deprive him of the command.”(5) After some time Ferdinand II granted Ferdinand all he had

requested.
Albrecht von Wallenstein would then go on to ignore almost all of Ferdinand II’s commands and requests for troop movements. He abandons locations where his troops are greatly needed to pursue his own selfish agendas. This was felt most by Emperor Ferdinand II when he and Maximillian requested a few regiments to aid Bavaria’s defense against the assault of Gustavus Adolphus. Albrecht von Wallenstein ignored multiple messages from Maximillian as well as messenger after messenger from Emperor Ferdinand II. Von Wallenstein continued to sit idly by in Bohemia while Gustavus Adolphus and the Swedes conquered the better part of Bavaria and moved to threaten Austria herself.(6) Only after Austria had been threatened did Wallenstein finally decide to join the fray.
Gustavus Adolphus had the numbers advantage when the two met on the battle field even though Maximillian had already joined his remaining forces with those of Wallenstein. Gustavus was killed as Wallenstein was attempting a retreat and the Swedish armies later fell as well. After a few more victories Albrecht von Wallenstein’s extracurricular activities would once again caught up to him, but this time his commission as well as life would be forfeited. Wallenstein was never the embodiment of a heroic figure, nor did he ever possess a multitude of heroic qualities. Wallenstein true history can only be described as ambition, envy, cold passion, and utter vindictiveness. It’s important to note the number of times Wallenstein had the overwhelming force and momentum needed to demand peace from both side. Were it not for Wallenstein’s ambition to tower over so many, the 30 year was might have been known as the 6 or 7 year war.

References:

1- Eggenberger, David. An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover, 1985. Pg. 161
2- Huf, Hans. Mit Gottes Segen in Die Hölle: Der Dreissigjährige Krieg. München: Econ, 2003. (video)
3- Ingrao, Charles W. (1994). The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618-1815. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.Pg. 45-46
4- Schiller, Friedrich, and Arthur H. Palmer. Schiller's History of the Thirty Years' War; Those Parts of Books II, III, and IV Which Treat of the Careers and Characters of Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein;. New York: H. Holt and Company, 1899
5- Schiller, Friedrich, and Arthur H. Palmer. Schiller's History of the Thirty Years' War; Those Parts of Books II, III, and IV Which Treat of the Careers and Characters of Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein;. New York: H. Holt and Company, 1899.
6- Clausewitz, Carl Von, Dahlquist, Germund Wilhelm, and Hans W. Gatzke. Principles of War. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 2003. Pg. 81

Bibliography:
Clausewitz, Carl Von, Dahlquist, Germund Wilhelm, and Hans W. Gatzke. Principles of War. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 2003.
Cooper, J. (1970). The New Cambridge Modern History (1st ed., Vol. The Thirty Years War). London, NE: Cambridge University Press.
Eggenberger, David. An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover, 1985.
Fuller, J. (1954). A Military History of the Western World. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
Huf, Hans. Mit Gottes Segen in Die Hölle: Der Dreissigjährige Krieg. München: Econ, 2003.
Ingrao, Charles W. (1994). The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618-1815. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.
Schiller, Friedrich, & Lamport, F. The Robbers ; Wallenstein. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin Books, 1979.
Schiller, Friedrich, and Arthur H. Palmer. Schiller's History of the Thirty Years' War;
Those Parts of Books II, III, and IV Which Treat of the Careers and Characters of Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein;. New York: H. Holt and Company, 1899.
Wedgwood, C.V. The Thirty Years War. London: Pimlico, 1992.