The Battle of Lutzen was one of the largest battles of the Thirty Years’ War, fought between Swedish troops under the command of Gustav II Adolf, and Habsburg units led by Albrecht Wallenstein on 16 November 1632.The Swedish king was killed in the course of this battle.
In the spring of 1632, troops of the Catholic League under the command of Wallenstein entered Saxony. Wallenstein’s goal was to stop Gustav Adolf, the King of Sweden. Wallenstein expected to force the elector of Saxony to renounce the alliance with Sweden. The Habsburg Emperor did not approve of this decision, however indirect pressure on the Swedish king was successful. On September 3, there was a battle between the Swedish and Imperial armies at Alta Festa, near Nuremberg. The battle was generally successful for the Swedes but did not lead to a decisive victory.
Before the Battle
On November 12, the armies met near Naumburg. However, neither of them at first wanted a general battle, settling in field camps some distance from each other. On November 14, the imperial commander decided to split the army. After receiving information that Wallenstein had sent out his units, Gustav Adolf led his army into motion, seeking a battle. On November 15, a clash took place near the village of Rippach, 5 km southwest of Lutzen. The Swedes, having brought down a small barrier built by the Imperials, forged a small river and spent the night at a distance of a march to Lutzen. Wallenstein immediately ordered the return of the rest of the army. The infantry of Pappenheim’s corps could not return as quickly. Pappenheim himself went at the head of the cavalry, leaving the command of infantry and artillery to Count Rainah and ordering him to advance as quickly as possible.
On the morning of November 16, the Swedes began to move from Rippach in the direction of the imperial troops. The Swedish army consisted of two groups, each comprised of both infantry and cavalry. Together, the Swedish forces numbered about 18,000, the imperial forces without Pappenheim were 12,000 soldiers (plus 5,000 from Pappenheim).
Battle
Gustav decided to inflict the main blow with the right wing of his army, which he commanded personally. The king’s goal was to dislodge the enemy from positions reinforced by field fortifications north of Lutzen. The city itself was set on fire by order of Wallenstein.
The Swedish attack was a success. There was a threat of complete collapse of the imperial army flank. However, Pappenheim approached the battlefield with three cavalry regiments. The counterattack on the left flank of the Imperials was headed personally by Pappenheim, but he was mortally wounded by at least three musket bullets, and the attack stalled. Nevertheless, the threat on the Imperials’ left flank was eliminated. The imperial army also received reinforcements from Ottavio Piccolomini, who, at the head of two regiments of the second line, entered the battle.
Gustav Adolf made a counterattack, and his horse was injured, and the king was wounded in the arm by the same bullet. The attack continued without him, and with Gustavus Adolf, only seven or eight remained. In the fog, they were stumbled upon by a group of imperial cuirassiers. In the ensuing skirmish, Gustav Adolf was shot and killed. After the king’s death, the battle continued. The command was taken over by Prince Bernhard Weimar. The soldiers were not informed of the king’s death, and most of the Swedish army did not know what had happened.
In the next attack, the main strike force of the Swedes was the “Blue” and “Yellow” infantry brigades. They attacked the center of the imperial position. This blow, however, had for the Swedish army almost catastrophic consequences. “Yellow” brigade fell under concentrated fire, suffered very heavy losses and was forced to retreat. The head of the attack, Count Braga, was wounded.
Faced with imperial infantry, the Blue Brigade was attacked by cavalry on both flanks. As a result of the extremely fierce battle, the “Blue” brigade lost two-thirds of its’ troops. The defeat of two brigades, all veterans, was a painful blow to the Swedish army.
After the death of Pappenheim, the fighting spirit of his soldiers waned, and the Swedes managed to seriously sway the imperial left flank. Swedes, having introduced the reserves from the second line, organized another series of attacks on the imperial positions.
The last battle began at about 15-30 Swedes again attacked the imperial right flank. During the battle, none of the senior commanders of the imperial flank escaped injuries. By the time of night, the key imperial positions were in the hands of the Swedes, but they could no longer take advantage of the their achievements. Wallenstein was also wounded. By six o’clock the Pappenheim infantry had come to the Imperials under the command of Count Rainach.
End of the Battle
Wallenstein assembled a conference of commanders. The Imperial commanders who took part in the council spoke in favor of continuing the battle the next day, suggesting that the fresh Pappenheim soldiers could bring victory. However, Wallenstein refused to continue the battle. On the one hand, he was not sure of the stamina of his war-weary soldiers; on the other, he did not know whether reinforcements had arrived for the Swedes. He decided to retreat.
The retreat was covered by infantry of the Pappenheim Corps. During the night, the imperial army settled in Leipzig, and on Nov. 18 retreated further towards Bohemia, where Wallenstein’s personal possessions were located.
Both the Imperials and the Swedes initially claimed victory. The Swedes could demonstrate the usual attributes of victory in the form of captured arms and prisoners in Leipzig. In addition, the Imperials had left the battlefield. However, the imperial army was not crushed, and for the Swedes, their tactical success was overshadowed by the death of their charismatic leader, King Gustav Adolf.
Sources:
- Alekseev VM Thirty Years’ War
- History of Europe. From the Middle Ages to the New Time. M., 1993. T.3
Shiller IK History of the Thirty Years’ War - Brzezinski R. Lützen 1632. Oxford: Osprey, 2001.
- Guthrie WP Battles of the Thirty Years War: From White Mountain to Nordlingen, 1618-1635