Battle of White Mountain

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The Battle of White Mountain ( Czech White Mountain ), near Prague, on 8 November 1620 a discussion of the Thirty Years' War. In its course, the Bohemian estates were subject under their king Frederick V of the Palatinate and its commander Christian I of Anhalt ( 13,000 men ) the troops of the Catholic League, led by Karl Bonaventura Count of Buquoys ( 39,000 ). Johann t'Serclaes of Tilly was under his command. Frederick V, the so-called Winter King had to flee from Bohemia and Emperor Ferdinand II was able to assert his claim to the crown of Bohemia.

Legend

Considering the strategic position of the Bohemian army, which had occupied the ridge, so it appears as a remarkable achievement that the imperial troops nevertheless managed to win. Tilly should have been even more self confident in the morning of November 8 of the impregnability of the White Mountain.

According to legend, a Carmelite monk named Domenico entered into the imperial army camp and have carried a portrait of the Holy Family from the previously looted and pillaged castle Strakonice with it, the Protestants in all figures, except the child Jesus, the eyes had been gouged out. The disgraced portrait and his words, one must avenge this sacrilege, the troops reportedly acrimonious such that they stormed the mountain with the battle cry " Santa Maria " in the shortest possible time. The Bohemian army to have been caught off guard by this unexpected attack, so that it fell into disorder and fled. The portrait is now venerated in the Roman church of Santa Maria della Vittoria as a relic.

Frederick V of the Palatinate was giving a banquet for the British ambassador, when the news was brought to him by the sudden defeat of his troops. He fled into exile, and he was able to maintain his reign as King of Bohemia little more than a year, he received the nickname "Winter King".

Course of the battle

At noon of November 8, 1620, the right wing of the imperial troops continued in the direction of the Protestant army in motion, subsequently, the Spanish cavalry and the Walloon infantry on the left flank. Even at this moment began large parts of the opponent's army to escape, but others fought hard against the uphill marching soldiers of the Imperial ligistischen troops. This enabled the soldiers under the command of Christian II of Anhalt ( son of the Commander- Christian of Anhalt ) fend off the Spanish cavalry and to burst a Walloon unit subsequently. Under these impressions, Tilly was then the Italian and Polish cavalry the order to attack, which succeeded in further consequence to shatter enemy Hungarian cavalry and to drive in the Vltava river, where many drowned.

Now sat down, which now occurred Taking advantage of numerical superiority, the entire Catholic army in motion and fought the remaining Protestant soldiers down in the melee. In this phase of the battle, the young lieutenant-colonel Gottfried Heinrich was severely wounded to Pappenheim. Meanwhile, more and more Anhalt'sche soldiers fled in the direction of Prague, where you slowly became aware of the impending defeat. Frederick V of the Palatinate left helter-skelter his residence and the next day the city.

Follow

As a result, the lost battle 61 leaders and supporters of the Czech side were captured. From them you exekutierte 27 Standesherren (22 Czech and German origin 5 ) on 21 June 1621 the Old Town Square, including Kaspar Cappleri de Sulewicz Jan Jessenius and Joachim Andreas von Schlick. About Frederick V and his general Prince Christian I of Anhalt -Bernburg the imperial ban was imposed (Figure in the article outlawry ).

The Battle of White Mountain is significant for the further history of Central Europe, as they released the way to recatholicization and enforcement of absolutism in the Austrian and Czech lands. In Rome, one under construction church was consecrated as thanks the patronage of Our Lady Victorious. Also, the same Church on Lesser Town Square, with the Infant Jesus of Prague is to be mentioned in this context. The Estates of Bohemia were completely disempowered by the regulation adopted by the emperor in 1627 Verneuerte provincial system. Thousands of Bohemian Protestants fled as exiles to Germany and found a new home.

A drastic effect did the battle for the history of the Czech language, as in the sequence, the formed layer of the Czech people to the German language as changed. The Czech had as a written language to be revitalized end of the 18th, beginning of the 19th century in the Czech Revival movement, which is audible as diglossia until today.