Everything about The Battle Of White Mountain totally explained
The
Battle of White Mountain,
November 8,
1620 (
Bílá hora is the name of
White Mountain in Czech) was an early
battle in the
Thirty Years' War in which an army of 20,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under
Christian of Anhalt were routed by 25,000 men of the combined armies of
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under
Karel Bonaventura Buquoy (as he's known in Czech; Charles in his native French) and of the
Catholic League under
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly at Bílá Hora, near
Prague (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
Bohemia went well, and they broke out of their isolated political position by electing
Frederick V, Elector Palatine as their king. But after Frederick accepted the crown of Bohemia in 1619, the
Protestant Union signed the
Treaty of Ulm (1620) 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 Anhalt, 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 Prague. 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 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
Frederick with his wife
Elizabeth 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 or fled and/or expelled from the country. Spanish troops, seeking to encircle their rebellious Dutch provinces, seized the Palatinate. With Protestantism threatening to be overrun in Germany,
Denmark entered the struggle.
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