The Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus died at Lützen, yet Sweden won the battle and continued its dominant role in the Thirty Years' War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 16 November 1632
- Conflict
- Thirty Years' War
- Swedish king killed
- Gustavus Adolphus
- Imperial commander
- Albrecht von Wallenstein
- Post-battle alliance formed
- Heilbronn League, April 1633
- Wallenstein's fate
- Assassinated by Imperial agents, February 1634
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish-led Protestant coalition under Gustavus Adolphus sought to check Imperial power in Germany. Wallenstein's Imperial army positioned near Lützen, prompting the Swedes and their Saxon and Hessian allies to give battle in November 1632 in order to prevent Imperial forces from consolidating control.
On 16 November 1632, Swedish infantry launched frontal assaults against Wallenstein's Imperial lines. Imperial cavalry under Pappenheim initially repulsed these attacks, during which Gustavus Adolphus was killed. His subordinates rallied the infantry, which overran the Imperial centre near nightfall with close-range artillery support. Wallenstein withdrew in order but abandoned his wounded, many guns, and most of his supply train, giving the Swedes a narrow but decisive victory.
Though Sweden lost its king, Axel Oxenstierna assumed direction of the war effort. Backed by French subsidies, Sweden formed the Heilbronn League in April 1633 and won a further victory at Oldendorf. Wallenstein, suspected of negotiating with the enemy, was assassinated by Imperial agents in February 1634, destabilising the Imperial command structure.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Gustavus Adolphus, Axel Oxenstierna.
Side B
1 belligerent
Albrecht von Wallenstein, Pappenheim.