Spanish forces under Córdoba captured Bacharach in 1620, extending Spanish control over the Palatinate during the Thirty Years' War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 1 October 1620
- Spanish force size
- 2,500 soldiers
- Spanish commander
- Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
- Overall Spanish general
- Don Ambrosio Spinola
- Conflict context
- Palatinate campaign, Thirty Years' War
- Defenders
- Anglo-German Protestant forces of Frederick V
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the rapid early stages of the Spanish invasion of Frederick V's territories in the Palatinate, operations slowed after the Capture of Oppenheim in mid-September 1620. At a council of war, Spanish commander Spinola weighed besieging Heidelberg against taking Bacharach, ultimately choosing Bacharach because Frederick V's defenders were few and scattered.
On 1 October 1620, Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba led a Spanish force of 2,500 soldiers against Bacharach in the Electorate of the Palatinate. The Anglo-German Protestant garrison defending the town, loyal to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, was overwhelmed and compelled to surrender.
The fall of Bacharach extended Spanish control further into the Palatinate, weakening the territorial position of Frederick V and advancing the broader Spanish and Catholic Imperial strategy during the Palatinate campaign of the Thirty Years' War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Don Ambrosio Spinola.
Side B
1 belligerent
Frederick V, Elector Palatine.