Battle of Prague (1648)
Final battle of the Thirty Years' War, marked by looting of Prague Castle.
The main result was the looting of Rudolf II's art collection, much of which was shipped to Sweden.[1]
Quick Facts
- Conflict
- Battle of Prague
- Part of
- the Thirty Years' War
- Date
- 25 July – 1 November 1648
- Location
- Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, Habsburg monarchy (now the Czech Republic)
Facts from the source article.
Geography and history
The Swedes launched a sudden night raid on a weak wall under construction and captured the western bank.[2] Two days later, Colloredo's men repulsed a Swedish attempt to cross the Charles Bridge into the Old Town.[2] The looting of the Lesser Town and castle began immediately after the assault.[2] Many treasures, including the Codex Gigas, were taken to Sweden and some remain at Drottningholm Palace.[3]
The Swedes held the left bank while Imperial troops held the right, with a neutrality agreement proposed by Prague leaders.[4] After reaching Strahovská gate, the attackers eliminated the sentries and unlocked the gate to let in additional troops.[2] Some loot never reached Stockholm because ordinary soldiers kept portions of it for themselves.[5] The finest artworks were taken by Christina, Queen of Sweden, when she left the country; following her death these pieces were scattered.[5]
What the cited sources add
Bohemia was substantially armed, and Prague students had founded an academic legion that played a major role in 1648.[4] The assault on Prague had been planned for some time, possibly to divert attention from a campaign toward Vienna.[4] The worst fighting occurred at Horská gate, where defenders set off an explosion that killed many Swedes.[4] General Puchheim arrived on July 30 with 3,500 men to strengthen the garrison.[4]
The Swedish success was partly due to surprise and incomplete fortifications under repair since 1639.[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Battle of Prague (1648)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Watson, Peter; Wisdom and Strength, the Biography of a Renaissance Masterpiece, Hutchinson, 1990, pp. 94, 97-98 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Battle of Prague (1648)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hodja, "Forschungsstelle Westfälischer Friede am Westfälischen Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Münster, Domplatz 10, 48143 Münster, Deutschland/Germany", www.lwl.org, 2002-09-25 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Battle of Prague (1648)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Watson, Peter; Wisdom and Strength, the Biography of a Renaissance Masterpiece, Hutchinson, 1990, p. 122 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Hodja, "Forschungsstelle Westfälischer Friede am Westfälischen Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Münster, Domplatz 10, 48143 Münster, Deutschland/Germany", www.lwl.org, 2002-09-25. facts only, no text reused. lwl.org
- Wikipedia, "Battle of Prague (1648)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Watson, Peter; Wisdom and Strength, the Biography of a Renaissance Masterpiece, Hutchinson, 1990, pp. 95-98 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Battle of Prague (1648) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Attacks on Castles in Europe
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced