Albrecht von Wallenstein

He then joined the army of Rudolph II in Hungary, under the command of Giorgio Basta. In 1606, was converted to catholicism through his friendship with Jesuits and the Habsburg. Even though he became religious, he didn't become a zealous catholic. Three years later, he returned to Bohemia, soon married Lucretia Nikossie von Landeck, a rich widow three years older than himself whose estates in Moravia he inherited after her death in 1614. He soon used his wealth to win favour, offering and commanding two hundred horse for Archduke Ferdinand of Styria for his war with Venice in 1617. He later endowed a monastery in her name, and had her reburied there. He married Isabella Katharina, daughter of Count Harrach, in 1617. She bore him two children, a son who died in infancy and a surviving daughter. Examples of the couple's correspondence survive.

Thirty Years' War

In 1626 in order to aid Ferdinand against the Northern Protestants and produce a balance to the Army of the Catholic League under Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly, Wallenstein offered to raise a whole army for the imperial service. Wallenstein's popularity soon brought 30,000 (not long afterwards 50,000) men.Eggenberger, David. (1985) An Encyclopedia of Battles, Courier Dover Publications. p. 161. ISBN 0-486-24913-1. The two armies worked together over 1625–27, at first against Ernst von Mansfeld.

Having beaten Mansfeld at Dessau, Wallenstein cleared Silesia of the remnants of Mansfeld's army in 1627.Fuller, J. F. C. (1987) A Military History of the Western World, Da Capo Press. p. 46-47. ISBN 0-306-80305-4. At this time he bought from the emperor the duchy of Sagan. He then joined Tilly in the struggle with Christian IV of Denmark,Spielvogel, Jackson J. (2005) Western Civilization, Thomson Wadsworth. p. 414. ISBN 0-534-64604-2. and afterwards was rewarded with the duchy of Mecklenburg, the hereditary dukes being expelled for having helped the Danish king. In 1628 he failed to capture Stralsund, which got help from Swedish troops, a blow that denied access to the Baltic and the chance of challenging the naval power of the Scandinavian kingdoms and the Netherlands. The situation was further degraded when the emperor's "Edict of Restitution" brought Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden into the conflict. Also in 1629 he attempted to aid forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, which were fighting Sweden; however, Wallenstein failed to engagage any major Swedish forces and thus significantly affect the outcome of this conflict.Dahlquist, Germund Wilhelm & Carl Von Clausewitz. (2003) Principles of War, Courier Dover Publications. p. 81. ISBN 0-486-42799-4.

Over the course of the war Wallenstein's ambitions and the exactions of his army had created a host of enemies, both Catholic and Protestant princes. Then Ferdinand II suspected Wallenstein of planning to take control of the Holy Roman Empire. The emperor was advised to dismiss him and in September 1630 envoys were sent to Wallenstein to announce his removal. Wallenstein gave over his army to Tilly, and retired to Jicin, the capital of his duchy of Friedland. There he lived in an atmosphere of "mysterious magnificence".Ingrao, Charles W. (2000) The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618-1815, Cambridge University Press. pp. 45-46. ISBN 0-521-78505-7.

Soon the emperor Ferdinand II was forced to call him into the field again. The successes of Gustavus Adolphus over Tilly at the Battle of Breitenfeld and on the Lech (1632), when General Tilly was killed, and his advance to Munich and occupation of Bohemia, demanded action. In the spring of 1632 Wallenstein raised a fresh army within a few weeks and took the field. He drove the Saxons from Bohemia and then he advanced against Gustavus Adolphus, whom he opposed near Nuremberg and after the battle of the Alte Veste dislodged. In November came the great Battle of Lützen, in which Wallenstein and the other imperialists were defeated, but Adolphus was killed. Wallenstein then withdrew to winter quarters in Bohemia.

In the campaigning of 1633 his apparent unwillingness to attack the enemy caused much concern. He was, in fact, preparing to desert the emperor, angered at Ferdinand's refusal to revoke the Edict. He began to prepare to "force a just peace on the emperor in the interests of united Germany." With this plan he entered into negotiations with Saxony, Brandenburg, Sweden, and France. But he attracted little support, and anxious to make his power felt, he at last assumed the offensive against the Swedes and Saxons, winning his last victory at Steinau on the Oder in October. He then resumed the negotiations.

Treachery and death

In December he retired with his army to Bohemia, around Pilsen. It was soon suspected in Vienna that Wallenstein was treacherous and the emperor sought for means of getting rid of him. Wallenstein was aware of the plans against him, but felt confident that when the army came to decide between him and the emperor the decision would be in his own favour.

On January 24, 1634 the emperor signed a secret patent removing him from his command, and a patent charging Wallenstein with high treason was signed on February 18, and published in Prague. Losing the support of his army Wallenstein realized the extent of his danger, and on February 23 with a company of some hundreds of men, he went from Pilsen to Cheb, hoping to meet the Swedes under Duke Bernhard. After the arrival of the party at Cheb, certain senior Scottish and Irish officers in his force, loyal to the emperor, killed him when the party entered Eger, probably at the orders of the emperor on the night of February 25. Wallenstein was buried at Jicin.

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