Battle of Breitenfeld (1642)
1642 battle of the Thirty Years' War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For a related battle earlier in the same war, see Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). For the Battle of the Nations during the Napoleonic Wars, see Battle of Leipzig.
The Second Battle of Breitenfeld, also known as the First Battle of Leipzig, took place during the Thirty Years' War on 2 November 1642 at Breitenfeld, north-east of Leipzig in Germany. A Swedish Army commanded by Lennart Torstensson decisively defeated an Imperial Army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria and his deputy Ottavio Piccolomini.[6]
Quick Facts Second Battle of Breitenfeld, Date ...
Second Battle of Breitenfeld | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Thirty Years' War | |||||||
Contemporary engraving depicting the battle | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Sweden | Holy Roman Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Lennart Torstensson Arvid Wittenberg Erik Slang † Johan Lilliehöök † |
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm Ottavio Piccolomini Annibale Gonzaga Hans Christoph von Puchheim Ernst Roland von Suys (POW) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
20,000 70 guns |
26,000 46 guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
4,000 |
8,000–9,500 46 guns |
Close
Victory allowed the Swedes to occupy and establish a secure base in Leipzig, the second most important town in the Electorate of Saxony. However, although significantly weakened by the defeat and forced onto the defensive, the Imperial Army prevented them from fully exploiting their victory and kept John George I, Elector of Saxony from making peace with Sweden.