Battlefield Atlas
Thirty Years' War · 1631 Locked

Breitenfeld, 17 September 1631

On 17 September 1631, on the open fields north of Leipzig between Breitenfeld, Podelwitz and Seehausen, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and the Elector John George I of Saxony defeated the Imperial and Catholic League army of Count Tilly. The allies had roughly 37,000 to 42,000 men (about 22,000 to 26,000 Swedes and 15,000 to 17,000 Saxons) and more guns; Tilly had roughly 31,000 to 36,000, by different counts. After a long cannonade, Pappenheim's cuirassiers spent themselves against the Swedish right, while the Imperial right routed the inexperienced Saxons. Tilly's attempt to wheel his massive tercios onto the exposed Swedish left was met by a new front under Gustav Horn, and Gustavus led his cavalry onto the Imperial ridge, took Tilly's guns and turned them on his infantry. The Imperial army broke at dusk. It was the first great Protestant victory of the Thirty Years' War. It made Sweden a major power in Germany, and the small, mixed formations of the Swedish army became a model for the armies that followed.

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Breitenfeld in the Theatrum Europaeum
Breitenfeld in the Theatrum Europaeum — Engraving from Theatrum Europaeum (Oluf Hanson), public domain

The battle, stage by stage

  1. Morning of 17 September 1631

    Approach from the north

    Count Tilly's Imperial and Catholic League army had taken Leipzig on 14–15 September. After King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden joined the army of the Elector of Saxony at Düben, the allies marched south. Tilly chose to meet them in the open fields about 7 km north of the city, and by one account his army was already on the heights between Breitenfeld, Lindenthal and Wiederitzsch on the evening of the 16th. On the morning of the 17th the allied columns came up from the north and crossed the marshy Lober stream near Podelwitz. The crossing routes drawn here are approximate.

  2. About noon

    The lines formed; the cannonade

    Tilly drew up on a low ridge running east to west, the Galgenberg, in one long line: some 17 tercios of foot, each perhaps 1,200 to 1,500 strong, in the center, with Pappenheim's cuirassiers on the left and Fürstenberg's horse on the right, and his heavy guns on the rise. The Swedes formed just south of Podelwitz in two lines of small brigades, with the guns in front, cavalry on both wings and small groups of musketeers placed between the squadrons. The cavalry was weighted to the right, where the king himself commanded with Johan Banér; Gustav Horn had the left. The Saxons, formed more in the old style, stood on the Swedish left between Zschölkau and Göbschelwitz. A cannonade began around noon and lasted about two hours. The Swedish guns alone outnumbered Tilly's (51 to 27 by Britannica's count; about 66 allied guns in other counts), but the wind blew dust and smoke into allied faces. Regiments carried their own colors, and the League (Bavarian-led) units theirs. The order of brigades within each Swedish line is a reconstruction.

  3. About 2-3:30 PM

    Pappenheim's charges

    Around 2 PM, reportedly without Tilly's orders, Pappenheim led the cavalry of the Imperial left against the Swedish right. Volleys from the musketeers placed among Banér's squadrons turned the first charge, and Pappenheim swung west to strike the Swedish right in the flank. Banér's second line wheeled to face him. Accounts speak of seven charges, each driven back by musketeer volleys and short Swedish counter-charges. The routes of the individual charges are not recorded.

  4. About 3-4 PM

    The Saxons broken

    Tilly sent the tercios of his right down the slope while Fürstenberg's cavalry charged the Saxons. The raw Saxon regiments broke and fled east toward Eilenburg, crossing the Lober, and the Elector went with them. Only a small body under Arnim held its ground. Imperial horsemen captured the Saxon guns and turned them on the fugitives and on the Swedish left; Isolani's Croats and some of Fürstenberg's horse rode on in pursuit and plundered the baggage. Saxon losses are given as 2,000 to more than 4,000.

  5. About 4-5 PM

    Tilly's wheel and Horn's new front

    With the Saxons gone, Tilly wheeled his tercios to the left to roll up the open Swedish flank. The heavy formations turned slowly, and several regiments were left too far to the right to join in. Horn used the time, reportedly about 15 minutes, to form a new front at a right angle to the old one along the ditched road from Düben to Leipzig, and Gustavus sent him the second-line brigades of Vitzthum, Thurn and Hepburn. On the other flank Banér's counter-charge, around 4 PM, finally drove Pappenheim's cuirassiers from the field.

  6. About 5-6 PM

    Gustavus takes the guns

    Around 5 PM Gustavus led the cavalry of his right, with Banér, across the ground the Imperial left had held and up onto the Galgenberg, where they took Tilly's guns. Turned on the Imperial foot, the captured guns raked the tercios from behind while Swedish artillery and musketry hit them from the front. On the left, men of Hepburn's brigade, among them Mackay's regiment under Robert Monro, retook the Saxon guns, and Horn's horse charged the flank of the wheeling tercios.

  7. Dusk, about 6-9 PM

    Collapse and flight

    Caught between fire from front and rear, the Imperial line broke near sunset. By one account the last tercios, remnants of four veteran regiments (traditionally called Walloons) that Pappenheim rallied at the edge of the Linkelwald, stood until they were destroyed; Tilly, wounded three times, barely escaped capture. He rode with an escort of cuirassiers toward Halle, while Pappenheim gathered horsemen to cover the retreat and Banér pursued past the Tannenwald. Other fugitives ran for Leipzig and Merseburg. Imperial losses are put at about 7,000 to 7,600 killed and about 6,000 taken on the field, with some 3,000 more surrendering at Leipzig the next day; the Swedes took the Imperial artillery, baggage and between 90 and 120 flags and standards, by different counts. That evening the king knelt on the field and his army sang a hymn. The Linkelwald's position is conjectural.

Forces

The allies outnumbered Tilly, roughly 37,000-42,000 (about 22,000-26,000 Swedes and 15,000-17,000 Saxons) against 31,000-36,000, and had about twice as many guns or more; but nearly half the allied army was the newly raised Saxon force, which broke early. Totals differ by several thousand between sources.

Imperial-Catholic League army (Tilly)

PresentBritannica gives about 35,000; J. Rickard and David Zabecki about 36,000; the 1911 Britannica about 32,000; Peter Wilson's figure, as used in modern summaries, is about 31,400 (14,700 Imperial and 15,700 League troops plus about 1,000 irregulars). Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; J. Rickard, historyofwar.orgabout 35,000 (31,400-36,000)
GunsBritannica's count of the Imperial artillery. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld27

Swedish army (Gustavus Adolphus)

PresentBritannica gives 23,000; the 1911 Britannica 22,000; Zabecki about 26,000 at Düben, and Rickard says about 26,000 Swedes remained after the Saxons fled. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 23,000 (22,000-26,000)
GunsBritannica counts 51 Swedish guns against Tilly's 27, so the Swedish guns alone outnumbered his; other counts give about 66 guns for the whole allied army, Saxon pieces included. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld51 Swedish (about 66 allied)

Saxon army (John George I)

PresentBritannica and Zabecki give 16,000; the 1911 Britannica 15,000; some modern counts about 17,350. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 16,000 (15,000-17,350)

Casualties

The Imperial-League army was destroyed as a field force: roughly 7,000 to 7,600 killed and 6,000 taken on the field, with about 3,000 more surrendering at Leipzig, against about 2,000-3,500 Swedish and 2,000-4,000 Saxon losses. The Imperial dead and prisoner figures are traditional and broadly agreed; the allied figures vary by source. Certainty: fair.

Imperial-Catholic League army (Tilly)

KilledBritannica gives 7,000 killed; Wilson's figure as summarized in modern accounts is about 7,600; Haarhaus repeats the traditional 7,000 dead on the field. The 1911 Britannica gives about 7,000 killed and wounded combined. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; J. R. Haarhaus, Leipziger Spaziergänge (Projekt Gutenberg)about 7,000 (7,000-8,000)
CapturedBritannica gives 6,000 captured on the field plus about 3,000 who surrendered at Leipzig the next day; J. Rickard and David Zabecki also give 6,000 prisoners. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; J. Rickard, historyofwar.org; David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 6,000 on the field (6,000-9,000)
Wounded and missingFigures given by David Zabecki; he also says Tilly had only about 600 effectives at nightfall. Tilly, Pappenheim and Fürstenberg were all wounded. David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 3,000 wounded; 3,400 missing

Swedish army (Gustavus Adolphus)

CasualtiesBritannica gives 2,100 Swedish losses and the 1911 Britannica about 2,000; Zabecki calls the 2,100 killed; some modern summaries give 3,550 (2,100 foot and 1,450 horse). Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 2,100 (about 2,000-3,550)

Saxon army (John George I)

CasualtiesBritannica and Zabecki give 3,000; the 1911 Britannica says over 4,000. Many of the Saxon losses were men who fled and did not return. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Breitenfeld'; David T. Zabecki, HistoryNetabout 3,000 (2,000 to over 4,000)

Equipment and ships

Imperial artillery, baggage and flags capturedThe Swedes took Tilly's whole artillery (27 guns by Britannica's count) and his baggage; counts of captured flags and standards run from 90 (Haarhaus) to about 120. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Battle of Breitenfeld; J. R. Haarhaus, Leipziger Spaziergänge (Projekt Gutenberg)all guns; 90-120 flags and standards
Graves found by archaeologistsThe 2020 excavation at Podelwitz recorded two mass graves (11 and 16 dead), a multiple burial of at least 4 and single graves, plus horse burials; it covers only a small part of the field. Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen, PDW 30at least 33 dead and 6 horse burials in one excavation

Then and now: how the ground has changed

The low, open farmland between Breitenfeld, Podelwitz and Seehausen is still largely fields, but motorways and industry now cross it, the Lober has been diverted and dried by lignite mining, and a mining lake (the Schladitzer See) has replaced the villages of Schladitz and Lössen north-west of the field.

The interactive map can show the period landscape (2 shapes: Schladitzer See (mining lake, flooded 1998-2014), Linkelwald (approximate)) under the units. Open the map.

Weapons

Imperial-Catholic League army (Tilly)

Heavy siege guns (18- and 24-pounders)

Heavy siege guns (18- and 24-pounders)

Siege artillery · 1600s-1860s

At Breitenfeld: Tilly's heavy guns, including demi-cannon, stood on the Galgenberg; the Swedes captured them and turned them on the tercios.

Siege guns were long, heavy cannon built to smash fortifications from close-range batteries dug behind trenches. They were too heavy for ordinary field maneuver, so they were brought up by road or water and fired for days on end. Paired with mortars and howitzers, they turned a siege into a slow but methodical demolition.

Shot
18 lb or 24 lb iron ball
Use
Battering earthworks from dug-in batteries
Mobility
Very heavy; hauled by large teams
Photo: DrStew82 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Swedish army (Gustavus Adolphus)

Culverin and demi-culverin

Culverin and demi-culverin

Long-barreled bronze or iron gun · 16th–17th century

At Breitenfeld: Torstensson's Swedish field artillery and light regimental pieces outnumbered Tilly's guns, by Britannica's count 51 to 27 for the allies.

Long guns firing a relatively light ball over a long range. The English fleet carried many culverins and demi-culverins and preferred to fight at a distance, while much of the Armada's heavy ordnance was built for close action and boarding. This example, cast by Henry Pitt in 1592, is in the Naval Museum in Madrid.

Shot
About 17 lb (culverin) or 9 lb (demi-culverin)
Range
Effective at a few hundred yards; much farther at extreme elevation
Crew
Several gunners per piece
Photo: Rowanwindwhistler · CC BY-SA 3.0

Paintings and photographs

Breitenfeld in the Theatrum Europaeum
Breitenfeld in the Theatrum Europaeum The battle as engraved for the Theatrum Europaeum in the 17th century. Engraving from Theatrum Europaeum (Oluf Hanson), public domain · source
Battle of Breitenfeld by Carl Wahlbom
Battle of Breitenfeld by Carl Wahlbom A 19th-century depiction of Gustavus Adolphus at Breitenfeld by the Swedish painter Carl Wahlbom. Carl Wahlbom, CC BY 4.0 · source
Gustav-Adolf-Denkmal, Breitenfeld
Gustav-Adolf-Denkmal, Breitenfeld The sandstone memorial to Gustavus Adolphus at Breitenfeld, erected in 1831. Wikimedia Commons, copyrighted free use · source

Free for everyone every year on its anniversary: September 17.

Accuracy score: 58/100 (limited)

How the accuracy score works

Sources and method

First Battle of Breitenfeld, 17 September 1631. Strengths, gun counts, timings and losses: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Battle of Breitenfeld' (print version); the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article 'Breitenfeld' (the east-west ridge between Göbschelwitz and Breitenfeld, the allies behind the Loberbach villages, the sequence of the fighting). Local detail of the ground, the Galgenberg, the Delitzsch and Düben roads, the Linkelwald and Tannenwald: Julius R. Haarhaus, Leipziger Spaziergänge (Projekt Gutenberg). The contemporary order-of-battle engraving by Matthäus Merian after Oluf Hanson (Theatrum Europaeum II, 1633), viewed from Podelwitz: Royal Collection Trust, RCIN 722058. Battlefield archaeology: the Saxon State Office for Archaeology's report on the 2020 excavation at Podelwitz with mass graves of soldiers and horses (LfA Sachsen, PDW 30) and its press release of 2 September 2022. The Lober's course and later mining changes: KuLaDig, 'Altlober und Kohlelober' (Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Sachsen). Overview and casualty figures also from David T. Zabecki, HistoryNet, and J. Rickard, historyofwar.org. Scholarly narratives: William P. Guthrie, Battles of the Thirty Years War: From White Mountain to Nordlingen (2002); Peter H. Wilson, Europe's Tragedy (2009); Richard Brzezinski, The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (Osprey). Contemporary accounts include Robert Monro's Expedition (1637). Unit lists follow the Wikipedia order of battle (after Higgins, Strategy & Tactics 235), used only for regiment names. The memorial is the sandstone Gustav-Adolf-Denkmal of 1831 on the Denkmalallee in Breitenfeld (position from komoot). Frontages, the order of brigades within the Swedish lines, the routes of the charges, the Imperial right-flank anchor (Göbschelwitz in the 1911 Britannica, toward Seehausen in Haarhaus) and the Linkelwald's position are reconstructions and should be read as approximate.

Where the positions come from

Further reading