The Capture of Mannheim was undertaken on 2 November 1622 by the Imperial-Spanish army commanded by

Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

against the Protestant troops under the Englishman Sir Horace Vere during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

. Horace Vere (DNB00)

Background

In September 1620, the Imperial-Spanish troops led by the

Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

and Don

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread p ...

invaded and conquered the

Lower Palatinate The Palatinate (german: Pfalz; Palatine German: ''Palz'') is a region of Germany. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz'') and Lower Palatinate (''Unterpfalz''), which strictly speaking designated only the wes ...

. The Protestant garrison under Sir Horace Vere held

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, af ...

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

, and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, but the rest of the Palatinate fell into Spanish hands.Polišenský/Snider p.90 On 19 September 1622 the Imperial-Spanish army defeated the Protestant troops under Sir Gerard Herbert at

and the Catholic army went on to conquer the town.

Siege of Mannheim

The Spanish continued their progress towards

. The city was defended by the Anglo-German-

Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

troops commanded by Horace Vere. The

subjected Manheim to a siege, and the Imperial-Spanish forces swiftly defeated the Protestant troops. The city was conquered by the Spaniards, and Vere, and a few hundred of his men, retired to the citadel. Finally, and without hope of reinforcements, Vere was forced to capitulate. Just

remained under control of the Protestants commanded by Sir

John Burroughs John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871. In the words of his bi ...

, but was taken one year later by the Spanish troops under Don Guillermo Verdugo.

Aftermath

Sir Horace Vere - Horatius Veer (1565-1635)

The courage displayed by Horace Vere against great odds was recognised in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, when the General returned early in February 1623, even if his salary and expenses were never paid in full by the treasury. On 16 February 1623 he was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance for life, and he became a member of the

Council of War A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle. Under normal circumstances, decisions are made by a commanding officer, optionally communicated ...

on 20 July 1624. In 1624, Vere travelled once more to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in order to second Prince

Maurice of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

in the defence of the important fortress of

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, under siege by the Spaniards under Don Ambrosio Spinola from August.

Notes

References

* Rudolf Schäfer: ''Höchst am Main''. Frankfurt am Main 1981: Frankfurter Sparkasse 1822. * Rudolf Schäfer: ''Chronik von Höchst am Main''. Frankfurt 1986: Waldemar Kramer. * Adalbert Vollert: ''Sossenheim. Geschichte eines Frankfurter Stadtteils''. Frankfurt 1980: Frankfurter Sparkasse von 1822. * Johann Philipp Abelin: ''Theatrum Europaeum'', Vol. 1, Frankfurt 1662, plate 1622, pages 630-633. * * Josef V. Polišenský/Frederick Snider: ''War and society in Europe (1618-1648)''. Bristol: Cambridge University Press, 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mannheim, Capture of Battles of the Thirty Years' War Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire Battles involving Spain Battles involving England 1622 in Europe Conflicts in 1622

Capture Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

1622 in the Holy Roman Empire Electoral Palatinate Battles in Baden-Württemberg

Background

Siege of Mannheim

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References