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Swedish Invasion of Germany
Between 1630 and 1631, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden landed in Pomerania and entered the Thirty Years' War in the name of aiding the Protestant prin…
Timeline
- 1630Pomeranian coast · PomeraniaIn July 1630, Gustav II led some thirteen thousand Swedish troops ashore from the island of Usedom onto the Pomeranian coast, signed a treaty with the Duke of Pomerania, established a secure logistical base, and formally entered the Thirty Years' War under the banner of defending the Protestant cause.
- 1631Brandenburg-Pomerania corridor · BrandenburgIn early 1631 the Swedish army pushed deep into Brandenburg, capturing Frankfurt an der Oder in April and compelling the Elector of Brandenburg to sign an alliance treaty. They then advanced south, extending the front to the Saxon border and threatening to encircle the Imperial army strategically.
- 1631Saxony-Franconia corridor · FranconiaThe Sack of Magdeburg convinced the Elector of Saxony to ally with Sweden, and on September 17 the allied army crushed the Imperial army at Breitenfeld. Following the victory the Swedes rapidly advanced west, taking Erfurt and Würzburg, and pushing to the Rhine, thoroughly shaking the Habsburg position in Central Europe.
Sources
- Gustavus Adolphus: A History of Sweden, 1611-1632 — Michael Roberts (1958)
- The Thirty Years War — C. V. Wedgwood (1938)