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Assassination of Wallenstein
On February 25, 1634, Imperial field marshal Albrecht von Wallenstein was assassinated in Eger, Bohemia (now Cheb, Czech Republic), by Irish mercenar…
Timeline
- c. 1634Pilsen–Eger area · BohemiaIn January 1634, Emperor Ferdinand II secretly issued orders declaring Wallenstein a traitor and authorizing his arrest or killing; Wallenstein, stationed at Pilsen, realized his peril and withdrew toward Eger, seeking protection from Saxon or Swedish forces.
- 1634Eger Castle · BohemiaIrish cavalry colonel Walter Devereux and others loyal to the emperor first killed several of Wallenstein's generals at a banquet, then Irish dragoon officers broke into his chamber and ran him through with a pike; Wallenstein was 50, and his death ended his career as the empire's foremost general and his secret negotiations with Protestant powers.
Sources
- Wallenstein: His Life Narrated — Golo Mann (1976)
- The Thirty Years War — Peter H. Wilson (2009)