Albrecht von Wallenstein should certainly be recognized as one of the most little-known European commanders of the 17th century in our country.
This is partly due to the fact that the reputation of the soldiers of his armies was very bad. However, he left his mark on the history of Europe. And he was an extraordinary man: he achieved success in spite of fate, which seemed to have prepared for him a more than miserable fate.
An orphan from an impoverished Czech noble family (also Protestant) became an imperial (Austrian) generalissimo and admiral, and in addition received the ducal titles of Friedland and Mecklenburg. But he did not die on the battlefield, and the last minutes of his life are theatrically tragic.
The first years of the life of Albrecht Wallenstein
The pedigree of our hero can be traced back to the 12th century: it was then that the Czech family of Waldsteins began to be mentioned in historical documents.
By the 16th century, the family of our hero was already greatly impoverished. In addition, Albrecht, who was born in 1583, lost his parents at the age of 12. His maternal uncle, Heinrich Slavata, took custody of him. Some scholars consider him a Catholic, but most argue that he was a supporter of the heretical teachings of the Bohemian (Czech) brothers, also called Unitas fratrum. About the "Czech brothers" was described in the article The end of the Hussite wars.
At the age of 14, the boy was sent to a Latin school in Goldberg. In 1599, he entered the Lutheran University of Altdorf, but his inherent "liveliness" and several high-profile scandals prevented him from completing his studies. Some biographers even say that the reason for the "expulsion" was attempted murder. According to the widespread version, Wallenstein then entered the Jesuit school in Olmutz, but no evidence of this could be found in historical documents.
For some time he wandered around Europe, visiting Italy (he studied in Bologna and Padua), France, Germany and the Netherlands. He returned to his homeland in 1602. Contemporaries then described him as a tall man with blue eyes and light, reddish hair.
The beginning of a military career
In 1604, with the rank of warrant officer Wallenstein joined the Austrian army, which was then waging a war with the Ottomans (this was the final of the so-called Thirteen Years or Long War). Some believe that it was then that the young officer contracted syphilis, which is why he suffered all his life from joint pains, which the doctors who treated him believed were caused by gout.
At the end of hostilities, Albrecht, who had risen to the rank of captain, returned to his homeland. Since it was difficult for a Protestant to count on a quick promotion in the Catholic army, he decided to convert to Catholicism. It was then that he changed his last name, becoming Wallenstein (his Protestant relatives retained the family name of the Wallenstein).
In 1608, Albrecht married a wealthy widow, Lucretia Nekshova. This marriage lasted until 1614, when his wife died during some kind of epidemic.
In 1617, during the so-called "Gradiski War", Albrecht ended up in the army of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand.
The reason for this war, in which the Austrians, Spaniards and Croats came together with the Venetians, the Dutch and the British, was the actions of the Dalmatian corsairs - the Uskoks. These dashing guys at that time settled in the Senj fortress (opposite the island of Krk), and the Venetian merchants had a saying: "May God save us from Seni's hand."
They sold the booty in the Italian city of Gradiska, which belonged to Ferdinand, which soon began to be called the "capital of the Uskoks". The infuriated Venetians laid siege to Gradiska, which the Archduke did not like very much. You can read about the Uskoks and the two sieges of Gradiski in the article Croatia under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Wallenstein then at his own expense formed a detachment of 200 cavalrymen. For the fact that he managed to break into the besieged city, delivering food to it, he received the title of count and the rank of colonel. After the end of this war, Wallenstein was appointed commander of a regiment of the Moravian Zemstvo militia. Then he married a second time - to the daughter of the influential Count Harrach, adviser to Emperor Matthew.
But the finest hour of this commander was still ahead.
Thirty Years War
After the Prague defenestration (May 23, 1618) Wallenstein refused to join the rebels. He managed to save the regimental treasury stored in Olmutz, and later, at the head of his cuirassier regiment, he took an active part in suppressing the uprising in Bohemia and Moravia.
Wallenstein's regiment also took part in the famous battle of the three armies at White Mountain. The Protestant army, led by Christian of Anhalt, was opposed by the army of the Catholic League, the actual commander of which was Johann Zeklas von Tilly, and the army of the Catholic League, led by Charles same Bukua. It ended with the victory of the Catholics.
However, Albrecht himself at this time participated in the operation to detain the leaders of the Protestants, one of whom was the artist Krishtof Garant. Wallenstein later directed the execution of 28 prominent Protestants in Old Town Square. Unsurprisingly, the people of Moravia saw him as a traitor.
In Vienna, Wallenstein's actions were appreciated: he received the rank of major general and the post of governor of Moravia. Then he managed to buy at a low price a number of estates confiscated from Protestants. One of these estates, Friedland (in North Bohemia), was made a principality in 1625, and in 1627 it became a duchy, exempted from imperial taxes. Here Wallenstein received the right to mint his own coin. Wallenstein himself called his property "Terra felix" - "Land of Happiness".
As a result, he turned out to be one of the richest people in the empire.
Wallenstein's personal astrologer from 1628 to 1630 was the famous German astronomer Johannes Kepler.
By order of Wallenstein, a magnificent palace was built in Prague in 6 years (1623–1629), comparable to the imperial residences of Vienna. The idea of the size of the palace and the surrounding park is given by the following fact: earlier on this place there were 26 mansions and 6 gardens. During the Thirty Years War (in 1648), this palace was robbed by the Swedes, who, in particular, took away all the statues from it (now they are replaced with copies).
Wallenstein ordered to decorate the main hall of the palace with a huge fresco depicting "his beloved" in the image of the god of war Mars.
Since 1992, part of this palace has been used as a meeting place for the Czech Senate. Other rooms are available for guided tours.
In 1628 Wallenstein received the Order of the Golden Fleece. But in the same year his only son, Karel, died. However, we got ahead of ourselves a little.
In 1621 Wallenstein defeated the armies of Transylvania and the Brandenburg-Egerndorf Margrave.
In 1625, Wallenstein personally assembled an army of 30 thousand people for Emperor Ferdinand II. There was little money in the treasury, and therefore Ferdinad suggested Wallenstein "be content" at the expense of the local population, as well as reparations from the occupied territories.
Wallenstein did not hesitate, more than covering all his expenses. The Elector of Brandenburg, for example, estimated the losses at 20 million thalers, the Duke of Pomerania became poorer by 10 million, and the Landgrave of Hesse by 7 million. The ancient principle of "war feeds war" by Wallenstein was brought almost to perfection.
Yet it was a dangerous path, often leading to the complete disintegration of the army. But Wallenstein managed to maintain discipline in his units with the most severe and cruel measures. The case with the execution of one of his soldiers is indicative. When it turned out that the unfortunate man was innocent, Wallenstein did not overturn the sentence, saying:
"Hang him without guilt, the more the guilty will be afraid."
Nevertheless, the reputation of a successful general, who generously paid for the services of mercenaries, attracted many adventurers and people of complex biography to Wallenstein's army. His army was constantly growing: in February 1627 it had 50 thousand people, in 1630 - already about 100 thousand.
On April 25, 1626, at the crossing of the Elbe near Dessau, Wallenstein's army defeated the troops of the German Protestants, led by Count Mansfeld. Wallenstein pursued the retreating enemy to the Hungarian border. Subsequently, victories were won over the armies of Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Schleswig and Holstein.
During the campaign of 1627, Wallenstein, acting in conjunction with Tilly, captured the port cities of Rostock and Wismar. From the emperor, he received the rank of Generalissimo and General of the Baltic and Oceanic Seas. And he himself now preferred to call himself "the generalissimo of the emperor at sea and on land."
In 1628, his army laid siege to the imperial city of Stralsund, but failed to take it. Nevertheless, in July 1629, Denmark (Lubeck Peace) withdrew from the war. And Wallenstein received the lands of Mecklenburg conquered by him and the title of his duke.
But the influence that Wallenstein acquired alarmed the emperor. As a result, the Generalissimo was dismissed in 1630.
However, in July of the same year, the army of the Swedish king landed in Pomerania.
Gustav Adolf. From Stettin she moved to Mecklenburg and Frankfurt an der Oder.
It is curious that Wallenstein, offended by the emperor, tried to offer his services to the Swedish king, but was refused. Gustav Adolphus did an excellent job even without the help of the bored retired imperial generalissimo.
On September 17, the Swedes defeated the troops of the Catholic League at Breitenfeld. Their allies, the Saxons, marched into the Czech Republic and captured Prague. Then Erfurt, Wurzburg, Frankfurt am Main and Mainz opened their gates to the Swedes. Against the background of these successes, Gustav Adolf declared war on Bavaria, whose ruler, Elector Maximilian, was an ally of France. Meanwhile, it was the French who paid for this expedition of the "Northern Lion".
On April 5, 1632, a decisive battle took place, in which Tilly, the commander-in-chief of the troops of the Catholic League, died. In May, the Swedes occupied Munich and Augsburg. Spain allocated subsidies for the creation of a new army, but demanded that Wallenstein be returned to command. He agreed, bargaining for himself unlimited power over the army and over the liberated territories.
So, in the summer of 1632, a new stage in the military career of this commander began.
At Lützen, southwest of Leipzig, on November 16, 1632, the Swedes won a general battle, but lost their king.
Wallenstein retreated to the Czech Republic and settled in Prague, which he occupied. Here he entered into very ambiguous negotiations simultaneously with Sweden, France, Saxony and Brandenburg, speaking of the desire to pacify Germany even against the will of the emperor. Some researchers are inclined to believe that Wallenstein was trying to "drive a wedge" between his opponents. But he did not forget about himself: they said that he hinted at his desire to get the crown of the Czech Republic. However, he did not achieve success then.
Biographers say that since 1633 Wallenstein's condition deteriorated significantly. The symptoms of chronic syphilis were becoming more and more pronounced. The Generalissimo was already having difficulty walking, and some mental disorders appeared.
Ignoring the order of Ferdinand II to attack Bavaria, Wallenstein moved one corps to Pomerania, and he himself headed the main forces to the Upper Palatinate. In the end, after repeated demands from the emperor, he was still forced to lead troops to Bavaria. However, he acted indecisively and ineffectively, which can probably be explained by the unsatisfactory physical condition of the seriously ill commander. After a short siege of the city of Hamm, he led his army to Bohemia.
Wallenstein was aware of the emperor's discontent and believed that he would soon be removed from his post. Therefore, at the beginning of 1634, he sent Count Kinsky to Paris with a letter in which he offered his services to France.
Tragedy at Eger Castle
Enemies of Wallenstein in Vienna (among whom was the Elector of Bavaria Maximilian) at this time intensely intrigued against the Generalissimo.
Wallenstein, on January 12, 1634, convened a council of war, at which he declared that he did not agree with the plans of the emperor, but was ready to resign as commander-in-chief. However, senior officers (who were recruited by Wallenstein himself and feared to be left without pay) persuaded him to refuse to retire.
As a result, the so-called Pilsen Treaty of Mutual Support was concluded between them, which did not imply any hostile actions towards the emperor and the Catholic Church. To Ferdinand II, the commander's ill-wishers presented this treaty as a conspiracy aimed at the coronation of Wallenstein in Bohemia.
As a result, an order followed to dismiss the Generalissimo from office and confiscate his estates. Moreover, he was declared a rebel, and his successors, Generals Picolomini and Gallas, were to arrest Wallenstein and take him to court, dead or alive.
Wallenstein, who learned about this, announced to the officers the termination of the agreement concluded with them. After that, he sent a letter to Vienna in which he informed the emperor about his readiness to surrender the command over the army and submit a report on his activities. This letter was never delivered to Ferdinand.
Wallenstein was betrayed by the head of his own guard - the Irishman Walter Butler and his assistants.
On February 25, 1635, in the Czech castle of Eger, (now Cheb), the commander was killed in his bedroom with a blow to the chest with a halberd. Butler's accomplices were the Scots Walter Leslie and John Gordon. Other participants in the murder were a Frenchman of Irish descent Devreux, a Scotsman MacDonald and 36 ordinary dragoons.
Tradition claims that the astrologer Seni (Kepler's successor) wanted to warn Wallenstein about the danger that threatened him, but was late. This scene became the subject of Piloti's painting, which Ilya Repin liked.
On the top of this print, Butler, Gordon and Leslie, accompanied by three dozen dragoons, kill Wallenstein's associates - Field Marshal Christian Baron von Illow, General Adam Terzki, Colonel Wilhelm Kinski and Captain Neumann.
And here we see how Captains Devreux and MacDonald kill Wallenstein:
As a reward for the assassination of the Generalissimo, Walter Butler received the Doksy and Bernstein estates previously owned by Wallenstein.
John Gordon got the Snydars and Srshivans. Captain Devreux, who dealt the fatal blow to Wallenstein, received 1,000 thalers. The rest - 500 thalers.
But the bulk of the commander's property went to the emperor's treasury.
The attitude of the people to Wallenstein can be judged by an ironic poem written in the form of an epitaph:
“There was a bit of a hero's painful dream, He shuddered at every rustle.
In the villages where he spent the night during the war, He destroyed all living things.
He gathered a great strength of troops
And he won many victories to the king.
But most of all he loved silver
And he hung people up to take their goods.
And now he has set off on an eternal path -
And dogs bark and chickens sing!"
Wallenstein's only daughter married Count Rudolf Kaunitz (a representative of the Czech branch of this family).
At the end of the 19th century, the property of the extinct Moravian branch of the Kaunitz family passed to her descendants, whose representatives were one of the chancellors of the Habsburg Empire (Anton Vinzel Kaunitz-Rietberg) and the first wife of Chancellor Clemens von Metternich (Maria Eleonora).
