Battle of Breitenfeld

Overview

The Second Battle of Breitenfeld, also known as the First Battle of Leipzig, took place during the Thirty Years' War on 2 November 1642 at Breitenfeld, north-east of Leipzig in Germany. A Swedish Army commanded by Lennart Torstensson defeated an Imperial Army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria and his deputy Ottavio Piccolomini.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Second Battle of Breitenfeld, fought on 23 October 1642, pitted a Swedish force of 20,000 under Lennart Torstensson, Arvid Wittenberg, Johan Lilliehöök, and Hans Christoff von Königsmarck against a Holy Roman Empire army of 26,000 commanded by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, Ottavio Piccolomini, Annibale Gonzaga, Hans Christoph von Puchheim, and Ernst Roland von Suys. Despite being outnumbered, the Swedish force inflicted casualties of between 7,500 and 10,000 on the imperial side while sustaining around 4,000 of their own — a loss ratio indicating a significant Swedish tactical success. The engagement took place during the final decade of the Thirty Years' War, a period in which Sweden remained a principal belligerent pressing into the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. The disparity in casualties between the two forces underscores the continued effectiveness of Swedish arms late in the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (9)