Battle of Prague (1648)

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Battle on Charles Bridge

The Battle of Prague took place in 1648, and was the last action of the Thirty Years' War. General Hans Christoff von Königsmarck, commanding Sweden's flying column, entered the city stealthily.

The Swedes proceeded to capture Prague Castle on the western bank of the Vltava river. The final battle was fought on the Charles Bridge. The Swedes tried to enter the Old Town on the eastern bank of the river, but resistance by city residents prevented them from doing so. The 27 years of strict Catholic rule after the massacre of 1621 had made the liberating Protestant army, on their final arrival, unwelcome.

Unable to enter the city, the Swedes settled for looting the Castle. Many of the treasures collected by Emperor Rudolf II (such as the Codex Argenteus) were taken to Sweden.