Battle of Stadtlohn

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Battle of Stadtlohn
Part of Thirty Years' War

Battle of Stadtlohn, etching from 1626
Date August 6, 1623
Location Stadtlohn, present-day Germany
Result Catholic victory
Belligerents
German Protestants Catholic League
Commanders
Christian of Brunswick Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly
Strength
15,000 app. 25,000
Casualties and losses
13,000 unknown
v • d • e
Thirty Years' War
Plzeň – Záblati – Dolní Věstonice – White Mountain – Bergen-op-Zoom – Wiesloch – Wimpfen – Höchst – Fleurus – Stadtlohn – Breda – Dessau Bridge – Lutter am Barenberge – Groenlo – Stralsund – Wolgast – Frankfurt – Magdeburg – Werben – 1st Breitenfeld – Rain – Fürth – Alte Veste – Lützen – Oldendorf – Nördlingen – Wittstock – Rheinfelden – Breisach – Chemnitz – The Downs – La Marfée – Honnecourt – 2nd Breitenfeld – Rocroi – Tuttlingen – Freiburg – Jüterbog – Jankov – Hulst – Mergentheim – 2nd Nördlingen – Zusmarshausen – Lens – Prague

The Battle of Stadtlohn was fought on August 6, 1623 between Catholic and Protestant forces during the Thirty Years' War. The Catholics were led by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, while the Protestants were led by Duke Christian of Brunswick.

A year after his defeat at the Battle of Fleurus and the relief of Bergen op Zoom, Christian of Brunswick found himself in command of an army of 15,000, freshly recruited and rested from winter quarters in the United Provinces. He reopened his campaign in the summer of 1623 by marching into the Lower Saxon Circle between the Weser and Elbe rivers. Calling upon Ernst von Mansfeld to fight alongside him as the two had done to some degree of success in 1622, he was refused due to lack of funds on Mansfeld's behalf. Christian now found himself in a position where he was in Catholic Territory with just his army and little possibility for reinforcement. To add to this, Count von Tilly had received word of Christian's movements and was now following him. Late July 1623 thus became a period of retreat for Christian's forces, as Tilly's troops had marched across the Saxon border on July 13. Christian reportedly marched across the Weser River on July 27 and the Ems River a few days later, with Count von Tilly's more disciplined troops steadily gaining ground. 10 miles short of the border, Christian was overtaken and forced to turn and fight against Tilly's more numerous troops near the village of Stadtlohn in Westphalia. Taking position on a hill, Christian's forces withstood several attacks of increasing intensity before an attack by the Catholics caused the cavalry on Christian's wings to break and rout. On this sight, the infantrymen attempted to do the same, but were stopped by a bog to the rear of them. What then turned into a disorganized retreat became a bloodbath as Tilly's forces swept upon the routing Protestants, killing some 6,000 and capturing 4,000 more as prisoners of war. Among the losses were 50 of Christian's highest ranking officers, and all of his artillery and ammunition. Christian himself escaped alongside 2,000 cavalrymen.

With news of the outcome reaching Frederick V of the Palatinate, the king was forced to sign an armistice with Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, thus ending the 'Palatine Phase' of the Thirty Years' War. Peace would be shortlived and in 1624 England, France, the United Provinces of the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Savoy, Venice, and Brandenburg would join in an Anti-Hapsburg alliance to fight against Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor.

This was the last major battle and campaign that Christian of Brunswick would undertake and participate in. He would attempt to embark on one more campaign in 1626 before succumbing to an illness on June 16, 1626 at the age of 26 in Wolfenbüttel.