Everything about Wallenstein totally explained
(also
Waldstein; ;
September 24,
1583 –
February 25,
1634) was a
Bohemian soldier and politician who gave his services (an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men) during the Danish Period of the
Thirty Years' War to
Ferdinand II. He was the supreme commander of the armies of
Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II and one of the major figures of the Thirty Years' War.
A successful
generalissimo who ruled the
Duchy of Friedland in northern Bohemia, Wallenstein was released from service in 1630 after Ferdinand grew wary of his ambition. Several Protestant victories over Catholic armies induced Ferdinand to recall Wallenstein, who again turned the war in favor of the Imperial cause. Dissatisfied with the emperor's treatment of him, Wallenstein considered allying with the Protestants. However, Ferdinand had the general assassinated at
Eger (Cheb) by one of the army's officials, Walter Devereux.
Early life
Wallenstein was born in
Heřmanice,
Bohemia, into poor
Protestant branch of an old noble family.
Wallenstein then joined the army of
Rudolf II in
Hungary, where he saw under the command of
Giorgio Basta two years
of armed service (1604-1606) against the
Ottoman Turks and
Hungarian rebels. Wallenstein proved to be an able administrator of the duchy, and also sent a large representation to Prague to emphasize his nobility.
In order to aid Ferdinand, meanwhile elected
Holy Roman Emperor, against the Northern Protestants and produce a balance to the Army of the Catholic League under
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, Wallenstein offered to raise a whole army for the imperial service in 1626. Wallenstein's popularity soon brought 30,000 (not long afterwards 50,000) men. The two armies worked together over 1625–1627, at first against Mansfeld.
Having beaten Mansfeld at
Dessau, Wallenstein cleared
Silesia of the remnants of Mansfeld's army in 1627. At this time he bought from the emperor the
Duchy of Sagan. He then joined Tilly in the struggle with
Christian IV of Denmark, and afterwards was rewarded with the Duchies of
Mecklenburg, whose hereditary dukes were expelled for having helped the
Danish king. This awarding of a major territory to someone of the lower nobility shocked the high-born rulers of many other
German states.
Wallenstein assumed the title of "
Admiral of the
North and
Baltic Seas". However, in 1628 Wallenstein failed to capture
Stralsund, which received help from
Swedish troops, a blow that denied access to the Baltic and the chance of challenging the naval power of the
Scandinavian kingdoms and the
Netherlands.
Over the course of the war Wallenstein's ambitions and the exactions of his army had created a host of enemies, both
Catholic and Protestant princes. Ferdinand suspected Wallenstein of planning a coup to take control of the
Holy Roman Empire. The Emperor was advised to dismiss him and in September 1630 envoys were sent to Wallenstein to announce his removal.
However, Ferdinand was forced to call him into the field again.
Wallenstein was buried at
Jitschin (Jičín).
Golo Mann's monumental and highly readable biography of Wallenstein is widely regarded as a masterpiece of historiography. Currently a large exhibition about Wallenstein is being prepared by the Czech National Museum and will be held at the
Wallenstein Palace in Prague (current seat of Senate) from
15 November 2007 till
15 February 2008.
Wallenstein's particular genius was in recognizing a new way for funding war: instead of merely plundering one's enemies, he called for a new method of systematic "war taxes". Even a city or a prince on the side of the Emperor had to pay taxes towards the war. He understood the enormous wastage of resources that resulted from tax exactions on princes and cities of defeated enemies only, and desired to replace this with a "balanced" system of taxation; wherein both sides bore the cost of a war.
He was unable to fully realize this ambition; and in fact his idea led to the random exploitation of whole populations on either side, until finally, almost fifteen years after his death, the war had become so expensive that the warring parties were forced to make peace. In any case, Wallenstein's idea inspired many, among them,
Colbert, to "pluck the goose with a minimum of screeching".
Further Information
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