Battle of Dessau European history [1626] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Dessau-1626 Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Dessau-1626 Feedback Written by Jacob F. Field Jacob F. Field is an early modern historian based at the University of Cambridge. Jacob F. Field Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 1, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Date: April 25, 1626 (Show more) Location: Dessau Germany (Show more) Participants: Holy Roman Empire (Show more) Context: Thirty Years’ War (Show more) Key People: Christian IV Ernst, count von Mansfeld Albrecht von Wallenstein (Show more) See all related content →

　　The Battle of Dessau, 1626The Battle of Dessau, print on paper by the printmaker Frans Hogenberg, 1626. Courtesy of the Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam. (more)By April 1626, the Thirty Years’ War had been raging across the German states and Central Europe for eight years, and following a catastrophic defeat suffered at Stadtlohn, the German Protestant cause seemed lost. There was new hope when Christian IV of Denmark entered the war in 1625, but the next year, on April 25, a Protestant army was bested in the Battle of Dessau by the forces of the Catholic Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II.

　　The Protestant general Ernst von Mansfeld led an army into Magdeburg, aiming to break the imperial line west of the Elbe River. In command of the forces there was Albrecht von Wallenstein, a minor, but wealthy, Moravian noble who had risen to command the imperial armies after having converted from Protestantism to Catholicism. Mansfeld attacked at Dessau, the most important crossing between Magdeburg and Saxony.

　　Thirty Years’ War Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Eighty Years’ War 1568 - 1648

　　Battle of White Mountain November 8, 1620

　　Battle of Dessau April 25, 1626

　　Battle of Magdeburg November 1630 - May 20, 1631

　　Battle of Breitenfeld September 17, 1631

　　Battle of Lützen November 16, 1632

　　Battle of Nördlingen September 5, 1634 - September 6, 1634

　　Battle of Wittstock October 4, 1636

　　Battle of Rocroi May 19, 1643

　　Battle of Freiburg August 3, 1644 - August 9, 1644 keyboard_arrow_right Wallenstein had been able to secure a bridgehead by entrenching four infantry companies on the eastern side. Mansfeld arrived in force on April 12, but despite having superior numbers he was unable to overcome the imperial fortifications. Deciding to take the position by siege, he dug trenches and brought up his guns. He made no headway and by April 24 substantial imperial reinforcements had arrived. Wallenstein occupied a wood on the Protestant right to outflank them.

　　Mansfeld was now completely outnumbered, but at 6:00 AM on April 25 he ordered an all-out attack. Fighting went on for five hours until Wallenstein, his forces now outnumbering Mansfeld’s, was able to force Mansfeld back. Mansfeld ordered his guns and baggage to pull back and carried on fighting to cover their escape. At noon fresh reserves of imperial cavalry and infantry charged from the woods, and a counterattack was launched from the bridgehead. The Protestants were forced to retreat. Dessau was the first of many setbacks for Christian IV’s overall strategy, and in 1629 he pulled out of the war, which would go on for nearly 20 more years.

　　Largely unfortified, the city of Dessau was badly damaged during the battle and subsequent engagements, and much of it lay in ruins until the war ended with the Treaty of Westphalia.

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