The Thirty Years' War Part 2.

The Battle of White Mountain Episode 2.

As I wrote in the first part, on the 10th of September the long assembled army in the Spanish Netherlands under Ambrosio Spinolla struck the Falklands, setting in motion the so-called Falklands War.

A combined Imperial-Bavarian army set out on the march for Anhalt, destroying the weak Estates garrisons in the process. It was obvious that Anhalt was purposely avoiding the war as he retreated with his army further to Znojmo, so the enemy commanders had to consider their next course of action. In the end, Maximilian's proposal prevailed. The combined armies therefore headed for Bohemia and Prague regardless of Anhalt, since it was assumed that Anhalt would also retreat to Bohemia and would not be able to avoid battle. It was necessary to avoid the great danger that the war campaign would not be over by winter and that a great problem would arise...with the supply of such huge armies, which would also bring enormous financial costs. However, Buquoy disagreed with Maximilian's proposal and wanted to strike at Anhalt in Moravia and possibly overwinter there.The Viennese War Council also agreed with Buquoy, who feared that Anhalt, together with Bethlen, would launch a diversionary attack on Vienna.

The tense truce between Ferdinand and Bethlen was exacerbated in the summer when Bethlen joined the Bohemian-Austrian-Hungarian alliance. This step was taken following negotiations between Christopher of Donin and the Duke of Transylvania. Bethlen was willing to join Anhalt for 300,000 guilders.

The first instalment could take place, but only on condition that the king pawned all his jewels . The important issue of the alliance with Bethlen was above all to obtain Turkish aid. The Sultan sent his ambassador Mehmet Aga to the Diet of Bystrica, who had travelled from Prague, where he was received by Frederick. The Porte offered an alliance against Poland. It seemed that help could be obtained from the Turks, so an embassy was dispatched to Constantinople, led by two Prague patricians, Yesin of Bezdezi and Kohout of Lichtenfeld. The envoy first went to Banská Bystrica to the Hungarian Diet, which finally deposed Ferdinand from the throne and elected Gabriel Bethlen king of Hungary on 22 August. After the proclamation, Transylvania was also admitted into the Bohemian-Austrian-Hungarian confederation with the obligation to raise 25,000 men. On 27 August, immediately after the dissolution of the Diet of Bystria, Bethlen headed to Bratislava with a large army. The Czech envoy then joined the Hungarian envoys and set out for Constantinople. However, they did not arrive there until 27 November, 19 days after the Battle of Belgrade. But it did not achieve more than vague promises of help.

According to the agreement between Anhalt and Bethlen, Bethlen was to strike at Styria and Lower Austria, thus forcing Buquois to retreat. Maximilian's plan brought great danger to Vienna, for only a weak garrison of about 2,000 men remained in the city. After long negotiations, Ferdinand, on the recommendation of the Spanish envoy, gave his assent to Maximilian's plan. He had only one condition, that one regiment from each army should be sent to Vienna. Dampierre's task was to counter Bethlen's attack.
On 16 September, the combined enemy armies finally embarked on a historic march. They headed for Bejdov nad Dyjí (Waidhofen), crossed the Czech border at Nové hrady on 20 September and reached České Budějovice two days later. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief only when the news came that Maximilian's assumption was correct. Anhalt was forced to give up the idea of joining with Bethlen and of a diversion against Vienna, and he retreated to Bohemia via Moravian Budejovice. On 20 September he reached Jindřichův Hradec, where his army, reinforced by part of the Moravian army and the Hungarian cavalry , joined with the remnants of Turnovo's corps.

Thurn feared that parts of the Ligist army left in place would not simultaneously invade Bohemia from Bavaria via Brod nad Lesy. He therefore sent Mansfeld with his infantry regiment, Seton's musketeers, Frenck's regiment and Styrum's cavalry (about 4,000 men) into western Bohemia to cover the threatened breakthrough through the Bohemian border. Thus, on 22 September, Mansfeld was already operating between Klatovy and Domažlice. His army was to be reinforced by a provincial emergency force from Plzeň, but it did not assemble. Thurn withdrew with the rest of his army. While Anhalt advanced further towards the camp (24 September), the combined enemy armies occupied southern Bohemia.

Continued next time.......