Relief of Konstanz (1633)

Relief of Konstanz
Part of the Thirty Years' War
Feria at Konstanz
Date 7 September – 3 October 1633 (1633-09-07 – 1633-10-03) Location Konstanz Result Imperial-Spanish-Liga Victory
Belligerents
Sweden Heilbronn League • Wurttemberg	Habsurg Monarchy Spanish Empire Liga Bavaria
Commanders and leaders
Gustav Horn	Duke of Feria Johann von Aldringen
Strength
10,000 Lake Constance Fleet [1]	3,000 garrison 21,000 relief [1]
Casualties and losses
3,000	2,000

The Relief of Konstanz in 1633 was a battle of the Thirty Years' War. A combined force of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire lifted the siege of Konstanz, that was besieged by the Swedish and their German allies.

Out of fear of an approaching Spanish army under the Duke of Feria, Gustaf Horn attempted to close the Spanish road into south-west Germany. He tried to capture imperial city of Konstanz, part of Habsburg Further Austria, in order to block the exit from the Tirolean passes through the Alpes. Horn hoped to encourage the Swiss to join the Swedish alliance against their common enemy, the Austrian Habsburgs.

Before the battle

After the death of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Lützen, the Swedish generals Gustav Horn ^[a] and Bernard of Saxe-Weimar ^[b] were given command over the Swedish and German armies. In 1633, following victories at Oldendorf and Pfaffenhofen Axel Oxenstierna ordered the Swedes and their German Allies to retake the land lost. Horn and Bernard both decided to invade Bavaria; Horn was to capture Konstanz and Überlingen and attack Bavaria from the south, while Bernard would take Regensburg and invade Bavaria from the north.

In Spain, Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares was worried about Swedish advances in Southern Germany, so he sent Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, 3rd Duke of Feria to relieve Breisach, Konstanz and Bregenz and to retake Rheinfelden. Feria headed from Alsace into Germany. When Bernard and Horns troops meat up at Augsburg a mutiny began which plagued the Swedish army, eventually Horn withdrew back to Strasbourg. Upon hearing of the Spanish Horn began the Siege.

Siege

Horn crossed the Rhine on 7 September 1633 at Stein am Rhein, thereby violating Swiss neutrality, and approached Konstanz from the south. A day later, he began bombarding the city, supported by a gunboat flotilla that screened the city from the north. Horn launched a series of costly attempts on the city without much success. ^[1]

Relief

Feria moved across Württemburg and met up with Johann von Aldringen near Überlingen and advanced to the town, but the Swedes retreated just before Aldringen and Feria could inflict casualties.

Aftermath

After the battle, Horn retreated back into Alsace, while Feria retook Rheinfelden and relieved the besieged Breisach and Bregenz. The Imperial army went into Tyrol, Salzburg, and Styria for the winter, but a large of the army died of plague and frostbite, including Feria. This defeat would only be exploited as one years later; the Spanish general Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand would win a deceive victory at Nördlingen forcing the swedes to withdraw back to Pomerania.

In popular culture

The Italian painter Vicente Carducho would make a painting about the relief of Konstanz.

Notes

1. given command in Alsace and Lower Rhine
2. given command in Swabia and Bavaria

References

1. Wilson 2009, p. 531.

See also

• Battle of Strasbourg Bridge
• Siege of Rheinfelden (1633)

Bibliography

• Wilson, Peter H. (2009). Europe's Tragedy: A History of the Thirty Years War. Allen Lane. ISBN   978-0-7139-9592-3.