Battles & Campaigns · 1645
Battle of Jankau
Jankov, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic
What happened
A Swedish army under Lennart Torstensson fought an Imperial and Bavarian army under Melchior von Hatzfeldt and Johann von Werth. The two armies were about the same size. The Swedes moved round the Imperial left, and Imperial attacks on Chapel Hill failed. Hatzfeldt's army got stuck in mud and broken ground and lost its guns, and most of its infantry surrendered.
Why it matters
It put heavy pressure on Emperor Ferdinand III to make peace. Saxony agreed a truce with Sweden that September.
What came next
The Swedes advanced toward Vienna but failed to take it. The war ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Did you know?
Bavarian cavalry captured Torstensson's wife while looting the baggage train.
Timeline
- 6 Mar 1645Battle of Jankau.
- 5 May 1645Bavarian win at Herbsthausen.
- Sep 1645Saxony agrees a truce with Sweden.
- 1648Peace of Westphalia.