Battle of White Mountain
White Mountain, near Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (nowadays Czech Republic)
What happened
Count Tilly and Count Bucquoy led the Catholic Imperial army of Emperor Ferdinand II against the Bohemian Protestant rebels, led by Christian of Anhalt for their elected king, Frederick V. In 1618 angry Protestant nobles threw Ferdinand's officials out of a high window in Prague. The rebels chose the Protestant Frederick V as their king, and the Thirty Years' War began. At White Mountain, just outside Prague, the battle lasted only about an hour before the rebel army broke and retreated.
Why it matters
Result: Imperial victory. Leaders: Johann Tserclaes / Charles Longueval against Christian I / Christian II. Why it matters: The defeat ended the Bohemian Revolt and brought about two centuries of recatholicization of the Czech lands. Czech writers later called the 17th and 18th centuries the 'Dark Age'.
What came next
Imperial forces entered Prague on 9 November and Frederick fled. He was nicknamed the 'Winter King' because his reign lasted only about a year. In 1621, 27 rebel leaders were executed in Prague's Old Town Square, where 27 crosses now mark the place.
Did you know?
The French philosopher René Descartes travelled with the Catholic army during this campaign as an observer.
Timeline
- May 1618 CEThe Defenestration of Prague starts the Bohemian Revolt.
- 4 November 1619 CEFrederick V is crowned King of Bohemia.
- 8 November 1620 CEThe Imperial army defeats the rebels at White Mountain.
- 1621 CE27 rebel leaders are executed in Prague's Old Town Square.