- Siege of Pilsen
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Pilsen
partof=Thirty Years' War Bohemian Revolt
caption=
date=September 19 -November 21 ,1618
place=Pilsen , Bohemia
result=Protestant victory
combatant1=flagicon|Bohemia Protestant Bohemia
combatant2=flagicon|Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
commander1=Ernst von Mansfeld
commander2=Unknown
strength1=20,000
strength2=Burghers
158 cavalry
casualties1=Unknown
casualties2=Unknown|The Siege of Pilsen (or Plzeň) or Battle of Pilsen was a
siege of the fortified city ofPilsen ( _cs. Plzeň) in Bohemia carried out by the forces of the BohemianProtestant s led by Ernst von Mansfeld. It was the first major battle of theThirty Years' War . The Protestant victory and subsequent capture of the city sparked the Bohemian Revolt.Eve of the battle
On
May 23 ,1618 , the Protestant nobles overthrew the rule of King Ferdinand II and threw theRoman Catholic governors of Bohemia from their office at Prague Castle in the Defenestration ofPrague . The new government formed of Protestant nobility and gentry gave Ernst von Mansfeld the command over all of its forces. Meanwhile, Catholic nobles and priests started fleeing the country. Some of the monasteries as well as unfortified manors were evacuated and the Catholic refugees headed for the city of Pilsen, where they thought that a successful defence could be organised. The city was well-prepared for a lengthy siege, but the defences were undermanned and the defenders lacked enoughgunpowder for their artillery. Mansfeld decided to capture the city before the Catholics were able to gain support from the outside.Siege
On
September 19 ,1618 , Mansfeld's army reached the outskirts of the city. The defenders blocked two city gates and the third one was reinforced with additional guards. The Protestant army was too weak to start an all-out assault on the castle, so Mansfeld decided to take the city by hunger. OnOctober 2 , the Protestant artillery arrived, but the calibre and number of the cannons was small and the bombardment of thecity walls brought little effect. The siege continued, with the Protestants receiving new supplies and recruits on a daily basis, while the defenders lacked food and munitions. Also, the main city well was destroyed and the stores ofpotable water soon depleted.Finally, on
November 21 , cracks were made in the walls and the Protestant soldiers poured into the city. After several hours of close hand-to-hand combat, all of the town was in Mansfeld's hands.Aftermath
After capturing the city, Mansfeld demanded 120,000 golden
gulden s aswar reparations and an additional 47,000florin s for sparing the city and not burning it to the ground. However, soon theHoly Roman Empire , led byBavaria , gathered enough forces and crossed the border with Bohemia, heading towards Pilsen andPrague .The newly-elected Bohemian king, Frederick V of the Palatinate was aware of the huge superiority of his enemies' forces and ordered his own army to regroup and attack each of the advancing armies separately. However, he was abandoned by most of his allies and his armies dispersed in the dense forests between Pilsen and Prague, which resulted in a descisive defeat in the
Battle of White Mountain .See also
*
Thirty Years' War References
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