The following is a list of the major leaders of the war and their game attributes. Louis II de Bourbon, duc d'Enghien (later Prince de Condé). Cousin to the King of France, D'Enghein possessed an overwhelming arrogance and confidence that made him a military commander of high order . Although lacking the subtlety and patience of Turenne his skills as an extremely effective attacking soldier were proven by an astonishing victory over the Spanish at Rocroi (1643) at the age of twenty-two. Campaigning with Turenne in Germany he also fought brilliantly in Spain and Flanders before the peace of 1648. His involvement in the civil war led first to his imprisonment by Mazarin and subsequently open rebellion and alliance with Spain. He fought Turenne with some success but was defeated at the battle of the Dunes (1658). Returning to France he was never fully trusted by Louis XIV but successfully commanded French armies in Flanders. On the death of Turenne in Alsace (1675) he completed the work of driving Montecuccoli's imperial army back across the Rhine. Stricken with gout he retired and died in 1686. (Attributes: AG 3; COM +1 M; TAC +1A; MOR +1) Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder. Succeeding his father William the Silent in 1584 Maurice successfully defended the Dutch provinces against Spain achieving a 12 years' truce in 1609. With the recommencement of hostilities in 1621 he fought without any great success against Spinola until his death in 1625. Although he won few major set-piece battles he is chiefly remembered as a military reformer, organiser and innovator, whose skills were essential in preserving Dutch independence. Maurice's reforms in organisation, tactics and logistics were imitated by all Protestant states, not in the least Sweden, to good effect against the largely conservative Spanish and Imperialist armies. His legacy was a well-paid, well-drilled and well-disciplined Dutch army that served the United Provinces through to the 18th century and as a model for professional armies of the future. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 F; TAC +1A) Henri, de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne. Considered by many historians as one of the great French commanders, Turenne is often denied the unique glory his achievements rightly deserve by constant comparison with his slightly younger contemporary, Condé (d'Enghien). Born in the strategic city of Sedan of minor Protestant aristocracy (father the duc de Bouillon and mother the sister of Maurice of Nassau [Orange]), the young Turenne served his military apprenticeship in the Netherlands returning to France as a regimental commander in 1630. In 1638 he led a force reinforcing Bernard in the siege of Breisach. After the city's surrender he campaigned in northern Italy against the imperial-Savoyard army culminating in the capture of Turin in 1640. After a slight political hiccup he was created a marshal of France and given command of the late Bernard of Saxe-Weimar's army. Together with d'Enghein he campaigned successfully against the imperialists under Mercy. Due to brilliant manoeuvring he carried the war into the heartland of Bavaria and threatened Austria, a crucial factor in the lead up to the peace of Westphalia (1648). After the war Turenne was involved in the civil war of the Fronde but gained the undying support of Louis XIV. Defeating the Spanish and Condé at the battle of the Dunes in 1658 he was appointed "marshal-general" of France and was instrumental in the many French successes of the wars of French expansion that followed. In 1675 at the height of his abilities he was killed at Strassburg by a random cannonball while preparing to attack the imperialist army under the equally brilliant Montecuccoli. (Attributes: AG 3; COM +1 F; TAC +D; MOR +1) Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. The youngest son of William the Silent Frederick Henry succeeded his brother Maurice in 1625. Conducting a largely defensive but active war of siege and counter-siege he was superior to the Spanish generals who replaced Spinola and in 1632 captured the great fortress of Maestricht. The welcome entry of France into the war in 1635 was balanced by the arrival of the energetic and capable Cardinal-Infant whose offensive resulted in the loss of many of his earlier achievements. Orange's capture of Breda in 1637 after 12 years of Spanish occupation tilted the balance once more in Dutch favour. He died in 1647 a year before the Peace of Westphalia which ended the 30 Years War and the United Provinces' 80 year war with Spain. By then the Dutch were beginning to recognise a resurgent France as their chief threat. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 S; TAC +1D) Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. Succeeding to the throne in 1611 at sixteen, young Gustav Adolph inherited an ill-equipped, undermanned and poorly trained army and a country surrounded by hostile states. The Death of Gustavus Asolphus at Lutzen. By the late 1620's as a result of years of administrative reform and a hard apprenticeship fighting the Danes and the Muscovites for supremacy of the Baltic and the Poles for dynastic security, he possessed the premier army of Europe. Freely adopting the military reforms of Maurice of Nassau and combined with his own brilliant ideas and innovations, his well honed army with its core of Swedes, leavened with veteran Finns, Scots and Germans was at its peak when he intervened in Germany in 1630. At Breitenfeld he swept Tilly and Pappenheim from the field and advanced south towards Bavaria and the centre of imperialist strength. Acknowledged leader of the Protestant cause he collected allies as he advanced, defeating Tilly again at the crossing of the Lech (1632). Engaging Wallenstein at Lutzen, while personally leading his cavalry, he was killed at the moment of victory. Unlike many contemporaries his army did not disintegrate on his death but under a succession of competent leaders played an important role until the end of the war. Gustavus Adolphus' legacy went beyond Swedish involvement in the 30 Years War, affecting the conduct of war for decades afterwards. No less a commander than Marlborough still used his techniques in the field as late as seventy years after his death. (Attributes: AG 4; COM +1 FSM; TAC +1A; MOR +1) Gustavus Horn, Swedish general. The son-in-law of the Swedish chancellor Oxenstierna he commanded foot regiments at Brietenfeld. Declared commander-in-chief of the Protestant coalition army after the death of Gustavus Adolphus at Lutzen in 1632 he had an uneasy relationship with a jealous Bernard of Saxe-Weimar as they carried the fighting into Bavaria. Horn was defeated and captured at Nordlingen in 1634 by Ferdinand of Hungary, the Emperor's son, and his able Spanish cousin the Cardinal-Infant. Upon his release he successfully commanded the home army in the war with Denmark (1643-45). (Attributes: AG 4; COM +1 F; TAC +1A) Johan Baner, Swedish general, nobleman and opportunist. After the death of Gustavus Adolphus, Baner commanded the army in Silesia against possible Polish intervention. Made Swedish commander-in-chief after the capture of Horn in 1634, he linked forces with Torstensson, who commanded in Northern Germany, defeating a larger combined Imperialist-Saxon army at Wittstock in 1636. For the next few years his was the only effective Swedish army controlling much of Germany and keeping the Swedish-French anti-Spanish-Imperialist campaign alive. Unfortunately like so many before him he was overly ambitious and self-seeking and quarrelled repeatedly with his now virtually independent ally Bernard. Baner died in 1641 and was replaced by Torstensson who led effectively until resigning from ill-health in 1646. (Attributes: AG 4; COM +1 M; MOR +1) Bethlan Gabor, Prince of Transylvania. Technically Transylvania was a vassel state of the Ottoman Turks. Although a Calvinist and an enthusiastic supporter of the Protestant Cause, his main object was to reclaim the rest of Hungary ruled by the imperial Habsburgs. In support of Frederick of the Palatine he threatened Vienna in late 1619 but withdrew when the King of Poland sent a Cossack army to ravage Transylvania. Present at White Mountain his light horsemen were no match for Tilly's veteran cuirassiers. Gabor continued to threaten Hungary up to his death in 1630, restrained only by the wishes of the Sultan in Constantinople. He was succeeded by George Rokoczy who continued the anti-Habsburg campaign until the Treaty of Linz in 1645. (Attributes: AG 1; COM +1 M) Christian IV, King of Denmark. The fiery Christian, a Protestant with considerable estates in the empire, was no friend of the Hapsburgs or of Sweden. Alarmed at the rapid collapse of the Protestant Cause and rapid Catholic expansion he entered the war in 1625 at the head of an alliance with England and the Dutch. Easily defeated by Tilly at Lutter (1626) and later routed by Wallenstein at Wolgast in 1628 he was forced into a humiliating peace the following year. Provoking a war with his old enemy Sweden in 1643 he was no less successful, defeated by Torstensson who subsequently emulated the imperial armies of 15 years earlier by occupying Jutland. The Dutch brokered a peace on their terms in 1645 and he died bitter and disappointed in 1648. Christian, like Gustavus Adolphus, was a great administrator and preferred to lead his armies personally. Unfortunately in the field, unlike his brilliant younger contemporary, he was found lacking. (Attributes: AG3) George Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, Protestant leader and general. A relatively elderly but experienced soldier at the outbreak of war Baden-Durlach raised an army in Central Germany in support of the Elector Frederick's cause. While engaging Tilly at Wimpfen in 1622 he had the upper hand until his artillery train exploded. In the confusion the Imperialists drove him from the field and he died shortly afterwards. (Attributes: AG 3) Gottfried Heinrich, Graf zu Pappenheim, a German mercenary general of considerable talent in Imperialist service. Learning his trade in Poland Pappenheim introduced Polish cavalry shock tactics into his employer the Elector of Bavaria's army replacing the traditional caracole. He fought in Bohemia, Italy and Austria where he brutally put down a peasant revolt. Campaigning with Tilly he stormed and sacked Magdeburg in 1630, releasing his troops upon the city and slaughtering 25,000 of the inhabitants. At Breitenfeld he found the Swedish cavalry (Finnish hakkapulus) superior to his own but managed to cover Tilly's retreat. After the death of Tilly he joined Wallenstein and at Lutzen his timely intervention almost secured an imperialist victory but was mortally wounded by a stray cannon ball. His one consolation was hearing that the Swedish king, his greatest opponent, had died before him. (Attributes: AG 3; COM +1M; TAC +1A) Henri Duval, Count Dampierre, Imperialist general. With the Compte de Bucquoy, a fellow elderly veteran from Lorraine, Dampierre led Imperialist armies in Bohemia leading up to the battle of the White Mountain in 1620. (Attributes: AG 2) Albrecht von Wallenstein, Bohemian (Czech) magnate, adventurer and Imperialist marshal whose ambition was almost Olympian in scale and audacity. One of the richest men in Bohemia at the beginning of the war Wallenstein was in a unique position to offer an increasingly penurious and vulnerable Emperor Ferdinand a complete mercenary army in return for land and titles. Defeating first Mansfeld and then the Danes in 1626, he also forced Gabor's Transylvanians out of Hungary. Created prince and then duke of Friedland, he was later granted the duchies of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The massive increase in his power, wealth and prestige alarmed Catholic and Protestant princes alike and pressure was placed on Ferdinand to replace him. His plotting with the Swedes forced the Emperor to reinstate him and with the death of Tilly in 1632 appointed him commander-in-chief of the imperial armies. After Lutzen his conniving and scheming left him trusted by none and loyal imperialists on his staff began a counter-plot against him. After Ferdinand signed an order for his dismissal and apprehension, dead or alive, a group of officers murdered him and his few adhering supporters. It is generally recognised that Wallenstein's cupidity, treachery and moral turpitude tend to obscure his qualities of genius. With a remarkable talent for administration he recognised the importance of money as power in waging war and it was chiefly his lack of political skills that brought him down. As a general he was a clever tactician and a cunning improviser but was no match for the military genius of Gustavus Adolphus. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 FS; TAC +1D; MOR +1) Mathias, Count von Gallas. A popular, genial, easy-tempered but basically incompetent Imperialist general, Gallas typified the hacks that commonly led Imperial armies. Promoted after the fall of Wallenstein he was out-generaled by Bernard but managed to retain command despite becoming increasingly dipsomaniac. When Denmark re-entered the war Gallas, by now rarely more than half sober, was despatched to stop the Swedes invading Jutland. Lumbering across Germany in a purpose-built carriage his army was crushed near Kiel by Torstensson in 1644, escaping with barely one tenth of his original force. Derided as "the Spoiler of Armies" he was finally forced to resign, devoting the rest of his life to his favourite vice. (Attributes: AG 2; TAC +1D) Johann Tzerclaes, Graf von Tilly, Flemish mercenary, Bavarian and Imperialist marshal. The epitome of the professional soldier Tilly learnt his craft under Palma in the Spanish Flanders. He served the Hapsburgs against the Turks until 1610 when he took service with Maximilian of Bavaria. Leading the Bavarian army in the early years of the 30 Years War he routed the Bohemians at the White Mountain (1620) and although initially losing to Mansfeld went on to destroy each of the Protestant forces, culminating with the Danes in 1626. Seventy-one years old and commander-in-chief of the joint Catholic armies when Gustavus Adolphus landed in Germany in 1630 his competence was increasingly under question. Powerless to prevent the Pappenheim's massacre at Magdeburg he was defeated at Breitenfeld by superior Swedish generalship and tactics. Mortally wounded at the battle of the Lech in 1632, the Swedish king, as a mark of respect provided him with the services of a renowned surgeon, but to no avail. An honourable and moral man, and a general of indomitable courage, Tilly was a die-hard traditionalist unable to come to terms with the new way of fighting introduced by the Swedes. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 FS; TAC +1D; MOR +1) Johann von Aldringer, Bavarian and Imperialist general. A loyal Imperialist he was an active opponent of Wallenstein and helped bring about the marshal's downfall. Aldringer was defeated and killed by Horn at Landshut in 1634. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 M) Johann von Werth, Bavarian and Imperialist general. Risen from the ranks he became commander of Bavarian cavalry after Lutzen and successfully fought at Nordlingen in 1634. He accompanied the Cardinal-Infant and Piccolomini on their invasion of France in 1636 and was captured by Bernard at Rheinfelden in 1638. Released by the French in 1643 he and fellow Imperialist Mercy defeated the veteran Bernadine army at Tuttlingen and later fought Turenne and Enghien to a standstill during the three day battle of Freiburg in 1644. Although defeated by Torstensson's Swedes at Jankau the following year he checked Tureen's advance into Bavaria. After the war he achieved what eluded many of his contemporaries, retiring a wealthy man and married into the aristocracy. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1S; TAC +1A) Raymond, Count de Montecuccoli. An Italian soldier in imperial service as a young officer Montecuccoli fought well at Breitenfeld and Lutzen and distinguished himself particularly at Nordlingen. Captured at Wittstock in 1636 he was imprisoned until released in 1642 and soon afterwards defeated the Swedes at Troppau. After campaigns in Hungary and the defeat of another Swedish force at Triebel he was appointed general in 1647. He emerged from the war as a field marshal and it was not long before his obvious talents were again in demand. In the First Northern War (1655-60) he fought the Swedes to a standstill after fierce fighting in Hungary, Poland and Germany. When the Turks invaded he led his smaller force to an incredible victory at Raab (1664) which established him as one of Europe's premier generals. He was a learned man who studied classical military history and tactics that he used to good effect by reforming the Hapsburg armies. In 1673 he led the imperial armies against the French under Turenne. Both generals were a match for each other, whereas Turenne was the better tactician Montecuccoli excelled at manoeuvre. Such was the balance of the contest that the war was fought to a stalemate. In 1679 the emperor Leopold I created him a prince. He died, as a result of an accident, the following year. Montecuccoli was widely respected by his contemporaries and instrumental in creating the Austrian army so effectively used by Prince Eugene in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 FM; TAC +1A; MOR +1) Ambrogio di Filippo Spinola. An Italian soldier of fortune in Spanish service, Spinola led the army of the Spanish Netherlands capturing the fortress port of Ostend in 1604 after an epic 3 year siege. He constantly outgeneralled Maurice of Nassau but was badly treated by the Spanish government in Madrid. During the twelve years truce (1609-21) he was forced to pay for the upkeep of his army personally, resulting in the well-trained efficient force that enabled him to seize the Palatine at the outbreak of the war. When war resumed with Holland he continued his earlier successes culminating with the capture of Breda in 1625. Again denied support from Spain, Spinola eventually resigned and returned to Italy. There he died doing what he did best, besieging a fortress. In his absence Frederick Henry, Maurice's brother and able successor, took the initiative and was successful against inferior Spanish leadership. Spinola was a daring and brilliant battlefield commander and a master of professional military skills. Better supported he may have achieved what always alluded the great Palma, the undoing of the fragile independence of the United Provinces. (Attributes: AG 4; COM +1 FS; TAC +1D; MOR +1) Francisco de Melo. A Portuguese writer and general in Spanish service. Leading the Army of Flanders into France Melo was defeated by the duc d'Enghien at Rocroi in 1643, the result of which effectively removed Spain as an effective military force. He returned to the restored Kingdom of Portugal but was placed in prison where he composed most of his literary output. (Attributes: AG 4) Ottavio Piccolomini. An Italian soldier in Imperial and Spanish service, Piccolomini was a renowned cavalry commander who fought at most of the major battles of the 30 Years War. In 1627 he was recruited by Wallenstein as the commander of his bodyguard and his extraordinary cavalry charges at Lutzen almost won the battle for the imperialists after the death of the Swedish king. Becoming increasingly disillusioned with Wallenstein he was active in the plot against the generalissimo. Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. A German mercenary leader and veteran of the Imperial army. In the service of the Protestant Union he led an army into Bohemia at the beginning of the war capturing Pilsen but was checked by the imperialist army of Bucquoi near Budweis in 1619. His failure to support the Elector Palatine led to the debacle at the White Mountain and subsequent collapse of the Protestant Cause. For the next two years his army lived off the rich Rhineland provinces. Eventually forced by Tilly and an empty Palatine purse to transfer his services to the Dutch, Mansfeld's main aim was to preserve his only asset, his army. In 1626 he fought the new imperialist mercenary leader Wallenstein at Dessau where grossly underestimating his opponent he lost heavily. With the defeat of Denmark the same year he moved east to Silesia hoping for Saxon support and then south, his army melting away. He died in suspicious circumstances near Sarajevo in the Balkens en route to Venice. A prickly and dangerous leader he used his army as a lever to obtain personal political recognition and economic advantage, not unlike so many of the soldiers of fortune that emerged on both sides. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 (S)) Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. A celebrated Protestant leader. Barely 20 years old when war broke out he energetically commanded armies during the early years but proved no match for the more experienced Imperialist generals until the advent of the Swedes. Distinguishing himself at Brietenfeld, at Lutzen in 1632 he rallied the leaderless Protestant army to victory when Gustavus was killed. Appointed commander-in- chief of the German forces of the league he pursued an independent course ravaging southern Germany. Bad coordination with Horn led to the defeat at Nordlingen in 1634, but he managed to reconstitute his army, largely with French assistance. Taking the offensive in the lower Rhineland Bernard's "Weimarer" army won victories at Rheinfelden, Breisach and Freiburg (1636-38). When he attempted to establish himself as an independent power the French refused to recognise him and he turned again to the Swedes but died in 1639 before he could achieve his goal. (Attributes: AG 2; COM +1 F; TAC +1A) Sir Horace Vere. A notable English general and veteran of the earlier Dutch war against Spain. Appointed leader of the 2000 English volunteers supporting Frederick against the imperial armies in 1620-21. The tiny English army defended Mannheim but with the collapse of the Protestant Cause was forced to capitulate to Tilly in 1622. Later he and many of the survivors of the English expeditionary force, including future Civil War generals Fairfax, Hopton and Waller, served in the Dutch army. A small English regiment went to Denmark in 1626 and many Englishmen joined the several regiments of Scots fighting for the King of Sweden. A number of English mercenaries also took up imperial service. (Attributes: AG 1; TAC +1 D) Christian of Brunswick. Just 20 years old in the aftermath of the debacle of White Mountain he used his inheritance to raise an army in support of the Elector Palatine's cause. Known as the "Mad Halberstadter" he was an impetuous, inspired but unlucky leader who believed in the virtues of chivalry, going so far as to fight with banners dedicated to Frederick's English wife Elizabeth whom he worshipped. Joining with Mansfeld in 1622, together the idealist and the free-booter at first out-manoeuvred Tilly but were forced to seek employment from the Dutch when the Elector ran out of money. Advancing into Germany in 1623 in an elaborate and risky strategy he attempted to evade Tilly and link up with Mansfeld. Unfortunately that wily pragmatist refused to leave the safety of Munster for what he considered was a hare-brained campaign and Christian's army was destroyed at Stadtlohn only ten miles from the Dutch border. Later in an attempt to raise another army to join the new champion of the Protestant Cause, the king of Denmark, he fell ill and died, probably of an aneurism, in 1626. (Attributes: AG 2; MOR +1) John George, Elector of Saxony/George William, Elector of Brandenburg. These two cautious local rulers were initially unwilling to involve themselves too actively in the war on either side for fear of losing territory. Reluctantly both states were forced into the conflict by the King of Sweden in 1630. Saxony later fought against France and Sweden, while Brandenburg sought to gain Silesia and other territory by supporting in turn both sides. The Electorate of Brandenburg, composed of disjointed territories united more in name than nationality, emerged after the peace of 1648 a more homogeneous and stronger state laying the foundations for the future kingdom of Prussia. (Attributes: AG 2) Frederick V Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia – "The Winter King". By his rash acceptance of the kingship of rebellious Bohemia in 1618 Frederick polarised anti-Imperial Habsburg feeling in Germany and Protestant Europe, precipitating the 30 Years War. His and his largely uncoordinated supporters' armies were defeated first at the White Mountain outside Prague the following year and then separately in Germany by Tilly and Spinola. Fleeing to Holland in 1622 he was officially deprived of his Electoral possessions by the Emperor Ferdinand II. Living the rest of his life in exile in The Hague, Frederick's one other notable achievement was as the father of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who eventually became the Commander-in-Chief of the English Royalists army of Charles II. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 Rupert proved even more successful at sea as admiral of the English fleet during the Second and Third Dutch Wars. (Attributes: AG 2) Hans Georg von Arnim. A German mercenary general and veteran of both sides of the Swedish-Polish wars. Appointed leader of the Saxon army in 1631 he was present at Breitenfeld as a Swedish ally. In 1638 he campaigned against the Swedes and French in an attempt to restore the independence of German states but died before the attack could be mounted. (Attributes: AG 2) More Thirty Years War: Holistic Approach Part 1: "For as Long as Spinola Wills It" Part 2: "The Lion of the North" Part 2: Leaders Part 2: Armies Back to Table of Contents -- Kriegspieler #6 To Kriegspieler List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Kriegspieler Publications. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com