Thirty Years' War: Gustavus Adolphus Killed at Lützen!

November 16, 1632 - Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus (right) is killed at the Battle of Lutzen. Ignoring increasingly wintery weather, Gustavus Adolphus advanced against Albrecht von Wallenstein's Catholic forces near Lützen in November 1632. Intending to catch the enemy by surprise, the Swedish army encountered a small holding force near von Wallenstein's most recent camp. After fighting a sharp skirmish, the Swedes caught up to the Catholic army the next day. Deploying for battle, the Protestant cavalry attacked von Wallenstein's left, while the infantry assaulted the entrenched Catholic center. Both sides continued to feed troops into the cavalry battle, and Gustavus was killed while leading a charge. As his body was secretly taken from the field, the Swedish infantry was badly repulsed in the center. While the infantry rallied around the reserves, Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar took command of the army. When the men learned of the king's death they responded with yells of "They have killed the King! Avenge the King!," and charged forward. In the resulting fight, they broke the Catholic line and forced von Wallenstein to fall back to Leipzig. While a key victory for Protestant forces, Lützen cost them one of their best commanders in Gustavus Adolphus.

Photograph Source: Public Domain