I don't believe in reincarnation, but if it was real, I would bet that Gustavus Adolphus was a reincarnation of Pyrrhus! BTW, you can watch our series on Pyrrhus, if you want to compare these two kings: th-cam.com/video/2QBA6ZPmj3Q/w-d-xo.html This particular battle is such a gem of a tactical genius, it is no surprise that Frederick and Napoleon learned from it.
"And at this epoch appeared three new Alexanders - Gustavus Adolphus, Charles XII, and Fredrick the Great, whose aim was, by small and highly disciplined Armies, to raise little states to the rank of Monarchies, and to throw down everything that opposed them" - Carl von Clausewitz
After watching your Thirty Years Wars series, I have to say I see some striking resemblance between this prolonged conflict and the war between Umayyad Caliphate and then later Abbasids. Some facts related to this Islamic conflict is unknown or has not been discussed very much outside of Muslim community (Like the Battle of Rayy in 811 which drastically changed the course of history for Islamic world, Iranians and Turkic tribes). I think it would be good idea if you cover that part of history too. I have to say after watching this battle the discipline shown by The Lion of the North's Army was legendary and the tactics were way ahead of their time. Like always, Kudos to you guys.
Great video!! However I did want you to touch on the war in Lavonia between Sweden and the Commonwealth a bit more. It is something people don’t really know about.
Fun fact: After the war the Count of Brandenburg (which would later become Prussia) used old Swedish veterans to train the Prussian army. They were so experienced and well trained that people began to say „Old Swede!“ to show that they were impressed. It still is a really popular saying in Germany.
The Swedish army must’ve seemed so alien to the Catholics that day. Combined arms warfare, mobile artillery, rapid response to significant battlefield changes, and a focus on ranged firepower and massed volleys. It’s like when Alexander the Great defeated a rebelling force by doing complex army maneuver drills in front of them. The discipline was so great they gave up without a fight because it was so unheard of. The Catholics just didn’t have an opportunity to see it before experiencing it, or they might’ve gave up before it happened.
Spot on. A lot of people criticise Tilly for his tactics during the battle, but the thing is that his tactics were perfectly fine... In the context of fighting any other European Army. If he had been fighting Frenchmen, or Hungarians, or Bohemians, or Englishmen at Breitenfeld, he would had won a decisive victory. But when going up against the Swedes the traditional rule-book had to be thrown out of the window. All conventional tactics and mindsets were completely outdated when faced with the high mobility, high firepower, highly flexible and adaptable Swedish Brigades.
@@cvc1939 It wasn't Spanish Brilliance that won the day at Nördlingen as much as it was incredibly bad luck for the Swedes. Have you forgotten about Rocroi, Lens, the Dunes? The Tercios were completely and utterly outdated in the face of modern Swedish-Dutch tactics.
@@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa it wasn't bad luck it was the fact that half of the imperial army was composed by Old Spanish Tercios and the did not retreat as easy as Austrian an Wallonian Tercios. And don't worry about Rocroi because using the same tactics we beat a French army at Valenciennes. An army need useful tactics and they are not necessarily the newest
In addition to his changes to the infantry and artillery, Gustavus also made significant changes to his cavalry, including taking away their armor and thereby making them more maneuverable than their counterparts.
I'm in awe of Adolphus's commander and army here. Most soldiers woulda routed just seeing their entire left flank routing and the commander would have lost control...amazing composure, discipline and command ability
While true to a degree, the unreliability of the untrained and inexperienced Saxon army was well known beforehand to the Swedes, who derided their Saxon allies to a degree, compared to themselves the 'real' soldiers. So no-one in the Swedish ranks was probably very surprised when they quickly routed under Imperial attack (and, in an infamous incident, actually looted the _Swedish_ baggage train on the way). I wouldn't be surprised if Horn had actually anticipated something like this happening, and took measures well in advance to implement a fast reaction if necessary. Now, had the Swedish _right_ crumbled under Pappenheim's assault, the story might have been different. It would have been a far bigger blow to the Swedish morale, for instance.
@@Stripedbottom Lol, Mr.C state a fact what happend and, also fact, is rightfully impressed over such brilliant victory, strategy and army, tactics and soldiers. You bring up scenarios that wasnt. Like what if and what then, and like, maybe they had done this and that and like then they had thought bla, bla, bla......Wtf are you talking about, its like you say what if the loosing side at that battle had air cover or whatever. LOL, do u even listen what he said Mr.C, you come with totally no point in your thinking about what happend. You speculate over bullshit you yourself are thinking how they was thinking and other stuff that didnt happend ffs.
I think there is a small mistake at 9:45 : the picture you showed was that of Charles IX of France, not of Sweden. Great video tough, I love that 30 Years' War serie
What makes a leader glorious? If violence and war is the answer to that Gustav II Adolf is a good answer. Personally I would say that Axel Oxenstierna or Karl XI are more glorious since they built the infrastructure we still use in Sweden today. :)
@@Kramplarv Yea I agree, maybe glorious isn't the right word. But he was a damn good general and made Sweden one of the dominant powers in Europe in short run. But I think you're right when you say that people like Karl XI actually did more for the country in the long run.
@@pumpkin2477 I read a quite illuminating book about the centralization of Finland. At the time, Finland were a part of sweden but it was backwater part. No one in Sweden really liked FInland and finnish people. They were regarded as "hillbillies with no taste or sophistication". Anyway; since half of Sweden were Finland, large parts of the army had to be finnish. And the finnish parts of the army were lackluster at best. Ragged bands of indiciplined feudal posses so to speak. So GIIA decided that it would not do, Finland needs to be put under direct control of the crown and the infrastructure must be improved en masse. So the early years of his time as King GIIA really changed Finland, modernized it so it could be a modern part of Sweden. Thus the finnish centralization were born. Out of necessity for warfare. Quite interesting.
@@Kramplarv he did a bit more than that, he re structed the tax system, the legal system started universities, stopped torture of POW, stated the land and survey institue
Damn, that was amazing! The parts at 13:57 and 15:24 gave me goosbumps. There is something incredibly awe-inspiring about watching such orderly, skillful maneuvers. Plus the wonderful, chilling soundtrack! Thanks K&G for the consistently high-quality productions! Fun fact: I remember reading that artillery training wasn't limited to the artillery crews in Gustavus' arny. So when the cavalry charged the Imperial cannon, they were able to dismount and operate the guns easily, turning them on Tilly's tercios.
What impresses me most was his ability to "see" the battlefield. They where standing on the ground, and yet able to gather information to make a clear view of the situation.
Fun fact you guys, Alexander Leslie is also known as the Earl of Leven, and you might maybe just be seeing him in another series at some point in the near or far future. I'll say no more. ;)
Now this was an impressive victory for Gustavus Adolphus. It was a great turning point for the Protestants. Great job whoever made this video a reality.
On my way to the Alpes I passed through the provences of Elzas and Lorraine and saw the castle Haut-Kœnigsbourg on a hill and many others .I immediately went to look up it’s history .When I found out that the swedes had laid siege to it and destroyed it ,It sparked my interest and fascination for the 30 years war . #May”thelongpeace”lastforever.
Yeah... Hm. Visited that castle a couple of times, and it always feel a bit weird to do that as a Swede... X) A strange combination of "I'm glad we're not doing that anymore" and "I wonder how it would look if I planted a Swedish flag up there on the tower". But is indeed an inspiring castle to visit, as are the rest in that region. : Glad you found that as well. :)
@@cromartin823 It is not that we hate certain people from countries for historical reasons and I personally love Croatia, I have been there several times :D
@@cromartin823 Actually, as an expatriate Englishman living since 1970 in Germany, I must say that unlike the Celtic peoples of the British Isles, who seemingly have memories that go back to prehistorical times (as their grudges sometimes do !), the German people do not generally have bad feelings towards their former enemies - I have occasionally met some who did, but these were the exception to the rule. As Germany has been at war with practically all their neighbours during their history, and many others, and the country has often been overrun by hostile forces, they would have to hate and bear ill feelings towards half of Europe, so it is a good thing that they prefer to let bygones be bygones after the excellent motto "live and let live". I sincerely wish that other nations would do the same, there would be much less strife in the world if they did.
@@firstLast-jw7bm That wasnt his point ffs, nice job cherry picking without even looking at what he was saying. He is talking about modern Germany in the 21st not the Empire or Nazi Germany haha.
What a scary efficiency of tactics and battlefield management of the Swedish army at that time !! No wonder nearly every European power tried to emulate them later.
@@alexandernordenskjold5739 Lion from the north is about Gustavus Adolphus who won the battle, so I don't think there is a "wrong" song when it comes to Gustavus and the battle of Breitenfeld.
Loved history (and geography) in school and even more since then, now I'm 51 and still love learning about both today and you're making it worse Kings and Generals, more, more, MORE! Keep up the phenomenal work! Here's to you Gustavus Adolphus, wherever you are! 🍻 Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow, UK....
Interestingly enough, Gustavus Adolphus was one of only seven generals who Napoleon Bonaparte said was worth studying. His tactics during the Battle of Breitenfeld were similarly used by the Union forces at the battle of Gettysburg when on Little Round Top the Union soldiers swung their line around and bayonet charged down the hill. As always, great video: I love how you give historical context as well as the battle analysis.
Who were the other 6 generals? I'm assuming Caesar and possibly Alexander and Hannibal. Maybe Frederick the Great. But that still leaves 2, assuming my 4 guesses here are all correct.
I enjoyed this much, due to reading about it at least twice, in a sci-fi novel by Eric Flint called 1632, followed by 1633 and one or two others. The Breitenfeld battle and others were described, and this description fits very well with the book.
That's one godly organized and well orchestrated formation battle. The amount of commanding prestige and efficiency required to enable all this? Astounding!
Discipline was the hallmark of the Swedish Army throughout this period. Drilling and redrilling over and over until the soldiers knew their manoeuvres like the back of their hand was essential
We should appreciate Count of Tilly's talent. He exploited an unplanned cavalry success and managed to perform an almost successful oblique order attack on a weak flank.
One of the great classic battles, was Waiting for you guys to get to this one. Can't wait for Alte Vest, Lutten(?) and the rest of the Wallenstein/Adolphus slugfests. Because Wallenstein's pretty danged good too. Nice job.
Just started watching this video, but I KNOW it's top notch content. Keep up this amazing work! I recently convinced my teacher to use your videos that concerns the 30yrs war for our college class. It's only extra credit as of now, but hopefully the other students like it. Is it ok if your team's videos are used in a non-profit educational capacity? Please let me know
Ah yes, the famous Gustavus. I always enjoy your diligent and industrious videos :) It amazes me when I hear real stories of people shifting the waves of history. Gustavus is one of many. I wonder who those people were during the Russo-Turkish wars? ;D You knew I was going to ask. On a more serious note, thanks again to the best history channel on youtube for your content ;D
K&G for life ftw! I've been to all the history channels asking for a series on the 30s years war and you guys delivered. This war is so bloody and ruthless I'm surprised no one else ran it. Europe was devastated. Blood death and starvation combined with land hungry nobles and starving fanatics. I mean come on.
Guatavus Adolphus is a much underated and perhaps one of the lesser known great commanders of his day...i think it is because of this part of history is often overlooked but his works are their if you look carefully enough , and they are remarkable :)
That scroll that comes up at 2:45--I don't think you meant it to be quite so huge. The text of it is off the page, and I can see stuff kind of happening behind it that I don't think you meant to obscure. But you STILL have the best historical battle videos on the interwebs!
Great. One of my favorite king generals. New mobile formations and light field artillery, volley firing versus more rigid Teri is. Marks the near conclusion of the time of tercios.
As I’m working on a novel about the English Civil War, & several of the historical & fictional characters have backgrounds that relate to the 30 Years’ War- I am really appreciating this series; are you going to/ have you gone into the complexities of the loyalties & alliances between Catholic & Protestant nations?
the imprerial cavalry tactics was to ride to the enemy, then shoot, then go back and reload and so on. The Swedish change was to shoot a volley and then charge in to melee.
I really enjoyed this video, great work guys! But with that being said, you made one pretty big error that I really hope you'll correct because it completely changes the narrative. At 7:25, while talking about the sack of Magdeburg, you say that "Despite Tilly's orders to stop, the mercenaries who weren't paid on time enacted brutal violence on the unfortunate inhabitants of Magdeburg." This is incorrect. Tilly did not order them to stop. Indeed, that is the reason why it outraged so many in Europe, because Tilly made no attempt to stop the massacre. Quoting "The History of the Thirty Years' War ": "Even a more humane general would in vain have recommended mercy to such soldiers; but Tilly never made the attempt. Left by their general’s silence masters of the lives of all the citizens, the soldiery broke into the houses to satiate their most brutal appetites. [...] Some officers of the League, horror-struck at this dreadful scene, ventured to remind Tilly that he had it in his power to stop the carnage. “Return in an hour,” was his answer; “I will see what I can do; the soldier must have some reward for his danger and toils.” These horrors lasted with unabated fury, till at last the smoke and flames proved a check to the plunderers. " Magdeburg was not a case of mercenaries running wild and disobeying orders, it was a calculated decision made by Tilly. It was part of the greater campaign of fear waged by the Imperial Army. He never even attempted to stop them.
That definitely explains the widespread burst of outrage across Europe and the big surge in "fair weather" Protestants to take up arms and fight. It would be more understandable to the people if it truly was some mercenaries gone berserk over pay rather than a deliberate decision to allow wholesale slaughter of innocent combatants. Unhappy mercenaries getting out of control was always a risk in history.
Tilly ordered his troops to stop but most were out of control. He personally took soldiers to protect civilians who had taken shelter in the Cathedral.
@@caesarnervatraianusdiviner7225 I am pretty sure you’re misquoting Peter Wilson. Tilly spared the people in the Cathedral when they emerged two days after the siege. Quite different from the story you’re spinning. I’ve never heard any mention of Tilly trying to stop his troops. Tilly even had the Cathedral looted after it had been cleared out.
When papenheim charged at the right end of the Swedish front, they executed a move known as karakol (if i write it right, in Greece this is how it is pronounced). Horsemen would go near the emeny, fire their pistols, and thne turn back letting the second wave to do the same, and thenc circle back to fire again
Pride goes before a fall. Just earlier that year, Tilly's army sacked Magdeburg and slaughtered most of the men, women and children. Serves them right.
I don't believe in reincarnation, but if it was real, I would bet that Gustavus Adolphus was a reincarnation of Pyrrhus! BTW, you can watch our series on Pyrrhus, if you want to compare these two kings: th-cam.com/video/2QBA6ZPmj3Q/w-d-xo.html This particular battle is such a gem of a tactical genius, it is no surprise that Frederick and Napoleon learned from it.
Well, I don't believe in reincarnation either. We're the same in that regard.
"And at this epoch appeared three new Alexanders - Gustavus Adolphus, Charles XII, and Fredrick the Great, whose aim was, by small and highly disciplined Armies, to raise little states to the rank of Monarchies, and to throw down everything that opposed them" - Carl von Clausewitz
After watching your Thirty Years Wars series, I have to say I see some striking resemblance between this prolonged conflict and the war between Umayyad Caliphate and then later Abbasids. Some facts related to this Islamic conflict is unknown or has not been discussed very much outside of Muslim community (Like the Battle of Rayy in 811 which drastically changed the course of history for Islamic world, Iranians and Turkic tribes).
I think it would be good idea if you cover that part of history too.
I have to say after watching this battle the discipline shown by The Lion of the North's Army was legendary and the tactics were way ahead of their time. Like always, Kudos to you guys.
Great video!! However I did want you to touch on the war in Lavonia between Sweden and the Commonwealth a bit more. It is something people don’t really know about.
I bet his descendant Charles XII was Hannibal Barca reincarnated.
I can imagine the discussions of the Imperial command:
"Sir, the Swedish artillery just flanked us."
"ARTILLERY CAN NOT FLANK!!!"
lmao also who said it was a good idea to leave our artillery undefended.
You didn't see artillery. You didn't. You didn't!!! Because it's not there! Take him to the dressing station. Hans, take him! He's delusional.
Count Dyatlov
Despite the Imperial army apparently deploying mounted prostitutes („Imperial Whores“).
I Was Just About To Sleep And Then *GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS* appear
*SABATON INTENSIFIES*
Gott mit Uns
clowns
Very useful if you have a test on the 30 Years War the next day.
My thoughts exactly
*GOTT MIT UNS AS WE ALL STAND UNITED*
Fun fact: After the war the Count of Brandenburg (which would later become Prussia) used old Swedish veterans to train the Prussian army. They were so experienced and well trained that people began to say „Old Swede!“ to show that they were impressed. It still is a really popular saying in Germany.
Always wondered what that saying referred to. Thanks for clearing that out 👍
I know I’m a year late for this, but… How do you say it in German?
@@-oysterthief4444 alter schwede
The Swedish army must’ve seemed so alien to the Catholics that day. Combined arms warfare, mobile artillery, rapid response to significant battlefield changes, and a focus on ranged firepower and massed volleys.
It’s like when Alexander the Great defeated a rebelling force by doing complex army maneuver drills in front of them. The discipline was so great they gave up without a fight because it was so unheard of. The Catholics just didn’t have an opportunity to see it before experiencing it, or they might’ve gave up before it happened.
Spot on. A lot of people criticise Tilly for his tactics during the battle, but the thing is that his tactics were perfectly fine... In the context of fighting any other European Army. If he had been fighting Frenchmen, or Hungarians, or Bohemians, or Englishmen at Breitenfeld, he would had won a decisive victory. But when going up against the Swedes the traditional rule-book had to be thrown out of the window. All conventional tactics and mindsets were completely outdated when faced with the high mobility, high firepower, highly flexible and adaptable Swedish Brigades.
@@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa the traditional tactics were useful in Nordlingen
@@cvc1939 It wasn't Spanish Brilliance that won the day at Nördlingen as much as it was incredibly bad luck for the Swedes. Have you forgotten about Rocroi, Lens, the Dunes? The Tercios were completely and utterly outdated in the face of modern Swedish-Dutch tactics.
@@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa it wasn't bad luck it was the fact that half of the imperial army was composed by Old Spanish Tercios and the did not retreat as easy as Austrian an Wallonian Tercios. And don't worry about Rocroi because using the same tactics we beat a French army at Valenciennes. An army need useful tactics and they are not necessarily the newest
@@cvc1939 Kaiser, tell me, did Spain abandon the Tercio after the Thirty Years' War? Yes or no
In addition to his changes to the infantry and artillery, Gustavus also made significant changes to his cavalry, including taking away their armor and thereby making them more maneuverable than their counterparts.
I'm in awe of Adolphus's commander and army here. Most soldiers woulda routed just seeing their entire left flank routing and the commander would have lost control...amazing composure, discipline and command ability
While true to a degree, the unreliability of the untrained and inexperienced Saxon army was well known beforehand to the Swedes, who derided their Saxon allies to a degree, compared to themselves the 'real' soldiers. So no-one in the Swedish ranks was probably very surprised when they quickly routed under Imperial attack (and, in an infamous incident, actually looted the _Swedish_ baggage train on the way). I wouldn't be surprised if Horn had actually anticipated something like this happening, and took measures well in advance to implement a fast reaction if necessary.
Now, had the Swedish _right_ crumbled under Pappenheim's assault, the story might have been different. It would have been a far bigger blow to the Swedish morale, for instance.
@@Stripedbottom Lol, Mr.C state a fact what happend and, also fact, is rightfully impressed over such brilliant victory, strategy and army, tactics and soldiers. You bring up scenarios that wasnt. Like what if and what then, and like, maybe they had done this and that and like then they had thought bla, bla, bla......Wtf are you talking about, its like you say what if the loosing side at that battle had air cover or whatever. LOL, do u even listen what he said Mr.C, you come with totally no point in your thinking about what happend. You speculate over bullshit you yourself are thinking how they was thinking and other stuff that didnt happend ffs.
A time of religion and war legends tells the tale of a lion!
And all those who stand in his way,
Die by God and victorious arms.
With the righteous that follows him south
Once more set ashore to war!
With the righteous that follows him south
Once more, set ashore, to war
!
@@joshuawan7004 LEGENDS HAVE TAUGHT, BATTLES FOUGHT
THIS LION HAS NO FEAR AT HEART!
LION CONE FORTH!
COME FROM THE NORTH!
COME FROM THE NOOOOOORTH!
Spent the night in formation
To the battle we march in the dawn
We were ready to die for our king
ON THE FIELDS OF BREITENFELD
Fire at will
Aim for their cannons
Counter attack
Thunder of guns
GOTT MIT UNS
AS WE ALL STAND UNITED
ALL TOGETHER
GOTT MIT UNS
Kieran Fitzgerald AS THE OLD WORLD DECLINES!
SEE AN EMPIRE RISE!
FROM THE NORTH REACHING FAR!
HERE WE ARE!
@@itsmike2736 Gott mit uns
As we stand all united
All together
Gott mit uns!
CAVALRY CHARGE
FOLLOW THE BANNER
AFTER THE KING
FREEDOM WE BRING
I think there is a small mistake at 9:45 : the picture you showed was that of Charles IX of France, not of Sweden.
Great video tough, I love that 30 Years' War serie
I am always due to make one mistake :-(
Love this mistake lol the french Charles looks hillarious
Eh, potayto potahto
UNSUBSCRIBED... Just kidding. Great video. Good eye, Jean.
@@KingsandGenerals actually 2 since the video at 3:20 cuts the Regensburg doc. Was the editor on a diet or something? Great video anyways!
I'm so happy that you're covering the history of one of, if not the most glorious leaders of our country.
What makes a leader glorious? If violence and war is the answer to that Gustav II Adolf is a good answer. Personally I would say that Axel Oxenstierna or Karl XI are more glorious since they built the infrastructure we still use in Sweden today. :)
@@Kramplarv Yea I agree, maybe glorious isn't the right word. But he was a damn good general and made Sweden one of the dominant powers in Europe in short run. But I think you're right when you say that people like Karl XI actually did more for the country in the long run.
@@pumpkin2477 I read a quite illuminating book about the centralization of Finland. At the time, Finland were a part of sweden but it was backwater part. No one in Sweden really liked FInland and finnish people. They were regarded as "hillbillies with no taste or sophistication".
Anyway; since half of Sweden were Finland, large parts of the army had to be finnish. And the finnish parts of the army were lackluster at best. Ragged bands of indiciplined feudal posses so to speak.
So GIIA decided that it would not do, Finland needs to be put under direct control of the crown and the infrastructure must be improved en masse.
So the early years of his time as King GIIA really changed Finland, modernized it so it could be a modern part of Sweden. Thus the finnish centralization were born. Out of necessity for warfare.
Quite interesting.
Even we in India read about him as an enlightened ruler, Respect and love for Sweden.
@@Kramplarv he did a bit more than that, he re structed the tax system, the legal system started universities, stopped torture of POW, stated the land and survey institue
This victory was brought to you today by - FRANCE and LOTS OF GOLD
If you're good at something, never do it for free.
And Dutch money
Well yeah they were sponsors no doubt. Europe is complicated that way.
The 200 th liker approves
@@wille5263 everyday we stray further from God
Wow that routing and surrounding of the enemy on the late part of the video is insane. This is my favorite battle so far.
Damn, that was amazing! The parts at 13:57 and 15:24 gave me goosbumps. There is something incredibly awe-inspiring about watching such orderly, skillful maneuvers. Plus the wonderful, chilling soundtrack! Thanks K&G for the consistently high-quality productions!
Fun fact: I remember reading that artillery training wasn't limited to the artillery crews in Gustavus' arny. So when the cavalry charged the Imperial cannon, they were able to dismount and operate the guns easily, turning them on Tilly's tercios.
Yeah, that was un incredible display of maneuverability skills, and that was a century before Frederick II
that is a true fact. Almost all soldiers in the swedish army had at least limited knowledge on how to operate artillery.
What impresses me most was his ability to "see" the battlefield. They where standing on the ground, and yet able to gather information to make a clear view of the situation.
Fun fact you guys, Alexander Leslie is also known as the Earl of Leven, and you might maybe just be seeing him in another series at some point in the near or far future. I'll say no more. ;)
English civil war confirmed then.
Can we get another video on Tecumseh please?
English civil war :)))
Some well known figures of the English Civil War fought in the 30years war Lord Hopton and Sir William Waller amongst others I believe.
@@rtk3543 Prince Rupert was a son of the Winter King and he was born in Prague. His father may also forget to take him when he ran away from Bohemia.
"This diet only made matters worse,"
As most diets do.
Lol
lol
Lol
lol
Haha👍
that outmanouvering is quite superb
LEGENDS HAVE TAUGHT, BATTLES FOUGHT! THIS LION HAS NO FEAR AT HEART!
Thanks!
Now this was an impressive victory for Gustavus Adolphus. It was a great turning point for the Protestants. Great job whoever made this video a reality.
On my way to the Alpes I passed through the provences of Elzas and Lorraine and saw the castle Haut-Kœnigsbourg on a hill and many others .I immediately went to look up it’s history .When I found out that the swedes had laid siege to it and destroyed it ,It sparked my interest and fascination for the 30 years war .
#May”thelongpeace”lastforever.
Yeah... Hm. Visited that castle a couple of times, and it always feel a bit weird to do that as a Swede... X)
A strange combination of "I'm glad we're not doing that anymore" and "I wonder how it would look if I planted a Swedish flag up there on the tower".
But is indeed an inspiring castle to visit, as are the rest in that region. :
Glad you found that as well. :)
Maybe if not the best , surely one of the best channels covering battles and events during war with dedication
Poor Magdeburg, always sad to hear the story how my hometown got nearly extinguished
I think that you guys in Magdeburg don't like Croats, am I right?
@@cromartin823 It is not that we hate certain people from countries for historical reasons and I personally love Croatia, I have been there several times :D
@@cromartin823
Actually, as an expatriate Englishman living since 1970 in Germany, I must say that unlike the Celtic peoples of the British Isles, who seemingly have memories that go back to prehistorical times (as their grudges sometimes do !), the German people do not generally have bad feelings towards their former enemies - I have occasionally met some who did, but these were the exception to the rule. As Germany has been at war with practically all their neighbours during their history, and many others, and the country has often been overrun by hostile forces, they would have to hate and bear ill feelings towards half of Europe, so it is a good thing that they prefer to let bygones be bygones after the excellent motto "live and let live". I sincerely wish that other nations would do the same, there would be much less strife in the world if they did.
@@firstLast-jw7bm That wasnt his point ffs, nice job cherry picking without even looking at what he was saying. He is talking about modern Germany in the 21st not the Empire or Nazi Germany haha.
@@aresswenl112 Modern Germany just maintains its power over Europe through EU banks and severely punishing struggling economies.
He is one of my favorite worrior kings! Very good video, well done, as again!
Thanks for the efforts in making such quality videos K&G!
European war strategy exists
Gustavus Adolphus: "I'm about to end this man whole career"
@@elmascapo6588 still lost the war lel
Thanks for Sabaton and their song about Gustavus Adolphus
that moment at 12:27 when the war of kings soundtrack of medieval 2 total war kicks in gave me such goosebumps, great video!
Left Flank: (Collapses)
Wimpy Average General: "Oh no, better get the hell out of here"
Gustavus Adolphus: "Finally."
Breaking their lines
Thousands of soldiers
Run for their lives
LEGEND ARISE
As we all stand united
FROM THE OLD WORLDS DEMISE
SEE AN EMPIRE RISE
FROM THE NORTH REACHING FAR
HERE WE ARE
I just love that line. By Right Of Conquest.
That's just a fancy way to say, I'm taking this :)
Very nice episode. Gustavus Aldophus was a superb commander!
8:21 When both sides believe there is a lot to gain from a big decisive victory, and they're both looking for it, you know sparks are going to fly.
Amazing vid!
What a scary efficiency of tactics and battlefield management of the Swedish army at that time !! No wonder nearly every European power tried to emulate them later.
Plz continue this series cause it's damn good
SEVEN TIMES THEY ATTACKED ON THAT DAY, SEVEN TIMES THEY RETREATED
That was another amazing video
Oh man i've been waiting for this moment! Can't wait for all the Sabaton memes.
mmm svennar...
It's dream come true...
@@magistermilitum1206 Go, look up Sabaton on TH-cam.
@@magistermilitum1206 Dont do it!
And this time it's 2 songs instead of one and winged hussars
Legenden har spått gult och blått! 🇸🇪
Gustavus Adolphus!
Libera et Impera!
Whong song sabaton has a seprate song for this battle
@@alexandernordenskjold5739 Lion from the north is about Gustavus Adolphus who won the battle, so I don't think there is a "wrong" song when it comes to Gustavus and the battle of Breitenfeld.
@@alexandernordenskjold5739 Gott mit uns
Alexander Nordenskjöld hey, is th skjold at the end of your name just a marker of nobility or does it mean something else?
He is not wrong as that song is about the entire war campain of Gustavus. But if you want a specific song to that battle its Gott mit uns.
Yess, more 30 years war videos!! Its so addicting!
12:28 - if anyone wants to know where this song is from, it's called 'War of Kings' from the Medieval 2: Total War: Kingdoms OST.
What about at 1:15
This is what I was waiting for!
I’m a simple man, I see a video with Gustavus adolphus I click on it.
Yes more stuff on the 30 Years War. You've made my day Kings and Generals.
GOTT MIT UNS
AS WE ALL STAND UNITED
ALL TOGETHER
GOTT MIT UNS
Loved history (and geography) in school and even more since then, now I'm 51 and still love learning about both today and you're making it worse Kings and Generals, more, more, MORE!
Keep up the phenomenal work!
Here's to you Gustavus Adolphus, wherever you are! 🍻
Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow, UK....
Interestingly enough, Gustavus Adolphus was one of only seven generals who Napoleon Bonaparte said was worth studying. His tactics during the Battle of Breitenfeld were similarly used by the Union forces at the battle of Gettysburg when on Little Round Top the Union soldiers swung their line around and bayonet charged down the hill. As always, great video: I love how you give historical context as well as the battle analysis.
Who were the other 6 generals?
I'm assuming Caesar and possibly Alexander and Hannibal. Maybe Frederick the Great. But that still leaves 2, assuming my 4 guesses here are all correct.
@@michaelrobinson2687 The other two are Turenne and Eugene of Savoy.
Nice video, greetings from Magdeburg..
Gott mit uns! Våran Konung har talat.
Hör vårt stridsrop: *GOTT MIT UNS!*
@@matebalazs1575 got mittens?
I'm sorry, I have no mittens.
@Helmholtz what he said?
Swedish version sounds more epic and im not swedish
I enjoyed this much, due to reading about it at least twice, in a sci-fi novel by Eric Flint called 1632, followed by 1633 and one or two others. The Breitenfeld battle and others were described, and this description fits very well with the book.
I’ve read the whole series!
That's one godly organized and well orchestrated formation battle. The amount of commanding prestige and efficiency required to enable all this? Astounding!
Discipline was the hallmark of the Swedish Army throughout this period. Drilling and redrilling over and over until the soldiers knew their manoeuvres like the back of their hand was essential
3 continued wave of geniuses, I wish my people had Gustavus as our king
guy´s you are doing great!! plus this swedish king is my fav historical character soo far!! it is really awesome to watch about him!!!^^
We should appreciate Count of Tilly's talent. He exploited an unplanned cavalry success and managed to perform an almost successful oblique order attack on a weak flank.
Thank you, you guys do an amazing job.
All of the Sabaton's comments've already been made, so I'll just say great video and keep up the great work!
What is the music that starts to play around the 5 minute mark. Perfect for this struggle!
Gustav was one of the great commanders of all time. Sad he didn't last long, or the history of Europe would likely have been way different.
Thank you very much!
As expected, 90% of the comment section is people singing Sabaton! xD
Mr BigCookie i’d be disappointed if it were any other way 😁
And there's even more because not only does this video feature a figure they sing about, but also this battle was featured in another of their songs
Sabaton= bad
One of the great classic battles, was Waiting for you guys to get to this one. Can't wait for Alte Vest, Lutten(?) and the rest of the Wallenstein/Adolphus slugfests. Because Wallenstein's pretty danged good too. Nice job.
Gustav and Wallenstein is truly a struggle between good and evil.
Just started watching this video, but I KNOW it's top notch content. Keep up this amazing work! I recently convinced my teacher to use your videos that concerns the 30yrs war for our college class. It's only extra credit as of now, but hopefully the other students like it. Is it ok if your team's videos are used in a non-profit educational capacity? Please let me know
Of course!
Woah, awesome! Keep Going lad!
I was born in Magdeburg. The almost complete annihilation of my hometown was so horrific, that it got its own verb: "magdeburgisieren".
Ah yes, the famous Gustavus. I always enjoy your diligent and industrious videos :) It amazes me when I hear real stories of people shifting the waves of history. Gustavus is one of many. I wonder who those people were during the Russo-Turkish wars? ;D You knew I was going to ask. On a more serious note, thanks again to the best history channel on youtube for your content ;D
One of the greatest military commanders in history. We need more of him here
K&G for life ftw! I've been to all the history channels asking for a series on the 30s years war and you guys delivered. This war is so bloody and ruthless I'm surprised no one else ran it. Europe was devastated. Blood death and starvation combined with land hungry nobles and starving fanatics. I mean come on.
Guatavus Adolphus is a much underated and perhaps one of the lesser known great commanders of his day...i think it is because of this part of history is often overlooked but his works are their if you look carefully enough , and they are remarkable :)
At least some knows him, while spanish generals are lost in the time
Loved the music in this one!
9:51 This is Charles IX king of France between 1562 and 1574, not Charles IX of Sweden, small mistake but great video
Yep, made a mistake
Why every European ruler named the same
Confused me alot
This was one of the best videos I've seen from you
Can you please make a video about the battle of Nördlingen 1634?
That scroll that comes up at 2:45--I don't think you meant it to be quite so huge. The text of it is off the page, and I can see stuff kind of happening behind it that I don't think you meant to obscure. But you STILL have the best historical battle videos on the interwebs!
Clicked faster than Napoleon marching the Grand Armée from Boulogne to Austerlitz.
so well done!
At IKEA while this video appears
*Buy all their items intensifies*
Great. One of my favorite king generals. New mobile formations and light field artillery, volley firing versus more rigid Teri is. Marks the near conclusion of the time of tercios.
As I’m working on a novel about the English Civil War, & several of the historical & fictional characters have backgrounds that relate to the 30 Years’ War- I am really appreciating this series; are you going to/ have you gone into the complexities of the loyalties & alliances between Catholic & Protestant nations?
Clean video, so expected
*THE LION FROM THE NORTH*
the imprerial cavalry tactics was to ride to the enemy, then shoot, then go back and reload and so on. The Swedish change was to shoot a volley and then charge in to melee.
Gott mit uns
As we all stand united
Thank you
A real hero of our country. The Great King Gustavus Adolphus. Without him, there would be no protestant nations.
England and UK would probably exist.
Such a cool video !
A TIME OF RELIGION AND WAR
LEGENDS TELL A TALE OF A LION
THIS BEAST IN THE SHAPE OF A MAN
WITH A DREAM TO RULE SEA AND LAND
Great video
Let's hope all the guys of Sabaton have a good and speedy recovery from their car crash yesterday.
Wonderful loving this 😊
I really enjoyed this video, great work guys! But with that being said, you made one pretty big error that I really hope you'll correct because it completely changes the narrative. At 7:25, while talking about the sack of Magdeburg, you say that "Despite Tilly's orders to stop, the mercenaries who weren't paid on time enacted brutal violence on the unfortunate inhabitants of Magdeburg."
This is incorrect. Tilly did not order them to stop. Indeed, that is the reason why it outraged so many in Europe, because Tilly made no attempt to stop the massacre.
Quoting "The History of the Thirty Years' War
":
"Even a more humane general would in vain have recommended mercy to such soldiers; but Tilly never made the attempt. Left by their general’s silence masters of the lives of all the citizens, the soldiery broke into the houses to satiate their most brutal appetites. [...] Some officers of the League, horror-struck at this dreadful scene, ventured to remind Tilly that he had it in his power to stop the carnage. “Return in an hour,” was his answer; “I will see what I can do; the soldier must have some reward for his danger and toils.” These horrors lasted with unabated fury, till at last the smoke and flames proved a check to the plunderers.
"
Magdeburg was not a case of mercenaries running wild and disobeying orders, it was a calculated decision made by Tilly. It was part of the greater campaign of fear waged by the Imperial Army. He never even attempted to stop them.
That definitely explains the widespread burst of outrage across Europe and the big surge in "fair weather" Protestants to take up arms and fight. It would be more understandable to the people if it truly was some mercenaries gone berserk over pay rather than a deliberate decision to allow wholesale slaughter of innocent combatants. Unhappy mercenaries getting out of control was always a risk in history.
Tilly ordered his troops to stop but most were out of control. He personally took soldiers to protect civilians who had taken shelter in the Cathedral.
@@caesarnervatraianusdiviner7225 You need to give a source dude
@@ErikaaaaaaaaaaaaaEurope's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson. Tilly took troops under his command to protect the cathedral.
@@caesarnervatraianusdiviner7225 I am pretty sure you’re misquoting Peter Wilson. Tilly spared the people in the Cathedral when they emerged two days after the siege. Quite different from the story you’re spinning. I’ve never heard any mention of Tilly trying to stop his troops.
Tilly even had the Cathedral looted after it had been cleared out.
Yes what a channel I just found you searching for this
Finally The lion of the North 👍👍👍👍👍
Kings and generals in monday. Damn.
Thanks. From France.
When papenheim charged at the right end of the Swedish front, they executed a move known as karakol (if i write it right, in Greece this is how it is pronounced). Horsemen would go near the emeny, fire their pistols, and thne turn back letting the second wave to do the same, and thenc circle back to fire again
Eu amo seus vídeos, muito educativos e divertidos
Pride goes before a fall. Just earlier that year, Tilly's army sacked Magdeburg and slaughtered most of the men, women and children. Serves them right.
Great! even more K&G videos!
"Gott Mit Uns" Intensifies
Beautiful