Siege of Bautzen (1620)
Part of the Thirty Years' War
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The Capture of Bautzen occurred in September 1620, during the later stages of the Bohemian Revolt, when the Saxons bombarded the fortress city of Bautzen. The capture was a major victory for the Saxons, and the Bohemians withdrew to their last fortress in Lusatia.
changes Bautzen is captured by the Saxons
| Capture of Bautzen | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The capture of Bautzen by Johann Georg and the Saxons | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Saxony |
 Bohemia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Johann Georg Wolfgang von Mansfeld[1] |
Johann Georg von Jägerndorf | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
8,300 men 3,000 militia | 2,000 (mainly militia) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| “A few” | Heavy | ||||||||
Background
After the Bohemians were defeated at the Battle of Sablat, Saxony saw its chance to control Lusatia, a province it desired. The Saxons made an alliance with the Habsburgs, where they would invade Bohemia in return for Lusatia. In August 1620, Johann Georg invaded the region, and soon most of Lusatia was overrun except for Bautzen and Görlitz.[2] The Bohemian commander in the region was the Duke of Jägerndorf[3] who only had 2,000 poorly trained militia. He soon went to Bautzen and began preparing defences. The city of Bautzen was on the river Spree, but had thin walls that were vulnerable to artillery.
Bombardment
When the Saxons approached Bautzen, the Bohemians retreated into the city. The Saxons then began bombarding it,[4] and its old walls crumbled under the cannonade, causing a fire to spread rapidly, and burning down large parts of Bautzen.[5] After a few more days, the Bohemians abandoned the city, which the Saxons occupied the following day.
Aftermath
After the capture, Jägerndorf retreated to Görlitz, where he held out until the defeat at White Mountain. After that, he fled to Silesia where he held out until he retreated south into Hungary, living there until his death.