Battle of Höchst
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Höchst was fought on June 20, 1622, between the combined army led by Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly and Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba against Protestant forces led by Christian of Brunswick. It was a strategic Roman Catholic victory.
and Georg Friedrich of Baden-Durlach
. He withdrew his weakened army towards Würzburg
, and the Palatinate remained unprotected by the Catholic forces.
Christian wanted to use the situation for a crucial strike against the Catholic League. With 12,000 infantrymen, nearly 5,000 cavalrymen and three guns he moved from Westphalia along the Weser River
shoreline, and through Hesse towards the Main to unify his troops with armies of Mansfeld and Baden-Durlach, at Darmstadt. Continuing their mission of blocking a rendezvous between Mansfeld and Christian of Brunswick, the Catholic forces reached the river at Höchst
on June 20 to find Christian's army already crossing the river.
at Oberursel. He sent Colonel von Kniephausen with an advance guard of 1,500 men against Höchst to take the town in a coup de main
and to safeguard the Main crossing point. However, the Höchst municipal troops successfully defended the town. Kniephausen besieged Höchst. On June 16, Kniephausen's troops finally stormed and plundered Höchst.
Two days later the Protestants started building a pontoon bridge
across the Main. Meanwhile Christian moved with his troops towards Höchst and destroyed the villages of Oberusel, Eschborn
and Sulzbach
. At the same time the Catholic troops approached in forced marches from Würzburg with 20,000 infantrymen, 6,000 cavalrymen and 18 guns. They arrived on June 19 at the Nidda River
between Nied
and Sossemheim
late at night.
When the bridge was completed in the morning of June 20, Christian's baggage started to cross the river. Christian formed his troops to fight the Catholics at Sossenheim. Meanwhile Tilly's troops were reinforced by an army under General Franz von Hövelberg. They planned to force Christian's troops back to the Höchst walls and the Main. Hence, Christian ordered his troops to withdraw over the pontoon bridge towards Kelsterbach
, but under the Catholic artillery fire the withdrawal turned into a headlong flight. The bridge broke and many of Christian's soldiers drowned in the Main. According to old chronicles, the Protestants lost more Lansquenets
from drowning than in the battle itself.
Christian's entire baggage train and guns became Catholic loot. While the League troops lost only 100 soldiers, nearly 2,000 of Christian's soldiers died. However, Christian succeeded in escaping with 3,000 cavalrymen, 8,000 infantrymen, his war chest
and eventually united with Mansfeld's army.
Höchst was the final battle for the Palatinate and the impending actions of Mansfeld and Christian signalled the end for "The Winter King" Frederick V
.
Shortly after the battle, the combined Protestant forces, now numbering 25,000 strong, compared to the Catholics in numbers, positioned themselves on the western bank of the Rhine River. Heidelberg
came under siege and despite an 11-week resistance, fell on September 19, 1622.
With this news, the token English forces under Sir Horace Vere
evacuated Mannheim
and moved to the fortress of Frankenthal
, which served as a final outpost for Protestant resistance in this area. It fell the following year.
The Swiss engraver Merian
depicted the battle and the bridging of the Main in an engraving. Another contemporary engraving of an unknown artist shows the battle in a large panorama. The Flemish painter Pieter Snayers
portrayed the battle in a monumental painting that today is on exhibition in a museum in Brussels
. Neither of these artists had been an eye witness of the event.
Background
In April 1622, Tilly had lost the Battle of Mingolsheim to Ernst von MansfeldErnst von Mansfeld
Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld , was a German military commander during the early years of the Thirty Years' War.-Biography:...
and Georg Friedrich of Baden-Durlach
Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
George Frederick of Baden-Durlach was Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1604 until his abdication in 1622. He also ruled Baden-Baden....
. He withdrew his weakened army towards Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, and the Palatinate remained unprotected by the Catholic forces.
Christian wanted to use the situation for a crucial strike against the Catholic League. With 12,000 infantrymen, nearly 5,000 cavalrymen and three guns he moved from Westphalia along the Weser River
Weser River
The Weser is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport...
shoreline, and through Hesse towards the Main to unify his troops with armies of Mansfeld and Baden-Durlach, at Darmstadt. Continuing their mission of blocking a rendezvous between Mansfeld and Christian of Brunswick, the Catholic forces reached the river at Höchst
Höchst (Frankfurt am Main)
Höchst is a district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into 4 Stadtbezirke.Höchst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in 1928 together with its boroughs Sindlingen, Unterliederbach and Zeilsheim. It is situated 10 km west of downtown...
on June 20 to find Christian's army already crossing the river.
Battle
On June 15, Christian reached the territory of the Archbishopric of MainzArchbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
at Oberursel. He sent Colonel von Kniephausen with an advance guard of 1,500 men against Höchst to take the town in a coup de main
Coup de main
A coup de main is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. The United States Department of Defense defines it as:The literal translation from French means a stroke or blow of the hand...
and to safeguard the Main crossing point. However, the Höchst municipal troops successfully defended the town. Kniephausen besieged Höchst. On June 16, Kniephausen's troops finally stormed and plundered Höchst.
Two days later the Protestants started building a pontoon bridge
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
across the Main. Meanwhile Christian moved with his troops towards Höchst and destroyed the villages of Oberusel, Eschborn
Eschborn
Eschborn is a town near Frankfurt am Main in the Main-Taunus district, Hesse, Germany. As of 2009, it had a population of 20,789, but boasts fulltime employment of over 30,000 people...
and Sulzbach
Sulzbach, Hesse
-Points of interest:* Arboretum Main-Taunus...
. At the same time the Catholic troops approached in forced marches from Würzburg with 20,000 infantrymen, 6,000 cavalrymen and 18 guns. They arrived on June 19 at the Nidda River
Nidda River
The Nidda is a right tributary of the Main river in Hesse.It springs from the Vogelsberg on the Taufstein mountain range near the town of Schotten, flows through the Niddastausee dam, and the towns of Nidda, Niddatal, Karben, and Bad Vilbel...
between Nied
Nied (Frankfurt am Main)
Nied is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Nied-Nord and Nied-Süd....
and Sossemheim
Sossenheim (Frankfurt am Main)
Sossenheim is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into the Stadtbezirke Sossenheim-Ost and Sossenheim-West. It has been a district since 1928 and makes part of the northwest border of the city...
late at night.
When the bridge was completed in the morning of June 20, Christian's baggage started to cross the river. Christian formed his troops to fight the Catholics at Sossenheim. Meanwhile Tilly's troops were reinforced by an army under General Franz von Hövelberg. They planned to force Christian's troops back to the Höchst walls and the Main. Hence, Christian ordered his troops to withdraw over the pontoon bridge towards Kelsterbach
Kelsterbach
Kelsterbach is a town in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It lies on Frankfurt's southwestern outskirts at a bend on the left bank of the river Main, right where a small brook, called the Kelster empties into the river...
, but under the Catholic artillery fire the withdrawal turned into a headlong flight. The bridge broke and many of Christian's soldiers drowned in the Main. According to old chronicles, the Protestants lost more Lansquenets
Landsknecht
Landsknechte were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe.-Etymology:The term is from German, Land "land, country" + Knecht...
from drowning than in the battle itself.
Christian's entire baggage train and guns became Catholic loot. While the League troops lost only 100 soldiers, nearly 2,000 of Christian's soldiers died. However, Christian succeeded in escaping with 3,000 cavalrymen, 8,000 infantrymen, his war chest
War chest
In arms and armor, a war chest is a container for the personal weapons and protective gear of a citizen-soldier, kept in the household, and is the origin of the term.-In politics:...
and eventually united with Mansfeld's army.
Aftermath
Córdoba and Tilly claimed a strategic victory because they had fewer losses, despite the fact that Christian of Brunswick had achieved his operational goal of uniting his army with Mansfeld's.Höchst was the final battle for the Palatinate and the impending actions of Mansfeld and Christian signalled the end for "The Winter King" Frederick V
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
.
Shortly after the battle, the combined Protestant forces, now numbering 25,000 strong, compared to the Catholics in numbers, positioned themselves on the western bank of the Rhine River. Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
came under siege and despite an 11-week resistance, fell on September 19, 1622.
With this news, the token English forces under Sir Horace Vere
Horace Vere
Sir Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury was an English military leader during the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War, a son of Geoffrey Vere and brother of Francis Vere. He was sent to the Palatinate by James I in 1620...
evacuated Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and moved to the fortress of Frankenthal
Frankenthal
Frankenthal is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.- History :Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the Erkenbertruine — still stand today in the town...
, which served as a final outpost for Protestant resistance in this area. It fell the following year.
Illustrations of the battle
 |
The Swiss engraver Merian
Matthäus Merian
Matthäus Merian der Ältere was a Swiss-born engraver who worked in Frankfurt for most of his career, where he also ran a publishing house.-Early life and marriage:...
depicted the battle and the bridging of the Main in an engraving. Another contemporary engraving of an unknown artist shows the battle in a large panorama. The Flemish painter Pieter Snayers
Pieter Snayers
Pieter Snayers was a Flemish Baroque painter known for representations of historical battle scenes.Born in Antwerp, he studied under Sebastiaen Vrancx before joining Antwerp's Guild of St. Luke in 1612...
portrayed the battle in a monumental painting that today is on exhibition in a museum in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Neither of these artists had been an eye witness of the event.
Sources
- Rudolf Schäfer: Höchst am Main. Frankfurt am Main 1981: Frankfurter Sparkasse 1822.
- Rudolf Schäfer: Chronik von Höchst am Main. Frankfurt 1986: Waldemar Kramer.
- Adalbert Vollert: Sossenheim. Geschichte eines Frankfurter Stadtteils. Frankfurt 1980: Frankfurter Sparkasse von 1822.
- Johann Philipp AbelinJohann Philipp AbelinJohann Philipp Abelin was a German chronicler whose career straddled the 16th and 17th centuries. He was born, probably, at Strasbourg, and died there between 1634 and 1637...
: Theatrum Europaeum, Vol. 1, Frankfurt 1662, plate 1622, pages 630-633.