Europe's Tragedy: A New History of the Thirty Years War by Peter H. Wilson

Author:Peter H. Wilson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: History
ISBN: 9780141937809
Publisher: ePenguin
Published: 2009-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

SPAIN INTERVENES

Wallenstein’s Secret Diplomacy

Peace was impossible as long as Swedish power in southern and central Germany remained unbroken. The task of ejecting the Swedes devolved to Wallenstein and an imperial army that totalled 72,000 men in Bohemia and Silesia, with another 30,000 scattered in garrisons across Alsace, Westphalia, Lake Constance and the Danube.20 Wallenstein’s strategy hinged on persuading Saxony and Brandenburg to abandon Sweden, thereby exposing the Baltic bridgehead and isolating Swedish bases elsewhere. What he intended to follow remains uncertain, but it seems likely he sought a genuine compromise, involving a partial reversal of the Restitution Edict and the cession of at least part of Pomerania to Sweden to enable Oxenstierna to withdraw with honour. Oxenstierna negotiated with Wallenstein, because he preferred him to the Danish mediation efforts which remained totally unacceptable. Wallenstein kept Ferdinand informed, even reporting his use of Bohemian exiles as intermediaries, and relaying some information about the terms discussed.21

Many opposed compromise, not least Brandenburg that stood to lose Pomerania. There is little evidence that Wallenstein would have upheld the Bohemian exiles’ demands either, since he and his closest relatives were leading beneficiaries of the land transfers. His discussions with them nonetheless raised suspicions in Vienna that grew with his practice of presenting each partner with different terms. These inconsistencies became increasingly obvious as the various parties conferred and rumours leaked out. For example, the Swedes intercepted his letter to the duke of Lorraine in October 1633 which suggested that Wallenstein intended to exclude them from Germany altogether.22

Though he sent a few units to reinforce Aldringen in Bavaria at the beginning of 1633, he wasted the opportunity presented by the Swedish mutiny. His failure to move out of the Habsburg hereditary lands left these bearing the brunt of the financial burden. Already in January 1632 he had demanded 200,000 florins up front, followed by 100,000 fl. monthly. He received at least 1.3 million to purchase artillery and equipment. Some of the cost was recouped by a second round of confiscations following the ejection of the Saxons and exiles from Bohemia in May 1632, when property worth 3 million fl. was seized from 16 lords, 126 knights and 190 commoners.23 The windfall was soon exhausted, while Wallenstein expected Bohemia and Silesia to feed, house and clothe his troops throughout 1633. He mollified his more distinguished critics by exempting their properties from billeting. This simply shifted the burden onto the medium and lesser landlords whose peasants then fled, initiating a vicious cycle of more demands for contributions to feed his hungry troops as agriculture ground to a halt.

Instead of moving, Wallenstein sent emissaries to Arnim and Thurn in April. The moment was opportune as the formation of the Heilbronn League caused consternation in Saxony, but without the other Protestants, Johann Georg felt too weak to abandon Sweden. Arnim urged the elector to increase the army to pursue a more independent course, but there was no money. He remained suspicious of Wallenstein whose troops outnumbered his two-to-one. Rumours of

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