Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of "Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Gustavus Adolphus (9 December [N.S 19 December] 1594 – 6 November [N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632. He is credited with the rise of Sweden as a great European power (Swedish: Stormaktstiden). During his reign, Sweden became one of the primary military forces in Europe during the Thirty Years' War, helping to determine the political and religious balance of power in Europe. He was formally and posthumously given the name Gustavus Adolphus the Great (Swedish: Gustav Adolf den store; Latin: Gustavus Adolphus Magnus) by the Riksdag of the Estates in 1634.

He is often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history, with use of an early form of combined arms. His most notable military victory was the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631. With his resources, logistics, and support, Gustavus Adolphus was positioned to become a major European leader, but he was killed a year later at the Battle of Lützen. He was assisted in his efforts by Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden, who also acted as regent after his death.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (Dutch: Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; German: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; French: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's forces in the Thirty Years' War. From 1620 to 1631, he won an unmatched and demoralizing string of important victories against the Protestants, including White Mountain, Wimpfen, Höchst, Stadtlohn and the Conquest of the Palatinate. He destroyed a Danish army at Lutter and sacked the Protestant city of Magdeburg, which caused the deaths of some 20,000 of the city's inhabitants, both defenders and non-combatants, out of a total population of 25,000.

However, Tilly's army was eventually crushed at Breitenfeld in 1631 by the Swedish army of King Gustavus Adolphus. A bullet from a Swedish arquebus mortally wounded him at the Battle of Rain on 15 April 1632, and he died two weeks later in Ingolstadt on 30 April 1632, at the age of 73. Along with Duke Albrecht von Wallenstein of Friedland and Mecklenburg, he was one of two chief commanders of the Holy Roman Empire's forces during the first half of the Thirty Years' War. Military historian Gaston Bodart (1908) refers to Tilly as one of the most notable military leaders from modern and contemporary times.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Katarina Church

Katarina kyrka (Church of Catherine) is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. The Katarina-Sofia borough is named after Katarina Parish and the neighbouring parish of Sofia.

Construction of the church started during the reign of Charles X Gustav of Sweden, and the church is named after Princess Catherine, mother of the king, wife of John Casimir, Palsgrave of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and half-sister of Gustavus Adolphus. The original architect was Jean de la Vallée. The construction was severely delayed due to shortage of funds.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Uppsala University

Uppsala University (UU) (Swedish: Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries.

Founded in the 15th century, the university rose to significance during the rise of Sweden as a great power at the end of the 16th century and was then given relative financial stability with a large donation from King Gustavus Adolphus in the early 17th century. Uppsala also has an important historical place in Swedish national culture, and identity for the Swedish establishment: in historiography, religion, literature, politics, and music. Many aspects of Swedish academic culture in general, such as the white student cap, originated in Uppsala. It shares some peculiarities, such as the student nation system, with Lund University and the University of Helsinki.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Battle of Rain

The Battle of Rain took place on 15 April 1632 near Rain in Bavaria during the Thirty Years' War. A Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden defeated a Catholic League force led by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, who later died of wounds received in the battle.

Outnumbered and with many inexperienced troops, Tilly built defensive works along the River Lech, centred on the town of Rain, hoping to delay Gustavus long enough for Imperial reinforcements under Albrecht von Wallenstein to reach him. The Swedes spent 14 April bombarding the defences, then crossed the river the next day, inflicting nearly 3,000 casualties, including Tilly. On 16 April, Maximilian of Bavaria ordered a retreat, abandoning his supplies and guns.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Delia (clothing)

The delia (Polish pronunciation: [ˈdɛlja]) is a garment worn by male szlachta (nobility) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The delia is similar to a coat or cloak, and was worn over the żupan from the 16th until the early 18th century.

The delia was usually fashioned from wool, cotton, or velvet, and finished with fur. The typical delia had short, loose, unsewn sleeves, and was fastened with metal buttons over the breast. The delia was of Oriental origin and the word itself came to Poland in the mid-16th century from Turkey.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Battle of Stralsund (1628)

The Siege of Stralsund, 13 May to 4 August 1628, took place during the Thirty Years' War when an Imperial Army under Albrecht von Wallenstein attempted to capture the key Baltic Sea port of Stralsund. Then an independent city and part of the Hanseatic League, Stralsund was initially reinforced by small numbers of Scots mercenaries in Danish service, before Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden sent a larger force under Alexander Leslie.

The failure of the siege ended Wallenstein's series of victories, while Straslund was held by the Swedes for most of the next two hundred years. It provided Gustavus a bridgehead within the Holy Roman Empire that in 1630 facilitated Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.

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Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the context of Livrustkammaren

The Royal Armoury (Swedish: Livrustkammaren) is a museum in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. It contains many artifacts of Swedish military history and Swedish royalty. It is the oldest museum in Sweden, established in 1628 by King Gustavus Adolphus when he decided that his clothes from his campaign in Poland should be preserved for posterity.

A drinking horn made from a horn of the last aurochs bull and taken by the Swedish army as war booty from Jaktorów, Poland, during the Swedish invasion of Poland (1655–1660) is part of the collection of the museum.

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