The conflict, personal rivalry and contrast in personality,
generalship and command, between the two iconic commanders in the
Thirty Years War, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden for the
Protestant powers, and Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland.
More than just commanders at the tactical level they were
statesmen, military organisers and strategists on a continental
scale. Both commanders represented the 17th-century military
revolution in action'. The writing is vivid, graphic and detailed,
without overloading, and readers can feel involved' in the action,
from strategic planning to battlefield tactics, and even the melee.
Both generals are titanic figures come, and their respective deaths
- Gustavus heroically in battle and Wallenstein, murdered with the
Emperor's compliance - were dramatic highpoints in the long war.
This is no hagiography, and the author analyses the contrasting
reputations of two of the greatest military figures in modern
history and analyses mistakes as well their triumphs. Both
commanders' understanding of the role of the modern state and
finance as vital factors in the military revolution and modern
warfare. A major contrast was Gustavus's constant search for the
tactical and strategic initiative compared to Wallenstein's caution
and patience and development of counter-punch defensive tactics.
Exceptional for the period, a young warrior like an Alexander',
Gustavus excelled in inspired battlefield leadership even at huge
risk. Despite his death at Lutzen in 1632, he and his steadfast
chancellor Oxenstierna, had decisively defeated the Emperor's
attempt to subjugate the Empire and introduce the Catholic
counter-reformation. Gustavus contributed hugely to the ending of
Habsburg supremacy while advancing new concepts in modern war. His
death ushered in his acolytes including generals Baner, Saxe-Weimar
and Torstensson. Gustavus or Wallenstein, the greater of the two?
The reader must judge but Napoleon included Gustavus in his list of
ten greats with Julius Caesar, Hannibal Barca, and Alexander the
Great.
General
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