In the east, or rather in the north, a desultory campaign was carried on during 1644 between Torstensson and the younger Wrangel, on the one side, the Danes and Gallas on the other, and in the end Gallas retreated to Austrian territory, so completely demoralized that his army dwindled on the way from 20,00o men to 2,000. Torstensson followed him, having little to fear from the Danes. Meanwhile the prince of Transylvania, George Rakoczy, playing the part of Gabriel Bethlen his predecessor, made war upon the emperor, who not being able on that account to send fresh troops against Torstensson called for help to Maximilian of Bavaria. The Elector sent most of his own troops under Weert on the same errand—hence Mercy's defeat at Freiburg. But Torstensson pressed on towards Vienna, and on Feb. 24–March 6, 1645 he inflicted a crushing defeat on the Bavarians and Imperial ists at Jankau near Tabor. In his extremity Ferdinand offered part of Bohemia and Silesia to Maximilian in return for soldiers. But the Bavarian ruler had no more soldiers to give, for Turenne was advancing again from the Rhine.
At the end of March the Weimar army marched to Heilbronn, and Rothenburg-on-Tauber, when Turenne resolved to go north ward in search of supplies and recruits in the territories of his ally and cousin the landgravine of Hesse-Cassel. But at this point the army, headed by Bernhard's old colonels, demanded to be put into rest-quarters, and Turenne allowing them to disperse as they wished, was surprised by Mercy and Weert—who brought his courage, if nothing else, back from the field of Jankau—and lost two-thirds of his forces. But Turenne, instead of retreating to the Rhine, installed himself in the landgravine's country, while Enghien hurried up from the Moselle to his aid. The "Army of Weimar" and the "Army of France" joined forces, as in 1644, almost under the eyes of the enemy. Enghien at once pushed forward from Ladenburg, by Heidelberg and DinkelsbUhl, and found the Austro Bavarians under Mercy entrenched in a strong position at Allerheim near Nordlingen, directly barring the way to the Danube. The second battle of Nordlingen (Aug. 3, 1645) was as desperately fought as the first, and had not Mercy been killed at the crisis of the day Enghien would probably have been disas trously defeated. As it was, the young duke was victorious, but he had only 1,5oo infantry left in rank and file out of 7,00o at the end. Soon afterwards Enghien fell ill, and his army returned to France. Turenne, left with a few thousand men, attempted in vain to hold his ground in Germany and had to make a hasty retreat to Philippsburg on the Rhine, almost the only remaining conquest of these two brilliant but costly campaigns. In Flanders
Gaston of Orleans conquered a number of fortresses, and his army united with that of the Dutch. But the allies separated again almost at once, each to undertake the sieges which suited its own purposes best.
From Silesia Wrangel, who had succeeded Torstensson, passed into Bohemia, where he remained until the forces employed against Rakoczy and Turenne could send help to the imperialists opposed to him. He then drew away into Hesse, the Archduke Leopold and the Bavarians following suit.
Delayed at the opening of the year by orders from Mazarin —Turenne found it impossible to reach Hesse by the short and direct route, and he therefore made a rapid and secret march down the Rhine as far as Wesel, whence, crossing unopposed, he joined Wrangel on the upper Lahn (Aug. to). The united armies were only 19,000 strong. But the imperialists, fearing to be hemmed in and starved between Turenne and the Rhine, fell back to Fulda, leaving the Munich road clear. The interior of Bavaria had not been fought over for I 1 years, and was thus almost the only prosperous land in desolated Germany. Turenne and Wrangel marched straight forward on a broad front, and for the rest of the year they devastated the country about Munich in order to force Maximilian to make terms. An armistice was con cluded in the winter, Maximilian having been finally brought to consent by an ill-judged attempt of the emperor to seduce his army. The French and Swedes wintered in southern Wurttemberg.
In Flanders, Gaston of Orleans and Enghien took Dunkirk and other fortresses. In Italy, where the Tuscan fortresses were attacked, the French were completely checked at first, until Mazarin sent a fresh corps thither and restored the balance. In Catalonia Harcourt underwent a serious reverse in front of Lerida at the hands of his old opponent Leganez, and Mazarin sent Enghien, now prince of Conde, to replace him.