WALD- and WALIMxsTEIN I. ALBERT EUSEmr s WENZEL vox. Duke of Friedland. Sagan.and Meck lenburg (1583-1034). An Imperialist general in the Thirty Years' War. Ile was the third son of a noble though not wealthy Bohemian family, and was born at Hermanic, in Bohemia, September 24. 1583. His parents, who were Protestants, in trusted the care of his education to the Moravian Brotherhood of Koschumberg, who, however, made little of their stubborn and passionate pu pil. On his parents' death, his uncle, Albert Slavata, a zealous Catholic, took charge of his bringing up, and having won him over to his own creed, sent him to the Jesuit con victurium at ()Mintz, and to the universities of Altdorf, Bo logna, and Padua, where his education, such as it was, was completed. He traveled in Germany, France. and Holland, took service in the Imperial army, fought against the Turks in Hungary, and, home in 160(1, married a widow of noble rank, who at her death in 1614 left him all of her great wealth. This, with the estates be queathed him by his uncle, made him one of the richest and most influential noblemen of Bohemia. In 1617 he raised a volunteer corps with which he fought for the Hapsburg cause against Ve nice, and for his services was made a count of the Empire and colonel in the imperial army. Upon the outbreak of the Bohemian Revolution in 1618 he sent a regiment to the aid of the Em peror. and after the battle of the White Hill near Prague (I620) acquired possession at much less than their value of 60 confiscated lordships in Bo hemia. In 1623 he married a daughter of Count liarrach, who exercised great influence at the Imperial Court, and was created Duke of Fried land. Two years after, when the King of Den mark, Christian IV., took up arms for the Protes tants against the Emperor, Wallenstein offered to raise, equip, and maintain 20.000 men, provided he were intrusted with the absolute command, and allowed to appoint his own officers, a pro posal accepted by the Emperor in his need. Wal lenstein brought together in Bohemia adventu rers from all quarters, men who had learned that his service meant ample booty, and in a short time his army far exceeded the stipulated nun her. With this array Wallenstein marched into North Germany, and, acting, in concert with Tilly (q.v.), routed Slansfeld at Dessau (April 25. 1026), pursued him through Silesia and Mo ravhi, and on his junction with the army of Bethlen (tfibor in Hungary, compelled, by skill ful strategy, the combined forces to remain on the defensive. Iteleased by a truce with the Transylvanian Prince and the death of Mansfehl, he returned by way of Silesia, recovered the fortresses which Thum had captured, forced the Elector of Brandenburg to submit to the Empe ror, and joined Tilly in annihilating tire mili tary power of Denmark.
The value of Wallenslein's services caused the Emperor to overlook the complaints of the princes whose possessions suffered greatly from the ra pacity, oppression, and license which his soldiers were allowed to exercise. Wallenstcin was re warded with the NI(pklenburg duchies, the rank of generalissimo on land, and admiral of the lie speedily made himself master of his new territor:t lifted out a fleet, by the aid of which he eapt tired l'sedom and Riigen, with vari ous Bailie ports, and laid siege to Stralsund, but failed before the heroic resistance of its in habitat0s. \Wslh•m tein's arrogance grew with his success and aroused the enmity of a powerful party at Court. The ( 'atholic League, headed by the Duke of Bavaria, became his bitter adver sary, and backed by the intrigues of France, in duced the Emperor to dismiss Wallenstein in 1030. Wallenstein obeyed and went into retire ment, waiting for the day, which he was confident would come, when he would be again needed. Ile lived in magnificent state at Prague, hut much of his time was spent in scheming for revenge. All the while he kept a watch over affairs in Vien na. The death of Tilly (April, 1631) and the advance of Gustavus Adolphus toward the hered itary Austrian dominions made it necessary for him to be recalled, and after some pretense of in difference he consented to take the field on con dition that he he given absolute command over the Imperial forces with the powers of negotiating and, at need, of concluding peace. With the Swedes on the Danube, the Saxons in Bohemia, and the army of the League almost annihilated, the Emperor had no choice: and Wallenstein within three months was at the head of 40,000 men, well armed and disciplined. Commands and entreaties were in vain employed to induce him to save Bavaria from the Swedes: but in July, 1632, he Moved against Gustavus ,Adolphus, who was intrenehed in Nuremberg. There Wallenstein for tified himself, and for more than two months the two armies confronted each other, an attack by the Swedes on Wallenstein's lines (September 3d) being repulsed with heavy loss. At last Gustavus retreated to the Danube, whence his skillful opponent soon drew him by marching on Saxony. The two again confronted each other at Lfitzen (q.v.), where a great battle was fought in which the Swedes gained the advantage, though at the price of the death of their King (November 16, 1632).