Tilly, Johann Tserclaes

Born February 1559 in Brabant; died Apr. 30, 1632, in Ingolstadt. General during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48); field marshal (1605). Count.

Tilly joined the Spanish Army in 1574 and later the Austrian Army. After entering the service of Maximilian of Bavaria, he became commander in chief of the Catholic League (1609). Dursing the Thirty Years’ War, he won a series of victories, including the routing of Bohemian troops on Nov. 8, 1620, at Bílá Hora and the defeat of King Christian IV of Denmark on Aug. 27, 1626, at Lutter. After the resignation of A. von Wallenstein in 1630, Tilly was made commander in chief of the imperial army. In 1631 his forces seized and looted Magdeburg, a city allied to Sweden. On Sept. 17, 1631, the imperial forces were defeated by the Swedish Army at Breitenfeld. Tilly was mortally wounded in a battle with the Swedes at the Lech River.