26.7. 1648 Swedes besiege Prague

They plundered the Rudolphine collections at Prague Castle and the Břevnov and Strahov monasteries, as well as the houses of noblemen and townspeople. The Swedish army invaded Prague in July 1648.

Already on the tenth of July, General Hans Christoff Königsmarck sent a message to Wrangler that he would urgently march on Prague and that he would attempt the "familiar thing" himself. A few days later he met with Lieutenant Colonel Arnost Ottovalsky and they discussed the attack on Mala Strana and Hradčany in detail. Then Königsmarck issued a false order that his corps would launch an attack on Loket, from where it would go to Litoměřice to link up with Arvid Wittenberg's troops.

In reality, the main commanders involved quickly penetrated with their troops into the interior of Bohemia, in the direction of Silver, Pilsen and as far as Dobrovizi near Prague. "Here the soldiers camouflaged themselves in the woods and their commanders divided up their tasks. Ottovalsky with a hundred men was the first to move out. Lieutenant Colonel Volkers followed with 300 soldiers, followed by Colonel Koppi's infantry. The brave attackers were secured by Königsmarck himself and his cavalry," Radek Fukala describes in his book Dream of Vengeance: The Drama of the Thirty Years' War.

On the night of 24-25 July 1648, Swedish troops invaded Malá Strana and Hradčany. The soldiers started to move when it started to get dark. The imperial lines were a stone's throw away. The city was celebrating the monarch's wedding and setting off fireworks. There was a disastrous lack of vigilance on the walls and in the immediate area. "Needless to say, Königsmarck and his commanders took excellent advantage of Colloredo's carelessness in guardingto appear in Prague like a bolt from the blue," says Fukala.

The Swedes consistently plundered the Rudolphine collections at Prague Castle and also the Břevnov and Strahov monasteries. The palaces and houses of noblemen and townspeople were also plundered. The Swedes wanted to cross the Charles Bridge to the Old Town.

But the people of Prague rose up against them and those who could took up arms. "Soldiers of the Prague garrison, craftsmen, students, religious and Jews fought against the Swedes on Charles Bridge and prevented the Swedes from penetrating the Old Town. The Swedes did not get any further to the cross on Charles Bridge and thought that the crucified Jesus Christ was helping the defenders of Prague. One of the Swedish soldiers damaged the cross with a bullet, but succumbed in the battle. The brave Pragueers then drove the Swedes back to the Lesser Town," writes Jiří Glet in his book Saints on Charles Bridge.

During the Baroque period, the Holy Cross was given due respect and everyone bowed their head before the cross. In 1696, however, a Jew left his hat on his head in front of the cross, and when he was rebuked by the people, he uttered some blasphemous words. The Jew was punished with a fine, and in addition, he had to have a gilded Hebrew inscription glorifying God made on the cross at his own expense.

Sources: The Drama of the Thirty Years' War, www.wikipedia.org