The Catholic League (1609-1635) was a loose confederation of Roman Catholic German states formed to counteract the Protestant Union.
History[]
The Catholic League was founded in 1609 by a confederation of Roman Catholic German states, headed by the Duchy of Bavaria, to counteract the slightly-older Protestant Union (est. 1608). The Catholic League was led by the Archbishop-Electors of Mainz, and had little role in pre-Thirty Years War politics.
However, after war broke out with the Protestant world in 1618, the Catholic League mustered troops to fight. Catholic general Jean Tserclaes (Count Tilly) was their greatest commander, defeating the Bohemians in the 1621 Battle of White Mountain and the Danes in the 1626 Battle of Lutter. The Catholics conquered much of Germany from the Protestant Union before Sweden's 1630 intervention, and in 1632 they were defeated twice. They lost the First Battle of Breitenfeld and the Battle of Rain-am-Lech; in the latter, Tilly was killed by a cannonball. In the 1635 Peace of Prague, the Holy Roman Empire agreed to disband their religious conflict, ending the Catholic League, whose armies were already destroyed. However, the war did not end until 1648.
Members[]
- Holy Roman Empire
- Duchy of Bavaria
- Archbishop-Electorate of Mainz
- Archbishop-Electorate of Cologne
- Archbishop-Electorate of Trier
- Prince-Bishopric of Constance
- Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg
- Prince-Bishopric of Passau
- Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg and Bamberg
- Prince-Bishopric of Worms
- Prince-Bishopric of Strassburg
- Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt
- Prince-Bishopric of Speyer
- Prince-Provost of Ellwangen
- Prince-Abbot of Kempten
Gallery[]
