Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War

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Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War began in July 1630 when troops under Gustavus Adolphus landed in Pomerania. Under his leadership, the Protestant cause, previously on the verge of defeat, won several major victories and changed the direction of the war. Following the Edict of Restitution by Emperor Ferdinand II on the height of his and the Catholic League's military success in 1629, Protestantism in the Holy Roman Empire was seriously threatened. In July 1630, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden landed in the Duchy of Pomerania to intervene in favor of the German Protestants. The Swedish armies achieved several victories against their Catholic enemies, including the victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631. Gustav II Adolf was killed in battle at Lützen, southwest of Leipzig, and two years later the decisive defeat at Nördlingen in 1634 threatened continuing Swedish participation in the war. In consequence, the Emperor made peace with most of his German opponents in the Peace...

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