View source for Albrecht von Wallenstein

{{Short description|Bohemian military leader and statesman (1583–1634)}}
{{Redirect|Wallenstein}}
{{Expand German|topic=hist|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = 
| name          = Albrecht von Wallenstein
| honorific_suffix = [[Duchy of Friedland|Duke of Friedland]]
| image         = Albrecht von Wallenstein.jpeg
| image_upright = 
| caption       = Portrait by [[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], after a 1629 original by [[Anthony van Dyck]]
| birth_name    = Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1583|9|24|df=y}}<br />([[Julian calendar|Old style]]: 14 September)
| birth_place   = [[Heřmanice (Náchod District)|Heřmanice]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]]
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1634|02|25|1583|09|14|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Cheb]], Bohemia
| placeofburial = [[Mnichovo Hradiště]], Bohemia
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates =
| allegiance    = {{flag|Holy Roman Empire}} <br /> {{flag|Kingdom of Bohemia}} <br /> [[Catholic League (German)|Catholic League]]
| branch        = [[Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor]]
| branch_label  = Branch
| serviceyears  = 1604–1634
| serviceyears_label = 
| rank          = ''[[Generalissimo]]''
| rank_label    = 
| servicenumber = 
| unit          = 
| commands      = 
| battles       = '''[[Long Turkish War]]'''<br />'''[[Uskok War]]'''<br />{{collapsible list|title=[[Thirty Years' War]]|• [[Battle of White Mountain]] {{resize|(1620)}}|• [[Battle of Dessau Bridge]] {{resize|(1626)}}|• [[Siege of Stralsund (1628)|Siege of Stralsund]] {{resize|(1628)}}|• [[Battle of Wolgast]] {{resize|(1628)}}|• [[Siege of Nuremberg]] {{resize|(1632)}}|<!-- Alte Veste was part of Nuremberg -->&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Battle of the Alte Veste]] {{resize|(Battle of Fürth)}}|• [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]] {{resize|(1632)}}|• [[Second Battle of Steinau]] {{resize|(1633)}}}}
| battles_label = 
| awards        = [[Order of the Golden Fleece]]
| memorials     = 
| spouse        = <!--{{marriage|name|start date|end date}}; add spouse if reliably sourced-->
| children      = 
| relations     = 
| laterwork     = 
| module        = 
}}

'''Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland''' ({{pronunciation|De-Albrecht_Wenzel_Eusebius_von_Wallenstein.ogg|pronunciation}}; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also '''von Waldstein''' ({{langx|cs|Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna}}), was a [[Bohemia]]n{{efn|"In Wallenstein were embodied the fateful forces of his time. He belonged to the men of the [[Renaissance]] and the world of the [[Baroque]], but also he stood above these categories as an exceptional individual. He went beyond Czech or German nationality, beyond Catholic or Protestant denominations. [...] He was a Bohemian and a prince of the German Empire."<ref>{{cite book |last=Rabb |date=1964 |first=T. |title=The Thirty Years' War: Problems of Motive, Extent, and Effect |page=123 |publisher=Univ. of Am. Press |place=Boston |author-link=Theodore K. Rabb }}</ref>}} military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the [[Thirty Years' War]] (1618–1648). His successful martial career made him one of the richest and most influential men in the [[Holy Roman Empire]] by the time of his death. Wallenstein became the [[Commander-in-chief|supreme commander]] of the armies of [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]] and was a major figure of the Thirty Years' War. Albrecht von Wallenstein is considered one of the most important military leaders produced by the [[early modern period]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bodart |first=Gaston |author-link=Gaston Bodart |date=1908 |publisher=C. W. Stern |language=de |title=Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905) |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_A0kNAAAAYAAJ/page/787 |access-date=11 September 2023 |page=787}}</ref>

Wallenstein was born in the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] into a poor Czech [[Protestant]] noble family, affiliated with the Utraquist Hussites, a group of notable anti-German sentiment in some of its circles, and following the teachings of the early reformer Jan Hus. He acquired a multilingual university education across Europe and converted to [[Catholicism]] in 1606. 

A marriage in 1609 to the wealthy widow of a Bohemian [[landowner]] gave him access to considerable [[Estate (land)|estate]]s and wealth after her death at an early age in 1614. 
Three years later, Wallenstein embarked on a career as a [[military contractor|mercenary]] by raising forces for the Holy Roman Emperor in the [[Uskok War]] against the [[Republic of Venice]].

Wallenstein fought for the Catholics in the Protestant [[Bohemian Revolt]] of 1618 and was awarded estates confiscated from the rebels after their defeat at [[Battle of White Mountain|White Mountain]] in 1620. A series of military victories against the Protestants raised Wallenstein's reputation in the imperial court and in 1625 he raised a large army of 50,000 men to further the Imperial cause. A year later, he administered a crushing defeat to the Protestants at [[Battle of Dessau Bridge|Dessau Bridge]]. 

For his successes, Wallenstein became an imperial [[count palatine]] and made himself ruler of the lands of the [[Duchy of Friedland]] in northern [[Bohemia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mortimer |date=2010 |first=G. |title=Wallenstein: The Enigma of the Thirty Years War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUaEDAAAQBAJ |page=[{{google books|oUaEDAAAQBAJ|pg=69|plainurl=yes}} 69] |doi=10.1057/9780230282100 |isbn=978-0-230-27212-5 |access-date=25 July 2018 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927080553/https://books.google.com/books?id=oUaEDAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

An imperial ''[[generalissimo]]''<ref>{{citation |date=2010 |title=Wallenstein, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von, Herzog (duke) von Friedland, Herzog von Mecklenburg, Fürst (prince) Von Sagen |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |place=Chicago }}</ref> by land, and Admiral of the Baltic Sea from 21 April 1628,<ref>{{cite book |last=Coxe |date=1852 |first=W. |title=History of the House of Austria vol. II |edition=3rd |page=[{{google books|Ww5OAAAAcAAJ|pg=203|plainurl=yes}} 203] |publisher=[[Henry George Bohn|H.G. Bohn]] |place=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ww5OAAAAcAAJ |author-link=William Coxe (historian) |access-date=2 July 2018 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927080552/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ww5OAAAAcAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Wallenstein found himself released from service in 1630 after Ferdinand grew wary of his ambition.{{sfn|Steinberg|1998}} Several [[Protestant]] victories over [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] armies induced Ferdinand to recall Wallenstein (Göllersdorf April 1632), who then defeated the Swedish king [[Gustavus Adolphus]] at [[Battle of Alte Veste|Alte Veste]]. The Swedish king was later killed at the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]]. 

Wallenstein realised the war could last decades and, during the summer of 1633, arranged a series of armistices to negotiate peace. These proved to be his undoing as plotters accused him of treachery and Emperor Ferdinand II ordered his assassination. 

Dissatisfied with the Emperor's treatment of him, Wallenstein considered allying with the Protestants. However, he was [[Eger Bloodbath|assassinated]] at [[Cheb|Eger]] in [[Bohemia]] by one of the army's officials, with the emperor's approval.

==Early life==
Wallenstein [Valdštejn] was born on 24 September 1583 in [[Heřmanice (Náchod District)|Heřmanice]], [[Bohemia]],<ref name=schiller>{{cite book |last=Schiller |date=1911 |first=F. |title=Schiller's Wallenstein |url=https://archive.org/details/schillerswallen00schigoog |editor=Max Winkler |editor-link=Max Winkler (1866–1930) |publisher=Macmillan |author-link=Friedrich Schiller }}</ref> which is the easternmost and largest region in what was then the [[Holy Roman Empire]], in the present-day [[Czech Republic]], into a poor [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Wallenstein branch of an old Czech [[Waldstein family|House of Waldstein]]{{efn|Many texts, especially English-language books of the 18th and 19th centuries, name him (incorrectly) as Walstein (no 'd').}}, who owned Heřmanice Castle and seven surrounding villages.<ref name=schiller/><ref>{{cite book |last=Rebitsch |date=2010 |first=R. |title=Wallenstein: Biografie eines Machtmenschen |language=de |publisher=Böhlau |place=Vienna |page=22 |isbn=978-3-205-78583-5 |author-link=:de:Robert Rebitsch }}</ref> He was the son of Vilém (Wilhelm) IV z Valdštejna (von Waldstein) (1547-1595) and his wife, Markéta, Baroness Smiřická of Smiřice (1555-1593).{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|pp=22–23}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/waldstein/waldstein4.html | title=Waldstein 4 }}</ref>

They had raised him bilingually – the father spoke both Czech and German while his mother preferred Czech – yet Wallenstein in his childhood had a better command of [[Czech language|Czech]] than of [[German language|German]].{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} His parents' religious affiliations were [[Lutheranism]] and [[Utraquist]] [[Hussitism]].{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} After their deaths, Albrecht for two years lived with his maternal uncle Heinrich (Jindřich) [[Bohemian nobility|Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk]] (1549-1599), a member of the [[Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic)|Unity of the Brethren]] (Bohemian Brethren), and adopted his uncle's religious affiliation.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} His uncle sent him to the brethren's school at [[Luže (Chrudim District)#Ko.C5.A1umberk castle|Košumberk Castle]] in Eastern Bohemia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Košumberk Castle {{!}} Castles and Palaces {{!}} Route of Castles and Palaces |url=https://stezkahraduazamku.eu/en/castles-and-palaces/the-kosumberk-castle |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=stezkahraduazamku.eu}}</ref>

In 1597, Albrecht was sent to the Protestant Latin school at [[Złotoryja|Goldberg (now Złotoryja)]] in [[Silesia]], where the then-German environment led him to hone his German language skills.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} While German became Wallenstein's "work" language, he is said to have continued to curse in Czech.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mann |date=1973 |title=Wallenstein |first1=G. |last2=Bliggenstorfer |first2=Ruedi |page=128 |publisher=Fischer |author-link=Golo Mann }}</ref> On 29 August 1599, Wallenstein continued his education at the Protestant [[University of Altdorf]] near [[Nuremberg]], [[Franconia]], where he was often engaged in brawls and épée fights, leading to his imprisonment in the town prison.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} He beat his servant so badly he had to purchase him a new suit of clothes on top of paying compensation.<ref name="ReferenceA">Wallenstein his life narrated by Golo Mann.</ref>

In February 1600,{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}} Albrecht left [[Altdorf bei Nürnberg|Altdorf]] and travelled around the [[Holy Roman Empire]], [[Early modern France|France]] and [[History of early modern Italy|Italy]],{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=24}} where he studied at the universities of [[University of Bologna|Bologna]] and [[University of Padua|Padua]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Ripley |date=1863 |editor-first=G. |editor2-last=Dana |editor2-first=C. |title=[[New American Cyclopædia]] |volume=16 |page=[{{google books|3OgaAQAAMAAJ|pg=186|plainurl=yes}} 186] |publisher=[[D. Appleton & Company]] |place=New York |editor-link=George Ripley (transcendentalist) |editor-link2=Charles Anderson Dana }}</ref> By this time, Wallenstein was fluent in German, Czech, [[Latin language|Latin]] and [[Italian language|Italian]], was able to understand [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and spoke some [[French language|French]].{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=23}}

Wallenstein then joined the army of the Emperor [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolf II]] in [[Royal Hungary|Hungary]], where, under the command of [[Giorgio Basta]], he saw two years of armed service (1604–1606) in the [[Long Turkish War]] against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] and [[Bocskai uprising|Hungarian rebels]].{{sfn|Ripley|Dana|1863|p=186}}
[[File:Isabelle von Harrach.jpg|thumb|250px|Countess Isabelle von Harrach, Wallenstein's second wife]] 
In 1604, his younger sister, Kateřina Anna of Waldstein (1584-1605), married the leader of the Moravian Protestants, Karel the Older of [[House of Zierotin|Zierotin]] (1564–1636). He then studied at the [[University of Olomouc]] (matriculating in 1606). His contact with the Olomouc [[Jesuit order|Jesuits]] is considered to be at least partially responsible for his conversion to [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] that same year.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=24}}
The contributory factor to his conversion may have been the [[Counter-Reformation]] policy of the [[Habsburg]]s that effectively barred Protestants from being appointed to higher offices at court in Bohemia and in Moravia, and the impressions he gathered in Catholic Italy.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|pp=24–26}} However, there are no sources clearly indicating the reasons for Wallenstein's conversion, except for a subjunctive anecdote by his contemporary Count Franz Christoph von [[Khevenhüller]] (1588-1650) about the Virgin Mary saving Wallenstein's life when he fell from a window in [[Innsbruck]].{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=24}} Wallenstein was later made a member of the [[List of Knights of the Golden Fleece|Order of the Golden Fleece]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}

In 1607, based on recommendations by his brother-in-law, Zierotin, and another relative, [[Adam of Waldstein]], often mistakenly referred to as his uncle, Wallenstein was made [[Chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]] at the court of [[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor|Matthias]], and later also chamberlain to archdukes Ferdinand and Maximilian.{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=26}}

In 1609, Wallenstein married the Czech Anna Lucretia of Víckov, née Nekšová of Landek (1582-1614),{{sfn|Steinberg|1998}} the wealthy widow of Arkleb of Víckov<ref>{{cite book|title=Bilder des Weiblichen in Erzähltexten über den Dreissigjährigen Krieg|first=Waltraud|last=Maierhofer|publisher=Böhlau|location=Köln Weimar|year=2005|isbn=3412104051|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hexenhurenhelden0000maie/page/39 39, 418]|url=https://archive.org/details/hexenhurenhelden0000maie/page/39}}</ref> who owned the towns of [[Vsetín]], [[Lukov (Zlín District)|Lukov]], [[Rymice]] and Všetuly/[[Holešov]] (all in eastern Moravia).{{sfn|Rebitsch|2010|p=27}} She was three years older than Wallenstein, and he inherited her estates after her death in 1614.{{sfn|Ripley|Dana|1863|p=186}}

He used his wealth to win favour, offering and commanding 200 horses for Archduke [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand of Styria]] for his war with [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] in 1617, thereby relieving the fortress of [[Gradisca]] from the Venetian siege.<ref>Di Bert, Marino ''Vicende storiche gradiscane'', [[Società filologica friulana|Società Filologica Friulana]], Udine, pp. 65–104.</ref> He later endowed a monastery in his late wife's name and had her reburied there.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Full text of "Schillers Wallenstein. Wallensteins Tod" | url=https://archive.org/stream/schillerswallen02schigoog/schillerswallen02schigoog_djvu.txt | access-date=2025-06-16 | website=archive.org}}</ref>

In 1623, Wallenstein married Countess Isabella Katharina von [[Harrach]] (1601-1655), daughter of Count [[Karl von Harrach]] and his wife, Baroness Maria Elisabeth von [[German nobility|Schrattenbach]] (1563-1653).<ref>{{Cite web | title=Maria Elisabeth, Gräfin von Harrach zu Rohrau                                          : Genealogics | url=https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00186855&tree=LEO | access-date=2025-06-16 | website=www.genealogics.org}}</ref> They had two children: a son who died in infancy and a surviving daughter, Countess Maria Elisabeth von [[Mediatised houses#List of Princely mediatised houses (Durchlaucht)|Kaunitz]] (1626-1662).<ref>{{Cite web | title=Maria Elisabeth von Waldstein, Fürstin zu Friedland                                                  : Genealogics | url=https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00186858&tree=LEO | access-date=2025-06-16 | website=www.genealogics.org}}</ref>{{sfn|Ripley|Dana|1863|p=186}} Examples of the couple's correspondence survive. The two marriages made him one of the wealthiest men in the [[Crown of Bohemia|Bohemian Crown]].

==Thirty Years' War==
[[File:Dankaerts-Historis-9254.tif|thumb|Engraving of Albrecht von Wallenstein]]
The [[Thirty Years' War]] began in 1618 when the [[The Estates|estates]] of Bohemia rebelled against Ferdinand of Styria and elected [[Frederick V of the Palatinate]], the leader of the [[Protestant Union]], as their new king. Wallenstein associated himself with the cause of the [[Catholics]] and the [[Habsburg dynasty]].
In the summer of 1618, Count [[Jindřich Matyáš Thurn]] led 10,000 troops into [[Moravia]] to secure their loyalty to the rebellion. Nobles who wished for a rapprochement with Ferdinand faced a choice. Senior nobleman Zierotin's son-in-law, Georg von Nachod, commanded the Moravian cavalry and his brother-in-law, Wallenstein, the infantry. Both decided to take their regiment into Austria. Nachod's troops rebelled and he fled for his life. Wallenstein's major demanded authorisation from the Estates upon which Wallenstein drew his sword and ran him through, "A fresh major was immediately appointed and displayed greater tractability".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>{{Vague|date=April 2024}}  Deserting the Bohemians, he marched his regiment to Vienna taking with him the Moravian treasury. There, however, the authorities told him that the money would go back to the Moravians – but he had shown his loyalty to Ferdinand, the future Emperor.

Wallenstein equipped a regiment of [[cuirassier]]s and won great distinction under [[Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy]] in the wars against [[Ernst von Mansfeld]] and [[Gabriel Bethlen]] (both supporters of the Bohemian revolt) in [[Moravia]]. Wallenstein recovered his lands (which the rebels had seized in 1619) and after the [[Battle of White Mountain]] (8 November 1620), he secured the estates belonging to his mother's family and confiscated tracts of Protestant lands.

He grouped his new possessions into a territory called [[Frýdlant v Čechach|Friedland (Frýdlant)]] in northern Bohemia.{{Vague|date=April 2024}}  A series of successes in battle led to Wallenstein becoming in 1622 an imperial [[count palatine]], in 1623 a prince, and in 1625 [[Duke]] of [[Duchy of Friedland|Friedland]].<ref name=Schiller>Schiller, J. Friedrich Von. (1980) ''Robbers'' and ''Wallenstein'', Penguin Classics, pp. 12–3. {{ISBN|0-14-044368-1}}.</ref> Wallenstein proved an able administrator of the duchy<ref>Mann, Golo, ''Wallenstein''</ref> and sent a large representation to Prague to emphasize his nobility.{{clarify|date=June 2017}}{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}
[[File:Albrecht Wallenstein as Mars (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Wallenstein depicted as [[Mars (deity)|Mars]], the god of war, riding the sky in a [[Quadriga|chariot pulled by four horses]]. Ceiling decoration in the main hall of the [[Wallenstein Palace]]]]
In order to aid Ferdinand (elected [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1619) against the Northern Protestants and to produce a balance in the army of the [[Catholic League (German)|Catholic League]] under [[Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly]], Wallenstein offered to raise a whole army for the imperial service following the ''[[bellum se ipsum alet]]'' principle, and received his final commission on 25 July 1625. Wallenstein's successes as a military commander brought him fiscal credit, which in turn enabled him to receive loans to buy lands, many of them being the former estates of conquered Bohemian nobles. He used his credit to grant loans to Ferdinand II, which were repaid through lands and titles.<ref>JP Cooper, "The New Cambridge Modern History" The Thirty Years' War 1st ed. (New York, New York: Cambridge University Press. 1970), 323.</ref> Wallenstein's popularity soon recruited 30,000 (not long afterwards 50,000) men.<ref name=Eggenberger>Eggenberger, David. (1985) ''An Encyclopedia of Battles'', Courier Dover Publications. p. 161. {{ISBN|0-486-24913-1}}.</ref> The two armies worked together over 1625–27, at first against Mansfeld.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}
Having beaten Mansfeld at [[Battle of Dessau Bridge|Dessau]] (25 April 1626), Wallenstein cleared [[Silesia]] of the remnants of Mansfeld's army in 1627.<ref name=Eggenberger/><ref name=Fuller>Fuller, J. F. C. (1987) ''A Military History of the Western World'', Da Capo Press. pp. 46–47; {{ISBN|0-306-80305-4}}.</ref> His army ravaged and burned down many Silesian towns and villages, including [[Prudnik]], [[Głogówek]], [[Żory]], [[Pszczyna]], [[Bytom]], [[Rybnik]], [[Kędzierzyn-Koźle|Koźle]], and [[Strzelce Opolskie]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=26 April 2021|title=26 kwietnia 2021|url=https://radio.opole.pl/544,210,26-kwietnia-2021|url-status=live|access-date=21 October 2021|website=Radio Opole|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512104418/https://radio.opole.pl/544,210,26-kwietnia-2021 |archive-date=12 May 2021 }}</ref>

At this time he bought from the emperor the [[Duchy of Sagan]] (in Silesia). He then joined Tilly in the struggle against [[Christian IV of Denmark]],<ref>Spielvogel, Jackson J. (2005) ''Western Civilization'', Thomson Wadsworth, p. 414; {{ISBN|0-534-64604-2}}.</ref> and afterwards gained as a reward the Duchies of [[Mecklenburg]], whose hereditary dukes suffered expulsion for having helped the [[Denmark|Danish]] king. This awarding of a major territory to someone of the lower nobility shocked the high-born rulers of many other [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|German states]].<ref name= Wedgwood>[[C.V. Wedgwood|Wedgwood, C.V.]] (1961) ''The Thirty Years' War'', Anchor Books, pp. 219–20.</ref>

Wallenstein assumed the title of "[[Admiral]] of the [[North Sea|North]] and [[Baltic Sea]]s". However, in 1628 he failed to capture [[Stralsund]], which resisted the [[Capitulation of Franzburg]] and the [[Battle of Stralsund (1628)|subsequent siege]] with assistance of Danish, Scottish and [[Sweden|Swedish]] troops, a blow that denied him access to the Baltic and the chance to challenge the naval power of the [[Scandinavia]]n kingdoms and of the [[Netherlands]].<ref name=Fuller/>

Although he succeeded in defeating [[Christian IV of Denmark]] in the [[Battle of Wolgast]] and neutralizing [[Denmark]] in the subsequent [[Peace of Lübeck]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Denmark, 1513–1660: the rise and decline of a Renaissance monarchy|first=Paul Douglas|last=Lockhart|publisher=[[Oxford University]] Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-927121-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TkteH2TrSSsC&pg=PA166|access-date=7 August 2009|pages=166–71|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020081129/https://books.google.com/books?id=TkteH2TrSSsC&pg=PA166|url-status=live}}</ref> the situation further deteriorated when the presence of Imperial Catholic troops on the Baltic and the Emperor's "[[Edict of Restitution]]" brought King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]] into the conflict.<ref name= Fuller/> Wallenstein attempted to aid the forces of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] under [[Hetman]] [[Stanisław Koniecpolski]], which were [[Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629)|fighting Sweden]] in 1629. However, Wallenstein failed to engage any major Swedish forces and this significantly affected the outcome of the conflict.<ref>Dahlquist, Germund Wilhelm & Carl Von Clausewitz. (2003) ''Principles of War'', Courier Dover Publications, p. 81. {{ISBN|0-486-42799-4}}.</ref>

[[File:Peter Snayers - The battle at Lützen, 1632.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|The [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|battle of Lützen]] was one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years' War, in which the Swedish King [[Gustavus Adolphus]] was killed.]]

Over the course of the war Wallenstein's ambitions and the abuses of his forces had earned him a host of enemies, both Catholic and Protestant, princes and non-princes alike. Ferdinand suspected Wallenstein of planning a coup to take control of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The Emperor's advisors advocated dismissing him, and in September 1630 envoys were sent to Wallenstein to announce his dismissal.<ref name=Schiller/> The decision was taken at Regensburg on 13 August 1630 on the following day Wallenstein's financier De Witte committed suicide (having accrued a mountain of debt financing Wallenstein).<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Wallenstein gave over his army to General Tilly and retired to [[Jičín]], the capital of his Duchy of Friedland. There he lived in an atmosphere of "mysterious magnificence"{{Vague|date=April 2024}}.<ref name= Ingrao>Ingrao, Charles W. (2000) ''The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618–1815'', Cambridge University Press, pp. 45–46; {{ISBN|0-521-78505-7}}.</ref>

However, circumstances forced Ferdinand to recall Wallenstein into the field.<ref name=Schiller/> The successes of Gustavus Adolphus over General Tilly at the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)|Battle of Breitenfeld]] and the [[Battle of Rain|Lech]] (1632), where Tilly was killed, and his advance to [[Munich]] and occupation of Bohemia, required a vigorous response.<ref name=Ingrao/> It was during this time that Wallenstein had taken inspiration from the reforms of Gustavus Adolphus, instituting harsh discipline by providing rewards for bravery and punishment for disorder, thievery, and cowardice<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mears|first=John A.|title=The Thirty Years' War, the "General Crisis," and the Origins of a Standing Professional Army in the Habsburg Monarchy|journal=Central European History|date=June 1988|volume=21|number=2|page=134|doi=10.1017/S0008938900012711|jstor=4546115|s2cid=144482963 }}</ref> and with this in mind Wallenstein raised a fresh army within a few weeks and took to the field. He drove the Saxon army from Bohemia and then advanced against Gustavus Adolphus, whom he opposed near [[Nuremberg]] and, after the [[Battle of the Alte Veste]], dislodged. In November, the great [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]] was fought, in which Wallenstein was forced to retreat but, in the confused melee, Gustavus Adolphus was killed. Wallenstein withdrew to winter quarters in Bohemia.<ref name=Ingrao/>
[[File:Rudolf Otto von Ottenfeld - Valdštejnův tábor.jpg|thumb|left|Wallenstein's camp]]
In the campaigning of 1633, Wallenstein's apparent unwillingness to attack the enemy caused much concern in Vienna and in Spain. At this time the dimensions of the war had grown more European, and Wallenstein had begun preparing to desert the Emperor. He expressed anger at Ferdinand's refusal to revoke the [[Edict of Restitution]]. Historic records tell little about his secret negotiations but some sources <ref>{{citation |date=2021 |title=Wallenstein – Encyclopedia |url=https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/w/wallenstein.html|website=theodora.com }}</ref> indicated he was preparing to force a "just peace" on the Emperor "in the interests of united [[Germany]]". With this apparent "plan" he entered into negotiations with [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]], [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]], and [[France]]. Apparently the Habsburgs' enemies tried to draw him to their side. In any case, he gained little support. Anxious to make his power felt, he resumed the offensive against the Swedes and Saxons, winning his last victory at [[Ścinawa|Steinau]] on the [[Oder]] in October. He then resumed negotiations.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|page=281}}

==Assassination==
{{main|Assassination of Wallenstein}}
[[File:Ermordung-wallensteins-in-eger-anonymer-kupferstich 1-640x370.jpg|thumb|300px|The killing of Wallenstein in [[Cheb|Eger/Cheb]]]]
In December, Wallenstein retired with his army to Bohemia, around Pilsen (now [[Plzeň]]). Vienna soon definitely convinced itself of his treachery, a secret court found him guilty, and the Emperor looked seriously for a means of getting rid of him (a successor in command, the later emperor [[Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand III]], was already waiting). Wallenstein was aware of the plan to replace him, but felt confident that when the army came to decide between him and the Emperor the decision would be in his favour.<ref name=Ingrao/>
On 24 January 1634 the Emperor signed a secret [[Letters patent|patent]] (shown only to certain officers of Wallenstein's army) removing him from his command. Finally an open [[Letters patent|patent]] charging Wallenstein with [[Treason|high treason]] was signed on 18 February and published in [[Prague]].<ref name=Schiller/>

In the patent, Ferdinand II ordered Wallenstein brought under arrest to Vienna, dead or alive.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lunde|first1=Henrik|title=A Warrior Dynasty|date=2014|publisher=Casemate|page=169}}</ref>

Losing the support of his army, Wallenstein now realized the extent of his peril, and on 23 February with a company of some hundred men, he went from Plzeň to [[Cheb]], hoping to meet the Swedes under [[Bernard of Saxe-Weimar|Prince Bernard]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|page=282}}

After his arrival at Cheb, however, certain senior Scottish and Irish officers in his force assassinated him on the night of 25 February.<ref name=Ingrao/> To carry out the assassination, a regiment of dragoons under the command of an Irish colonel, [[Walter Butler of Roscrea|Walter Butler]]<ref>[https://runeberg.org/nfbd/0365.html Projekt Runeberg: Walter Butler] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822025747/http://runeberg.org/nfbd/0365.html |date=22 August 2011 }}, runeberg.org; accessed 17 April 2017.</ref> and the Scots colonels [[Walter Leslie (field marshal)|Walter Leslie]] and John Gordon<ref>{{cite book|title=Life of Wallenstain,Duke of Friendland|url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofwallenstei00mitcuoft|first=James|last=Mitchell|publisher=James Fraser|location=London, UK|year=1887|page=323}}</ref> first attacked Wallenstein's trusted officers ([[Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa|Adam Trczka]], [[Vilém Kinský]], [[Christian von Ilow]], and Henry Neumann), while they attended a feast at Cheb Castle, to which the officers had been invited by Gordon himself.

According to [[historian]], A. E. J. Hollaender,<ref name=domus>{{cite journal|last=Hollaender|first=Albert Edwin Johannes|date=1958|title=Some English Documents on the End of Wallenstein|journal=Bulletin of the John Rylands Library|issue=2|url=https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:1m1949&datastreamId=POST-PEER-REVIEW-PUBLISHERS-DOCUMENT.PDF|publisher=[[University of Manchester]]|volume=40|pages=358–390|doi=10.7227/BJRL.40.2.5|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224172650/https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:1m1949&datastreamId=POST-PEER-REVIEW-PUBLISHERS-DOCUMENT.PDF|url-status=live}}</ref> quoting the "holograph account" of Denis MacDonell, aka Dionysius Macdaniel, Irish Captain of Colonel Butler's regiment and participant in the events, Captain Walter Devereux with twelve dragoons and Sergeant Major Geraldine with eight burst into the room from two doors, surprising the feasting guests. Geraldine cried out ''Vivat Ferdinandus Imperator'' ("Long live Emperor Ferdinand") with MacDonell responding with ''Et tota Domus Austriaca'' ("And the whole House of Austria"). By another account, as quoted in Peter H. Wilson's work on the Thirty Years' War,<ref name=who>{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Peter H. |date=2009  |title=Europe's Tragedy: A New History of the Thirty Years War |publisher=[[Penguin Group|Penguin]] |isbn=978-0-141-00614-7}}</ref>{{rp|540}} the conspirators entered the room shouting "Who is a good Imperialist?". All of Wallenstein's loyal officers present were massacred. Trczka alone managed to fight his way out into the courtyard, only to be shot down by a group of musketeers.<ref name=Wedgwood/>

A few hours later, Devereux, together with a few companions, broke into the burgomaster's house at the main square where Wallenstein had been lodging, and kicked open the bedroom door. Wallenstein, roused from sleep and unarmed, is said to have asked for [[No quarter|quarter]] but Devereux ran his [[partisan (weapon)|spear]] through Wallenstein, killing him. The Emperor rewarded the assassins.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of World History'' (6th edition)<!--publishing info, ISSN/ISBN, page(s) needed--></ref>

In 1784, his descendant Vincenc von Wallenstein had the remains of the general and his wife transported from the [[Carthusians|Carthusian]] [[monastery]] in [[Valdice]], after the monastery was abolished in 1782 by Emperor [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]], to St. Anne's Chapel in the town of [[Mnichovo Hradiště]], in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name=remains>{{cite web|url=https://www.liberecky-kraj.cz/dr-en/2492-in-the-footsteps-of-albrecht-von-wallenstein.html|title=In the Footsteps of Albrecht von Wallenstein|publisher=Regional Office of the Liberec Region|date=2022|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224172653/https://www.liberecky-kraj.cz/dr-en/2492-in-the-footsteps-of-albrecht-von-wallenstein.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Obsession with horoscopes==
While a student at Padua, Wallenstein had followed the lessons of the prominent astrologer [[Andrea Argoli]], who had also initiated him into the mysteries of the [[Kabbalah]].<ref>{{BLKO|wstitle=Waldstein, Albrecht Wenzel Euseb|volume=52|page=210}}</ref>

In 1608, Wallenstein commissioned the imperial court mathematician [[Johannes Kepler]] issue his first [[horoscope]] through intermediaries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mann |first=Golo |title=Wallenstein |publisher=Holt, Rhinehart & Winston |year=1971 |isbn=0-03-091884-7 |location=New York |publication-date=1976 |pages=76–85, 82, 78}}</ref> It seems that he did not receive the horoscope until late 1614 or early 1615.<ref name=":0" /> "Why delivery should have taken so long is anyone's guess. Perhaps Kepler had been defrauded too often and did not want too hand it over until he had his promised fee and that had been delayed."<ref name=":0" /> Wallenstein, through the same intermediary (Gerhard von Taxis) reached out to Kepler again in 1625 for amendments and amplifications on the chart.<ref name=":0" />

Consulting an astrologer was not unusual at the time. Though astrology had been forbidden by the Church at the Council of Trent, Emperor Rudolph II (a nominally Catholic monarch and the ruler of Bohemia where Wallenstein served as his vassal) frequently consulted astrologers as did many at his court.<ref name=":0" /> Anyone who was wealthy and influential often had one. After a brief warning not to trust the stars alone, Kepler wrote that his client had a busy, restless mind who strove for new, untried or strange means. The horoscope characterized Wallenstein as a person with great ambition who strove for power. Dangerous enemies may challenge him, but he would mostly win. Wallenstein relied obsessively on horoscopes for the next several years prior to his death in 1634.<ref>Golo Mann: Wallenstein. Sein Leben. S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1971, ISBN 3-10-047903-3.</ref><ref>Josef Janáček: Valdštejnova smrt. Mladá Fronta, Prag 1970, S. 33</ref> He employed [[Giovanni Battista Seni]] as his personal astrologer and advisor during the last four years of his life.

==Chronic illness==
Wallenstein began to suffer joint inflammation in the feet in 1620. It was believed to be a case of [[gout]], or by excessive drinking. His condition deteriorated rapidly.

In November 1629 he became so ill that he lay down for weeks. In March 1630 he travelled to [[Karlovy Vary]] (Karlsbad) to seek relief. He found it difficult to walk. At the Battle of Lützen in November 1632, he mounted his horse in extreme pain. Half a year later he was no longer able to ride. On his flight to Eger in 1634 he had to be moved around in a wagon or lying in a transport litter.<ref>Hans-Christian Huf: Das Rätsel um Wallensteins Krankheit – Diagnose Syphilis. In: Hans-Christian Huf (Hrsg.): Mit Gottes Segen in die Hölle. Der Dreißigjährige Krieg. München 2003, S. 328–343, hier: S. 329ff.</ref>

In the 1970s the skeleton of Wallenstein was examined. The inner core of the leg bones showed abnormal changes that suggest terminal [[syphilis]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/25803750|jstor = 25803750|title = Neues über die Krankheit Wallensteins|last1 = Mixa|first1 = Jaroslav|journal = Medizinhistorisches Journal|year = 1983|volume = 18|issue = 3|pages = 256–259|pmid = 11611369|access-date = 20 May 2021|archive-date = 29 June 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220629122452/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25803750|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>Der dreißigjährige Krieg – Teil 3 – Ende eines Rebellen (German broadcast ZDF Dokumentary 2003). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQGJoR_6Jd0 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520105143/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQGJoR_6Jd0 |date=20 May 2021 }}</ref>

==Legacy==

=== Contemporaries ===
Shortly after Wallenstein's assassination, several plays, poems and newspapers appeared, as well as a large number of pamphlets describing his life and death. Most of these early adaptations are completely unknown today and have often been lost.<ref>See Manfred Leber: ''Kriegstreiber, Verräter oder verhinderter Friedensstifter? Das schwankende Wallenstein-Bild vor, nach und bei Friedrich Schiller.'' In: Sikander Singh: ''Erkundungen zwischen Krieg und Frieden.'' Saarbrücken 2017, pp. 87–120 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20171025131902/http://universaar.uni-saarland.de/monographien/volltexte/2017/162/pdf/170330_Buch_Ringvorlesung_Krieg_Frieden_ebook.pdf Original text in German])</ref>

=== Literature ===

==== Schiller's Wallenstein ====
{{Main|Wallenstein (trilogy of plays)}}

Schiller first commemorated Wallenstein as a historian in his extensive history of the Thirty Years' War.<ref>The complete 2nd book (in German) can be found on [[Wikisource]]: [[s:Geschichte des dreyßigjährigen Kriegs/Zweytes Buch|''Geschichte des dreyßigjährigen Kriegs, Zweytes Buch'']]</ref>

In his [[Wallenstein (trilogy of plays)|play trilogy]], completed in 1788, he concentrated mostly on the last period of Wallenstein's life (Pilsen and Eger). The literary depiction largely corresponds to the historical facts with the only exception being the lovers – Ottavio Piccolomini's fictional son Max and Wallenstein's daughter Thekla. Although Wallenstein had a daughter, Maria Elisabeth, she was only ten years old when he died, and Piccolomini's adopted son Joseph Silvio Max Piccolomini was only one year older.

==== Alfred Döblin's novel ====
Wallenstein is also a main figure in [[Alfred Döblin]]'s [[Wallenstein (novel)|eponymous novel]]. The title of the novel, published in 1920,<ref>Alfred Döblin: ''Wallenstein.'' S. Fischer, Berlin 1920.</ref> is misleading, as it does not focus on Wallenstein, but rather on [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Ferdinand II]], whom Döblin consistently calls Ferdinand the Other (German: ''Ferdinand der Andere''). The sections of the book are also often misleadingly named. For example, the first book is called Maximilian of Bavaria, although it is almost exclusively about the emperor and his actions that are described. The supposed protagonist of this part is only mentioned in passing.

In the beginning, Döblin describes the emperor according to historical facts but enriches these descriptions with fictional elements. The description of the last phase of Ferdinand's life and his death then have nothing to do with historical reality but are entirely a result of Döblin's artistic freedom.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

In the second book of the novel, Wallenstein is introduced rather marginally. He only becomes present with the events during his work within the Bohemian coin consortium. This corresponds to Döblin's interpretation of Wallenstein in the novel as a whole. For Döblin, Wallenstein's economic genius predominates; battles are only fought when they cannot be avoided, as Döblin mainly portrays Wallenstein as a modern manager of long-term war planning. Wallenstein is indifferent to religious questions, forcing his partners and opponents to admit to a lie of which they were not even aware. Just like Wallenstein, they strive for power and wealth but hide this pursuit behind their religious convictions and assurances of peace. Döblin's Wallenstein has no political vision, and even less does he want to reform the empire. All that matters to him is wealth and power. Döblin's judgment of Wallenstein is thus close to Marxist historiography, which sees all action as the result of economic motives.<ref>Konstantin Kountouroyanis: ''Der Wallenstein-Stoff im Wandel der Zeit – Eine neue Studie beleuchtet, wie die historische Figur in den Werken von Alfred Döblin und Jaroslav Durych rezipiert wurde'', Prager Zeitung [http://pragerzeitung.cz/index.php/home/kultur/20915-der-wallenstein-stoff-im-wandel-der-zeit Online issue (in German): June 15, 2016], Print issue Nr. 24, June 16, 2016, pp. 5; See also Tilman Kasten for more details: ''Historismuskritik versus Heilsgeschichte. Die Wallenstein-Romane von Alfred Döblin und Jaroslav Durych.'' Cologne, 2016.</ref>

==== Biographies by Hellmut Diwald and Golo Mann ====
[[Hellmut Diwald]] first began to write a biography of Wallenstein in 1967 with the publication of [[Leopold von Ranke|Leopold von Ranke's]] ''Geschichte Wallensteins'' (English: ''History of Wallenstein''), to which he added a hundred-page introduction. Two years later, his portrayal of Wallenstein appeared, which was soon regarded as a new standard reference. Golo Mann must have realized this two years before the publication of his biography ''Wallenstein. Sein Leben erzählt von Golo Mann''. "He was downright disgusted by the apologetic Hellmut Diwald" (Klaus-Dietmar Henke<ref>[http://www.sehepunkte.de/2007/04/pdf/12301.pdf Rezension der Briefausgabe Golo Manns, Göttingen 2006] (PDF; 72&nbsp;kB) in German</ref>). The editor of the magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', Rudolf Augstein, judged Mann's work to be "a highly subjective representation that pretends to be objective".<ref>{{citation
  |title=Warten auf Arnim 
  |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-43279017.html
  |author=
  |work=[[Der Spiegel]]
  |year=1971
  |volume=
  |issue=42
  |series=24 November, Rezension
  |pages=
  |quote=
}}</ref>

==== El Prodigio de Alemania ====
He is also the subject of [[Pedro Calderón de la Barca|Calderón de la Barca]]'s play ''El Prodigio de Alemania''.<ref>Muratta Bunsen, Eduardo (2017). "El Wallenstein español. Consideraciones sobre el ''ethos'' militar, con el ejemplo de ''El Prodigio de Alemania''". In Tietz, Manfred. ''Figuras del bien y del mal. La construcción cultural de la masculinidad y de la feminidad en el teatro calderoniano''. Madrid: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100416135046/http://academiaeditorial.com/cms/index.php Academia del Hispanismo]}}, pp. 451–80; {{ISBN|978-84-16187-60-7}}</ref>

=== Festivals ===
In [[Memmingen]], the Wallenstein Festival (''{{interlanguage link|Wallensteinfestspiele|de|}}'') is held every four years to commemorate Wallenstein's stay in the town in 1630. In [[Altdorf bei Nürnberg]], the Wallenstein Festival (''Wallenstein-Festspiele'') has been held every three years since 1894. The plays ''{{interlanguage link|Wallenstein in Altdorf|de|}}'' and an adaptation of [[Wallenstein (trilogy of plays)|Schiller's Wallenstein]] trilogy are performed. In the city of [[Stralsund]], the Wallenstein Days (''{{interlanguage link|Wallensteintagen|de|}}''), the largest historical festival in northern Germany, takes place every year and commemorates the liberation of the city from the [[Siege of Stralsund (1628)|siege]] by Wallenstein in 1628.

=== Museums ===
By imperial decree of [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] on 28 February 1863, Wallenstein was included in the list of "Austria's most famous warlords and generals worthy of eternal admiration" and a life-size statue was erected in the Feldherrenhalle of the then newly built ''[[Imperial–royal|Imperial-Royal]] Court Weapons Museum'', now the [[Museum of Military History, Vienna|Museum of Military History]] in [[Vienna]]. The statue was created in 1877 by the sculptor Ludwig Schimek (1837–1886) from Carrara marble.<ref>[[Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck]]: ''Das Heeresgeschichtliche Museum Wien. Das Museum und seine Repräsentationsräume''. Kiesel Verlag, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7023-0113-5, S. 32</ref>

[[File:Valdstejnsky Palace garden autumn.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Wallenstein Palace]] in Prague]]
The [[Cheb]] Regional Museum has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Wallenstein. In addition to portraits and paintings, his stuffed horse, the room where he was murdered and his [[Partisan (weapon)|murder weapon]], are on display. In the museum of [[Lützen]] Castle, Wallenstein is portrayed as a general in the [[Thirty Years' War]] and in the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]].

A visit to the [[Wallenstein Palace|Wallestein Palace]], which the general had built between 1623 and 1630 in Prague's district of [[Malá Strana]], offers an insight into the life of the Generalissimo. The [[National Museum (Prague)|Czech National Museum]] produced a large exhibition about Wallenstein at the same palace from 15 November 2007 to 15 February 2008.

=== Music ===
Composer [[Bedřich Smetana]] honored Wallenstein in his 1859 symphonic poem ''[[Wallenstein's Camp]]'', which was originally intended as an overture to a play by [[Schiller]].<ref>Liner notes to Deutsche Grammophon recording 437254-2</ref>

[[Josef Rheinberger]] composed a symphonic tone painting ''Wallenstein'' in 1866. The work in four movements is also called a symphony. It was premiered in [[Munich]] on 26 November 1866.

Composer [[Vincent d'Indy]] honored Wallenstein in his 1871 symphonic triptych ''Wallenstein''.

=== Other ===

Wallenstein is examined by economist [[Arthur Salz]] in his book ''Wallenstein als Merkantilist'' (''Wallenstein as [[Mercantilist]]'').<ref>{{cite book |url=http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/year/2007/docId/17203 |title=Wallenstein als Merkantilist |date=1909 |first=Arthur |last=Salz |access-date=5 June 2020 |archive-date=5 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605084449/http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/year/2007/docId/17203 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A Czech television film ''[[The Ashes and The Stars|Popel a hvězdy]]'' (''The Ashes and The Stars'') about Albrecht von Wallenstein was produced in 1990 by [[Czech Television]]. [[Jiří Adamíra]] stars as Wallenstein.<ref>{{cite web |title=Popel a hvězdy (1990) |url=https://www.csfd.cz/film/238432-popel-a-hvezdy/zajimavosti/ |website=Czech and Slovak Film Database |access-date=13 July 2023 |language=cs-CZ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Krásná |first1=Naďa |title=Chebské muzeum promítne dvoudílný film s hlavní postavou Albrechta z Valdštejna |url=https://vary.rozhlas.cz/chebske-muzeum-promitne-dvoudilny-film-s-hlavni-postavou-albrechta-z-valdstejna-8236665 |website=Karlovy Vary |access-date=13 July 2023 |language=cs |date=26 June 2020}}</ref>

A German documentary ''[[Die Deutschen]]'' (''The Germans'') dramatized Albrecht von Wallenstein in season 1, episode 5 ''Wallenstein und der Krieg'' (''Wallenstein and the War''), it was produced in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wallenstein und der Krieg |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1308690/?ref_=ttep_ep_5 |website=IMDb |access-date=26 October 2025}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2012}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|ref=<ref>[http://patricus.info/Panstvo.htm Genealogie České Šlechty] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515005415/http://patricus.info/Panstvo.htm |date=15 May 2015 }}, patricus.info; accessed 24 June 2017.</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Albrecht von Wallenstein'''
|2= 2. Baron Vilém z Valdštejna
|3= 3. Baroness Magdalena Smiřická ze Smiřic
|4= 4. Baron Jiří z Valdštejna
|5= 5. Baroness Kateřina Slavatová z Chlumu
|6= 6. Baron Albrecht Smiřický ze Smiřic
|7= 7. Baroness Hedvika "The Older" Zajícová z Házmburka
|8= 8. Baron Zdeněk z Valdštejna
|9= 9. Baroness Uršula z Vartemberka
|10= 10. Baron Jan Slavata z Chlumu
|11= 11. Baroness Judita Janovská z Janovic
|12= 12. Baron Zikmund Smiřický ze Smiřic
|13= 13. Baroness Kunigunde von Vitzthum
|14= 14. Baron Jan Zajíc z Házmburka
|15= 15. Princess Markéta z Münsterberka
}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Cristini, Luca. ''1618–1648 la guerra dei 30 anni. Volume 1 da 1618 al 1632'' 2007 {{ISBN|978-88-903010-1-8}} and Volume 2 da 1632 al 1648 2007 {{ISBN|978-88-903010-2-5}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Wallenstein, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von|volume=28|pages=280–282}}
* [[Golo Mann|Mann, Golo]]. ''[https://www.amazon.com/dp/0030918847 Wallenstein, his life narrated]'', 1976, Holt, Rinehart and Winston ({{ISBN|0030918847}}).
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Steinberg |date=20 July 1998 |first=S.H. |title=Albrecht von Wallenstein |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albrecht-von-Wallenstein |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] }}

==External links==
{{Commons|Albrecht von Waldstein}}
* {{cite web|last=Fortune City |title=Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein |url=http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/riley/787/30/Imperial/Wallenstein.html |publisher=Fortune City.com |access-date=19 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628093626/http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/riley/787/30/Imperial/Wallenstein.html |archive-date=28 June 2007 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Ripley |date=1879 |editor-first=G. |editor2-last=Dana |editor2-first=C. |title=[[American Cyclopædia]] |volume=16 |edition=2nd |pages=[https://archive.org/stream/americancyclopae16ripluoft#page/434/mode/2up 435–7] |publisher=[[D. Appleton & Company]] |place=New York |editor-link=George Ripley (transcendentalist) |editor-link2=Charles Anderson Dana |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{CathEncy |last=Spahn |first=M. |title=Albrecht von Wallenstein |id=15538b |authorlink=:de:Martin Spahn |editor-link=Charles George Herbermann }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991009072232/http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/30yearswar.html The Thirty-Years-War]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080827165516/http://www.valdstejn.org/en/default.aspx An Exhibition at Prague, Czech Republic, Europe – Dedicated to Albrecht von Wallenstein]
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Wallenstein, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius Von}}
* [http://donhollway.com/wallenstein/ "Wallenstein: Generalissimo"] from ''Military Heritage'' magazine
* [https://www.bundesbank.de/resource/blob/616744/05be5ba9aff7ca28d27b5d9f4e10b663/mL/albrecht-von-wallenstein-data.pdf Albrecht von Wallenstein – In spite of envy]

{{Albrecht von Wallenstein}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallenstein, Albrecht Von}}
[[Category:Albrecht von Wallenstein| ]]
[[Category:Rulers of Mecklenburg]]
[[Category:Dukes of Żagań]]
[[Category:Bohemian people of the Thirty Years' War]]
[[Category:Field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1583 births]]
[[Category:1634 deaths]]
[[Category:Habsburg Bohemian nobility]]
[[Category:Generalissimos]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Palacký University Olomouc alumni]]
[[Category:University of Altdorf alumni]]
[[Category:Assassinated military personnel]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism]]
[[Category:People from Náchod District]]
[[Category:Waldstein family|Albrecht]]
[[Category:17th-century German military personnel]]
[[Category:Czech military leaders]]
[[Category:17th-century people from Bohemia]]
[[Category:Imperial Army personnel of the Thirty Years' War]]
[[Category:People assassinated in the 17th century]]