battle of Steinau (1632)
Part ofThirty Years' War
Baltasar Marradas (the person in the image) led the Imperials in the battle
Date August 29 – September 4, 1632 Location Steinau,Lower Silesia Result Swedish-Saxon Victory
Belligerents
Saxony  Sweden Brandenburg-Prussia	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg Jacob Duwall	Baltasar Marradas
Strength
12,000 Saxons 7,000 Swedes 2,000 Brandenburgers[a][1]	20,000
Casualties and losses
Light	6,000 killed or captured

TheFirst battle of Steinau took place from August 29 to September 4, 1632, during the middle stages of the Swedish intervention in theThirty Years’ War. An allied army of Saxons, Swedes, and Brandenburgers invaded Silesia with 21,000 troops, encountering an Imperial army of 20,000 atŚcinawa (German:Steinau an der Oder). The resulting battle was a major allied victory.

Following the victory atBreitenfeld the Saxons retook their territory and invadedLusatia. The Swedish army took over large parts of Germany and won yet another victory at theBattle of Rain. To improve his own position in the alliance with Sweden,Johann Georg, the elector of Saxony, ordered to invade Silesia with 12,000 Saxons and 2,000 Brandenburgers under the command ofHans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg. Arnim′s army was supported by 7,000 Swedish under the command ofJacob Duwall. The Imperials under the command of the elderly Spanish marshalBaltasar Marradas hurriedly gathered 20,000 men at Steinau, an important crossing on theOder river.

Marradas’s men entrenched on the Gallows Hill, south-east of Steinau, between it and the river, and posted cavalry on the Sand Hill west of the town to watch the approach. Musketeers occupied the Geisendorf suburb to the west and a nearby churchyard. The advances gained of the allies under firebrand Duwall arrived at midday on August 29, and immediately engaged the imperial cavalry. After two hours of skirmishing the Imperialists retreated into the marshy Kalterbach Valley south of Steinau. Saxon artillery had now arrived on the Sand Hill, compelling the cavalry to retreat further into Marradas’s camp, exposing the musketeers. Duwall’s younger brother led 1,000 Swedish and musketeers who stormed the suburb and churchyard. The imperials set the town on fire to forestall further attack, virtually destroying it. Duwall wanted to press on, but Arnim was still negotiating with the enemy on the Gallows Hill.

Arnim did not assault the camp the next day, but marched south to Dieban further upstream where he constructed a bridge, intending to cross and cut Marradas off from the other side. Maraddas reacted belatedly by an attack on Dieban. However, he was repelled on September 4 and retreated. He left a small detachment at Steinau bridge to delay pursuit. The Swedish-Saxon allies suffered only slight losses, whereas the Imperials lost 6,000, mostly men who had fled the initial skirmish or been taken prisoner.^[2]

Following the battle, Arnim pressed on and took Breslau and Schweidnitz where he reverted re-Catholicization measures. The Imperialists were driven into the mountains. Arnim had conquered Silesia with fewer men and against greater odds thanFrederick the Great's celebrated invasion in 1740.

Wallenstein decided to punish Saxony, so he sent GeneralHeinrich Holk with 10,000 men to ravage Saxony.

• Siege of Nuremberg

• Wilson, Peter H. (2009).Europe's Tragedy: A History of the Thirty Years War. Allen Lane.ISBN 978-0-7139-9592-3.

• Conflicts in 1632
• 1632 in the Holy Roman Empire
• Battles of the Thirty Years' War involving Sweden
• Battles of the Thirty Years' War involving Saxony
• Battles of the Thirty Years' War involving the Holy Roman Empire

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