The Battle of White Mountain

This hillside doesn't look like much now. On November 8, 1620, around 45,000 soldiers stood here. You're standing where Protestant Czech forces made their last stand against Catholic imperial troops. The Czechs had rebelled 2 years earlier, throwing 2 Habsburg officials out of castle windows in the capital. They crowned their own king, Frederick V. Emperor Ferdinand II wanted Bohemia back. The imperial army under Field Marshal Tilly had 28,000 men. The Czechs had 21,000. They held better ground but their mercenaries hadn't been paid in months. Morale was terrible. The battle started at half past 11 in the morning. By 1 o'clock, it was finished. Catholic cavalry broke through Czech lines. Most Czech soldiers fled without fighting. Around 3,000 men died, 2 thirds of them Czech. Frederick V escaped the capital that same day, earning the title Winter King for his brief reign. Among the Catholic soldiers was philosopher René Descartes. Ferdinand II made an example of the rebels. On June 21, 1621, he executed 27 Czech nobles in the capital's Old Town Square. Protestant families were expelled. Their estates were seized. The Czech language was banned from official use. 1 hour of fighting bought 300 years of Habsburg rule. Czech independence didn't return until 1918.