1638 Bird's Eye View of the 1631 Siege of Leipzig

This is Matthäus Merian's superbly detailed 1638 bird's-eye view of the city of Leipzig, under siege during the preliminaries to the 1631 Thirty Years' War Battle of Breitenfeld. Included in Merian's 1638 Archontologia cosmica sive imperiorum, its title suggests it was drawn closer to the battle itself and may have been separately issued closely on the heels of the fight.

A Closer Look

The walled city and its suburbs are vividly portrayed. 26 key structures - primarily churches and forts - are letter-keyed to a legend at the bottom of the view. Soldiers stream towards the fortifications and are met before the gates amid the smoke of musket-fire. Leipzig belonged to the Electorate of Saxony, which had sided with Sweden in the war against the Holy Roman Empire. It is the Imperial army, led by the Count of Tilly, besieging the city in this view.

1631 Siege of Liepzig

The 1631 Siege of Leipzig occurred during the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648), a protracted conflict involving most of the great powers of Europe. The Swedish forces, led by King Gustavus Adolphus, laid siege to Leipzig, defended by forces loyal to the Holy Roman Empire. Despite fierce resistance, the Swedes ultimately captured the city after a relentless weeks-long bombardment. This victory was significant for Protestant forces and marked a turning point in the war. It weakened Habsburg regional hegemony and allowed Swedish forces to advance deeper into Central Europe. The Siege of Leipzig is notable not only for its strategic significance but also for the innovations in military tactics and weaponry employed by the Swedish forces, which would influence the conduct of warfare in the subsequent decades.

Publication History and Census

This view was created by Matthaus Merian and appeared in his 1638 Archontologia cosmica. It may have been intended for inclusion in his 1633 Theatrum Europaeum, but we do not see it in digitized examples of that work. Nine examples are listed in OCLC.