Matthias Gallas - Assessment

Assessment

Gallas's "ineffectiveness severely damaged the Habsburg cause in the latter stages of the Thirty Years’ War". His army had earned for itself the reputation of being the most cruel and rapacious force even in the Thirty Years' War, and his Merode Bruder have survived in the word marauder. Like many other generals of that period, he had acquired much wealth and great territorial possessions (the latter mostly his share of Wallenstein's estates). - imperial general whose ineffectiveness severely damaged the Habsburg cause in the latter stages of the Thirty Years' War. -Although Gallas was victor in the first of the battles of Nördlingen in 1634, carelessness and drunkenness thereafter marred his conduct of the war, and he became known as the “destroyer of armies,” especially after his disastrous campaigns of 1637, 1638, and 1644, each of which resulted in the annihilation of his troops. -Both sides had around 16,000 men. No quarter was given to either side, which would result in a complete victory for the Swedes. -The majority of the army was either killed or captured when the Imperial center was surrounded -Gallas carelessness of the army and defeat in Holstein just made thing worse for his army. With the help of his ally army he was able to withstand for a while. -it seems as if he was satisfied with all the achievements he had made so it didn't seem to matter to him if he won the battle of jankau or not. -he became known to some people as the type of leader that you would not want have leading your army. -his Austrian heritage may have caused him to lose the battle as well because he felt like he could not be beat. With this mindset, he wasn't able to order his army in the orderly fashion to help them win the war. -the weapons of his army was not as efficient as those of the Swedish army as well. the weapons that the Swedish army had were able to be moved swiftly, and they were more accurate. -this battle may have been the battle that turned things around for the Swedish due to the fact that the basically the whole army of Gallas', along with the army of his allies were pretty much destroyed as well.