Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim

Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim (29 May 1594 – 17 November 1632) was a German field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years' War. A supporter of the Catholic League, he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Lützen fighting the Protestant forces under Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus.

Biography

Pappenheim was born in the little town of Treuchtlingen, a secondary seat of his family, the ruling lords of Pappenheim on the Altmühl in Bavaria, a free lordship of the empire, from which the ancient family to which he belonged derived its name. He was the second son of Veit zu Pappenheim, Lord of Treuchtlingen and Schwindegg, and his second wife Maria Salome von Preysing-Kopfsburg. He was educated at Altdorf and Tübingen, and subsequently traveled in southern and central Europe, mastering the various languages, and seeking knightly adventures. His stay in these countries led him eventually to adopt the Roman Catholic faith in 1614, to which he devoted the rest of his life. At the outbreak of the great war, he abandoned the legal and diplomatic career on which he had embarked, and in his zeal for the faith took service in Poland. The experience gained serving in the Polish army (especially in the way of fighting cavalry) was to his advantage in fighting on the side of the Catholic League.

He soon became a lieutenant-colonel, and displayed great courage and ability at the battle of the White Mountain near Prague (8 November 1620), where he was left for dead on the field. In the following year, he fought against Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld in western Germany, and, in 1622, became colonel of a regiment of cuirassiers.