THE IMPERIAL GAUNTLET
On 30 April 1619, in Olmutz, Moravia, a regiment of militia hastily prepared for a forced march on short notice. Their commander, 35-year-old Colonel Albrecht von Wallenstein, had no intention of supporting the Protestants who had seized power in Prague during the recent Bohemian Uprising. Instead he would march his troops to Vienna where they could join the Catholic war effort led by Archduke Ferdinand of Styria.
Wallenstein ordered a major called Khuen to start out with 900 foot soldiers on the 125-mile trek to the Austrian frontier. He advised Khuen that he would catch up to him later with the regiment’s company of cuirassiers. Time was of the essence as a large Protestant army was bearing down on Olmutz. It was therefore imperative that Wallenstein’s regiment cross the Austrian frontier before it was overtaken.
Yet by nightfall Khuen had not departed. After squandering most of the day, the befuddled major rode in search of Wallenstein. The two men conferred while on their horses. Khuen said that the expedition seemed odd to him, partly because he had not received the customary billet order for his troops.
Wallenstein was enraged at the major’s impudence under such circumstances. He drew
