How did the Swedish soldiers pray during the Thirty Years' War?
score:14
Swedish army
I have one word for you in this case: hymns.
Religion and prayer were very systematically organized in the Swedish army:
[Gustavus Adolphus] led troops in singing hymns as they marched to war, ordered prayers twice daily by the whole army, and assigned pastors to every regiment. This blend of prayer and black powder made the Swedish army feared and respected. It also gave Swedish troops unusual discipline and character on the battlefield. Source
Here is how the spiritual preparation for a battle looked like:
On the morning of November 6, 1632, the two armies faced each other in battle array. Dr. Fabricius, chaplain of the Swedish army, had been commanded by Gustavus to lead his troops in worship. The king himself raised the strains of “Be not dismayed, thou little flock,” and led the army in singing the stirring hymn. Then he knelt in fervent prayer.
A heavy fog prevented the Protestant forces from moving forward to the attack, and, while they were waiting for the fog to lift, Gustavus ordered the musicians to play Luther’s hymn, “A mighty Fortress is our God.” The whole army joined with a shout. The king then mounted his charger, and, drawing his sword, rode back and forth in front of the lines, speaking words of encouragement to his men.
As the sun began to break through the fog, Gustavus himself offered a prayer, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help me today to do battle for the glory of Thy holy name,” and then shouted, “Now forward to the attack in the name of our God!” The army answered, “God with us!” and rushed forward, the king galloping in the lead. Source
Other protestant armies
I am not sure that most other armies were as systematic or devout as the Swedish one. For one thing, the Swedish army was (at least, in the beginning of its participation in the war) a cohesive national force which shared a common language. Other forces, such as those of Mansfeld or of Saxe-Weimar were composed largely of mercenaries and were less likely to have common religious ground or too care much for it. The Dutch, the English volunteers/"volunteers", the Palatinate troops, the Bohemians, and the Danish present cases I cannot even venture guesses about. (Perhaps I have forgotten a participating group/nation, apologies).
I'll try to update.
More post
- 📝 How did the Graeco-Bactrian empire come to accept Buddhism?
- 📝 Why did Constantius Chlorus decide to become a Flavius?
- 📝 When did the Great Purge start?
- 📝 In what ways did the rise of a true middle class in Europe during the late 19th century become apparent?
- 📝 What was the first regular airline service to pass low over urban areas?
- 📝 How were the day-to-day activities of the French Resistance financed?
- 📝 Scientists who became major political leaders
- 📝 When was the last round-shot cannonball fired in anger?
- 📝 How obvious was lend-lease equipment to the average Soviet soldier?
- 📝 What happened to the Wehrmacht after the German surrender?
- 📝 How was the Baalbek Trilithon dated?
- 📝 When Napoleonic wars happened?
- 📝 What does the forward "Bullnose" of a Bailey Bridge that is under construction look like?
- 📝 Has any US President served in a government position with a foreign nation before or after their presidency?
- 📝 What's the earliest evidence of drug abuse?
- 📝 What's this antique coin?
- 📝 What is the largest number of battles that took place in the same place in the same war?
- 📝 Who were the social elites of the European middle ages?
- 📝 Did the Confederate States use a plain oval CS buckle during the Civil War?
- 📝 Who were the "international statesmen" Hitler referenced in his last will as having started the war?
- 📝 Where was the cultural inheritance of the Greco/Roman world/antiquity preserved?
- 📝 Why are the buildings built in classical style in the first half of the 19th century in Russia so frequently yellow-and-white - coloured?
- 📝 How hard did they beat up Henry II after the murder of Thomas Becket?
- 📝 When was it first noticed that airplane passengers really seemed to like tomato juice?
- 📝 What is this card, and why does it go "on the hat"?
- 📝 When was the Yemenite Jewish community isolated from the rest of the Jewish world?
- 📝 Where is an image of the oracle bone that describes the nova?
- 📝 In Europe, why were there few portraits showing a real likeness of the subject before the 15th century?
- 📝 What's the oldest treaty still being enforced?
- 📝 Is the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL) still used for anything?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How did the Swedish soldiers pray during the Thirty Years' War?
- 📝 How did the Swedish army deal with prisoners of war in the Thirty Years War?
- 📝 How did the Nazis plan to defeat America during World War II?
- 📝 How did the Allies communicate during World War II?
- 📝 How did Soviet soldiers resist tanks during the battle of Shumshu?
- 📝 How many rapes did the Wehrmacht commit in the Soviet Union during World War II?
- 📝 Did US soldiers typically keep an official journal or log during the Civil War era?
- 📝 How did the authorities not find the speakeasy clubs during the prohibition?
- 📝 How did such a relatively minor event as the assassination of an archduke start World War I?
- 📝 Did the Soviets excel in one area of weaponry during World War II?
- 📝 Did the King of Siam offer war elephants to the Union during the Civil War?
- 📝 Why did the German army execute so few soldiers in World War I compared to most other armies?
- 📝 How did the American Civil War help the U.S economy recover from the Panic of 1857 given that civil wars are extremely destructive?
- 📝 How beneficial were war bonds to the US during WWII
- 📝 How did people deal with ice on the roads during the horse-and-buggy era?
- 📝 How was beer production affected by the war during WW2?
- 📝 Why did the Arabs start the 1973 War during Ramadan, and did it affect their performance?
- 📝 Did the Axis try to "bribe" Turkey into joining them during World War II?
- 📝 How were the Bulgarians regarded by the Nazis during World War II?
- 📝 How did the Japanese treat captured "Flying Tigers" in World War II?
- 📝 To what degree did women participate in the air war during WW2?
- 📝 How did Allies secure southern flank during "Race to the Rhine"?
- 📝 What were the individual soldiers motivated by during World War 1?
- 📝 How did the Tutsis win the civil war in Rwanda after 70% of them had been killed?
- 📝 Why did the Union army favor a "western" route to approaching Richmond during the American Civil War
- 📝 How did Bligh navigate during his open boat voyage after losing The Bounty?
- 📝 How long did it take US fleet submarines during World War 2 to charge their batteries?
- 📝 How did diplomats of the Axis powers travel and communicate among themselves in World War II
- 📝 How did the way commanders ask their troops to deal with the immediate death of their comrades vary by country/culture during WWII?
- 📝 During the U.S. Prohibition, how did they get away with drinking alcohol?