Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Mühlberg

Battle of Mühlberg was a battle fought on 25 April 1547 at Mühlberg/Elbe, in what is now Germany. It was part of the Schmalkaldic War, which ran from 1546 to 1547. The recorded result: Habsburg victory. Recorded strength: 6,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry (15 guns) against 13,000 infantry and 4,500 cavalry (20 guns).

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Schlacht bei Mühlberg 1547, Aus "Avila-Zuniga, Commentariorum de bello... Antwerpen 1550
Schlacht bei Mühlberg 1547, Aus "Avila-Zuniga, Commentariorum de bello... Antwerpen 1550. LUIS DE AVILA Y ZUNIGA (c.1490 C. 1560), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 April 1547
WhereMühlberg/Elbe, Germany51.433N, 13.217E
OutcomeHabsburg victory
BelligerentsSchmalkaldic League: Electorate of Saxony; Hesse; Electoral Palatinate; Bremen; Lübeck; Brunswick-Lüneburg; Duchy of Pomerania; Principality of Anhalt-Köthen; Other German territoriesagainstEmpire of Charles V: Holy Roman Empire; Duchy of Saxony; Spain; Hungary
Casualties and losses8,000 dead; 500 knights; 1,000 prisonersandAround 50 dead or wounded
Part ofSchmalkaldic War1546 to 1547

Record

Date25 April 1547
PlaceMühlberg/Elbe, Germany
51.433N, 13.217E
KindBattle, early modern
Strength6,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry (15 guns)13,000 infantry and 4,500 cavalry (20 guns)
Casualties and losses8,000 dead; 500 knights; 1,000 prisonersAround 50 dead or wounded
Commanders
  • John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
  • Philip I of Hesse
  • Philip I, Duke of Pomerania
  • Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Battle of MühlbergBattle of MühlbergSiege of TorgauSiege of GanaBattle of TorgauSiege of Meissen (1015)Battle of MeissenSiege of GanaBattle of TorgauSiege of Meissen (1015)Battle of MeissenBerlinMagdeburgPotsdamZielona GóraCottbusJenaHofChemnitz100 km51.433N, 13.217E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Mühlberg
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Mühlberg today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-10. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 92 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 82 to 150 m, 69 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 51% cropland, 23% grassland, 14% water.

cropland: 51%grassland: 23%water: 14%tree cover: 6%built-up: 4%cropland 51%grassland 23%water 14%tree cover 6%built-up 4%
west to east, 10.0 km84 to 123 mnorth to south, 10.0 km86 to 97 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1547

Battle of Mühlberg is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 538 in present-day Germany.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q661327, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Mühlberg, revision 1370270406, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.