Battle of Mühlberg, 1547

IMP·CAROLI·V·ALBIS APVD / MILBVRGVM FELICISSIMO / NVMINE TRAIECTIO·

A view of the Battle of Mühlberg, in the Electorate of Saxony, fought on 24 April 1547, between the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire, under Charles V (24 February 1500-21 September 1558) and Hungary and Spain, under Charles V’s commander-in-chief, Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba (29 October 1507-11 December 1582), and the Protestant Lutheran armies of the Schmalkaldic League, commanded by Elector John Frederick I of Saxony (30 June 1503-3 March 1554) and Philip I, Langrave of Hesse (13 November 1504-31 March 1567), resulting in a decisive victory for the Emperor, the destruction of the Protestant armies and the capture of the leading Lutheran princes. Schmalkaldic War (1546-1547).

The view shows Charles V's triumphant crossing of the River Elbe and the capture of the town of Mühlberg and his decisive victory following a surprise attack in fog. Engraved within an oval frame with, at each corner of the overall image, a representation of, top left, the helmeted Minerva, as war goddess, fighting for just causes with her shield depicting a gorgon’s head, representing Fortitude, one of the four virtues; top right, a reclining winged female figure – the symbol of victory - holding a bow and arrow in the right hand and a staff round which is wound a dolphin, in the left hand; bottom left, an eagle, the symbol of power and victory, is attacking a deer; and bottom right, a wolf, symbolising evil, is chained to a post and being watched by a crane, standing on one leg and holding a rock in its right foot, representing vigilance, a prime virtue of a monarch.

Above the river fly two winged victories and, bottom left, the Elbe river god. A broken pontoon bridge is carried away by the river. To the right are the combined catholic armies of Charles V and in the foreground an arquebusier fires his weapon across the river while, behind him, another soldier rams the shot down the barrel. Charles V does not appear to be represented in this view; he was suffering from gout on the day of the battle and had to be carried to the field on a litter.

This is the earliest state (of three) of the only print of a projected series, proposed by Vico, to commemorate the life and important battles of Charles V. Supported by Cosimo de Medici, Vico travelled to Augsburg and met the Emperor. Returning to Venice in January 1551, he engraved, as the first in the proposed series, this view of the Battle of Mühlberg. The central part of the view was taken from a drawing by Giovanni Battista Scultori (1503-1575). The plate was finished in April 1551 and thereafter the series was abandoned.