The city of Magdeburg, which had declared itself Protestant in 1524 and joined the Schmalkaldic League in 1531, became a center of Protestant opposition to the Counterreformation. During the Thirty Years War, Imperial troops stormed the city after a ten-day siege on May 20, 1631. Around 20,000 residents perished and Magdeburg became one of the most poignant examples of the devastation wrought by the Thirty Years War.
Source: The Imperial Troops under Tilly Storm Magdeburg on May 20, 1631, colored copperplate engraving by an unknown artist, 1631. Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. bpk-Bildagentur image no. 00006789. For rights inquiries, please contact Art Resource at requests@artres.com (North America) or bpk-Bildagentur at kontakt@bpk-bildagentur.de (for all other countries).
bpk / Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin / Ruth Schacht