# Canonical recap data for Sack of Magdeburg (1631)
# Source: https://recap.at/1631/sack-of-magdeburg
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: sack-of-magdeburg
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1631/sack-of-magdeburg"
title: Sack of Magdeburg
subtitle: Imperial forces' brutal devastation of the Protestant city during the Thirty Years' War killed a third of the population and shocked Europe.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1631-05-20
endDate: 1631-05-24
datePrecision: day
year: 1631
decade: 1630
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: The Sack of Magdeburg, also called Magdeburg's Wedding or Magdeburg's Sacrifice, was the destruction of the Protestant city of Magdeburg on 20-24 May 1631 by the Imperial Army and the forces of the Catholic League, resulting in the deaths of around 20,000, including both defenders and civilians. This event is considere
summaryLong: The Sack of Magdeburg, also called Magdeburg's Wedding or Magdeburg's Sacrifice, was the destruction of the Protestant city of Magdeburg on 20-24 May 1631 by the Imperial Army and the forces of the Catholic League, resulting in the deaths of around 20,000, including both defenders and civilians. This event is considered the worst massacre of the Thirty Years' War. Magdeburg, then one of the largest cities within the borders of modern-day Germany, and having well over 25,000 inhabitants in 1630, did not recover its importance until well into the 18th century.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/The_Siege_of_Magdeburg_%281631%29_%28Peeter_Meulener%29_-_Nationalmuseum_-_17230.tif/lossy-page1-330px-The_Siege_of_Magdeburg_%281631%29_%28Peeter_Meulener%29_-_Nationalmuseum_-_17230.tif.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Sack of Magdeburg"
importance: 78
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Magdeburg"
  title: Sack of Magdeburg
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- war
- disaster
metaDescription: The Sack of Magdeburg, also called Magdeburg's Wedding or Magdeburg's Sacrifice, was the destruction of the Protestant city of Magdeburg on 20-24 May 1631 by th
wikidataQid: Q698045
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260426191648/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Magdeburg"
  capturedAt: 2026-04-26
  label: Sack of Magdeburg
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Magdeburg"
