Battle of Fürth  The Battle of Fürth was fought on September 3, 1632 between the Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and the Protestant forces of King Gustavus II (Gustav Adolph) of Sweden during the period of Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years War. The tactical victory by the Catholic forces allowed the Imperial army to quickly advance into Saxony, while the Swedish forces were forced into retreat. Fürth was a market town, whose marketing license had been suspended under Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich III, losing the privilege and all that went with it, to nearby Nürnberg (English: Nuremberg) shortly after its founding. This situation changed after Heinrich's death, and in 1062 Fürth was once again permitted to have its own market. However, Fürth could not readily compete with Nuremberg, which had steadily grown and prospered in the ensuing years. In the following centuries, the City of Nuremberg became the most important town in the region, even making Fürth subservient to it at one point, despite Fürth's strategic importance. The character of the settlement of Fürth remained afterward largely agricultural. Consequently, in 1600 the population was probably still only 1000–2000. The town of Fürth is situated to the east and south of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which join to form the Regnitz to the northwest of the town center. The ford across the Regnitz, the reason for the original founding of the settlement, is the feature which gave Fürth its strategic importance as an access point to Nuremberg during the Protestant champion's, King Gustav Adolph of Sweden, campaign through Bavaria. In spring of 1632, Gustav Adolph had handed the Habsburg Emperor, Ferdinand II, a major defeat at Rain, where the head of the Catholic army, General Tilly, had fallen. Subsequently, he had taken the Free Imperial City of Augsburg without struggle, and on May 17, had marched into Munich unmolested. He subsequently occupied Nuremberg, encamping his army outside of the city. When Gustav Adolph marched on Fürth in late August 1632, it was arguably the greatest blunder in his German campaign. His opponent in the battle, and Tilley's successor, was General Albrecht von Wallenstein. In the spring of 1632, Gen. Wallenstein had raised a fresh army within just a few weeks and had taken to the field.