"The first blow was struck at Zablati. There a Union army, led by
Mansfeldt, was defeated by the Imperial general Bucquoi. A few days
later, however, Count Thurn, marching through Moravia and Upper
Austria, laid siege to Vienna. Ferdinand's own subjects were
estranged from him, and the cry of the Protestant army, `Equal rights
for all Christian churches,' was approved by the whole population
-- for even in Austria itself there were a very large number of
Protestants. Ferdinand had but a few soldiers, the population of
the city were hostile, and had Thurn only entered the town he could
have seized the emperor without any resistance.

"Thurn hesitated, and endeavoured instead to obtain the conditions
of toleration which the Protestants required; and sixteen Austrian
barons in the city were in the act of insisting upon Ferdinand
signing these when the head of the relieving army entered the city.
Thurn retired hastily. The Catholic princes and representatives
met at Frankfort and elected Ferdinand Emperor of Germany. He at
once entered into a strict agreement with Maximilian of Bavaria to
crush Protestantism throughout Germany. The Bohemians, however, in
concert with Bethlem Gabor, king of Hungary, again besieged Vienna;
but as the winter set in they were obliged to retire. From that
moment the Protestant cause was lost; Saxony and Hesse-Darmstadt
left the Union and joined Ferdinand. Denmark, which had promised
its assistance to the Protestants, was persuaded to remain quiet.
Sweden was engaged in a war with the Poles.

"The Protestant army was assembled at Ulm; the army of the League,
under the order of Maximilian of Bavaria, was at Donauworth.
Maximilian worked upon the fears of the Protestant princes, who,
frightened at the contest they had undertaken, agreed to a peace,