the Swedes were at a distance of . The Imperialist installed their artillery on the city's perimeter, launching a fierce bombardment. On 18 May, Falkenberg defiantly rejected a second Imperialist proposal. At 8.00 a.m., 20 May, 18,000 Imperial and League troops stormed the city from five directions. A city council meeting was interrupted by news of an enemy penetration beyond the city's walls. Two companies of Croatian riders had infiltrated a poorly defended gate on the bank of the Elbe. Falkenberg and the rest of the defenders were caught off guard. Falkenberg was struck by a bullet and killed while trying to organize a counterattack. The Imperialists set fire to a house that was held by a group of musketeers, the fire quickly spread, enveloping the whole city. In the ensuing chaos, a part of the attackers went rogue, looting, committing rapes and massacring civilians for several days, while the rest attempted to extinguish the fire. In all, 20,000 Magdeburgers were killed, making the Sack of Magdeburg a cause célèbre for Protestant propagandists. Gustavus was killed in the Battle of Lützen by Moritz von Falkenberg, a Catholic relative of Dietrich. Notes Citations References Further reading 1580 births 1631 deaths German people of the Thirty Years' War Swedish Army officers Dietrich von