in the scope and stakes of the Thirty Years' War was very destructive to Germany's lands and people, as mercenary armies marched through neutral states or ravaged them in the course of their foraging expeditions. Tens of thousands of Protestants fled to Protestant-controlled states, generally broadening the war. Central Germany was ravaged repeatedly, probably losing between 25% and 50% of its pre-war population because the competing armies continually seized food, causing widespread famine and deaths. In northeastern Germany, where Ferdinand's power had been weakest, Ferdinand appointed Imperial administrators to take control of the secularized states and cities, re-establishing Imperial authority in an area that had been highly autonomous for a century. Ferdinand's role grew and his kingdom was deemed to be more powerful. Many princes opposed this, but had no immediate means of resisting it, with the Coalition destroyed and Wallenstein keeping an army of 134,000 troops in the field to enforce Imperial authority. French alarm at the threat a united Empire could pose ultimately led to French intervention in the war. Wallenstein personally disliked the Edict, as it interfered with the region he considered his own, but he did his duty for the emperor to the fullest, stating that "he would teach the Electors manners. They must be dependent on the emperor, not the emperor on them." The princes responded by joining the effort of Maximilian of Bavaria to compel Ferdinand to dismiss Wallenstein. Their chance came in 1630, when Ferdinand called a meeting of the Electors in Regensburg because he wanted his son Ferdinand elected King of the Romans (future Holy Roman Emperor). Ferdinand needed their cooperation to approve his son as successor. Ferdinand also hoped to persuade the Electors to approve greater direct Imperial involvement in European wars. John George I of Saxony and George William of Brandenburg (both Protestant) did not attend the meeting, in protest against the Edict. The Electors who were present concluded that they had little to gain from additional involvement in the wars, and Maximilian asked Ferdinand for the dismissal of Wallenstein. To win over the Electors, Ferdinand removed Wallenstein in August 1630, allowing him to resign to save face. The dismissal of the most powerful military figure in Europe was a major victory for the Electors, and the Regensburg conclave is considered a defeat for Ferdinand. In July 1630, Gustavus Adolphus landed in Pomerania with 4,000 men in response to the