Albrecht von Wallenstein

Born into a poor Czech Protestant family in Bohemia in 1583, Wallenstein converted to Catholicism in 1606 and married into wealth three years later - his wife's death in 1614 left him with estates that funded his transformation into a military contractor. He raised forces for the Holy Roman Emperor in 1617, then fought against the Protestant Bohemian Revolt in 1618, receiving confiscated rebel lands after the White Mountain victory in 1620. By 1625 he commanded 50,000 men, crushing Protestants at Dessau Bridge a year later and claiming the Duchy of Friedland as his personal domain. Made generalissimo and Admiral of the Baltic by 1628, he grew too powerful - Ferdinand dismissed him in 1630, then recalled him when Protestant victories mounted. Wallenstein defeated Gustavus Adolphus at Alte Veste, but in 1633 began arranging armistices to end a war he saw stretching for decades. Accused of treachery and considering a Protestant alliance, he was assassinated at Eger on 25 February 1634, with the emperor's approval.