The Sack of Magdeburg, also called the Magdeburg Wedding or Magdeburg's Sacrifice, was the destruction of the Protestant city of Magdeburg on 20–24 May 1631 by the Imperial Army and the forces of the Catholic League, resulting in the deaths of around 20,000, including both defenders and civilians. This event is considered the worst massacre of the Thirty Years' War. Magdeburg, then one of the largest cities within the borders of modern-day Germany, and having well over 25,000 inhabitants in 1630, did not recover its importance until well into the 18th century.