List of wars and battles in Prussia
Prussia and its predecessor Brandenburg-Prussia were involved in many disputes in the course of its existence. In its military conflicts it initially played mostly the role of an auxiliary power. In the 18th century, Prussia beganto play an independent role in the conflicts of that time, at the latest with the Silesian Wars .
This page deals with a list of all wars and battles in which Brandenburg-Prussia or Prussia was militarily involved. The list ends when Prussia becomes part of the North German Confederation in 1867.
Wars
Second Northern War (1655-1660)
The Second Northern War was a military conflict between Sweden, Poland and Russia for supremacy in the Baltic States , which lasted from 1655 to 1661 , in which the elector was drawn as a liege of Poland in the Duchy of Prussia . Brandenburg-Prussia had to fight Poland on the side of Sweden until it switched fronts when Poland offered the elector sovereignty in the duchy. In the Treaty of Wehlau on September 19, 1657, he gained sovereignty in the Duchy of Prussia. Brandenburg-Prussia first proved to be a local military and political power factor.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle of Warsaw | 28-30 July 1656 | In this battle, the Brandenburg army won together with the Swedes against the much larger Polish-Crimean Tatar army. |
Swedish-Brandenburg War (1674–1679)
The Swedish-Brandenburg War was part of the Franco-Dutch War and a dispute between the Electorate of Brandenburg and the Kingdom of Sweden over rule in Pomerania . Sweden was an ally of France, while Brandenburg-Prussia fought together with Austria, Denmark and Spain on the side of the Dutch. At the end of 1674, Swedish troops marched into Brandenburg, but they were successfully driven out by the Brandenburg army.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle of Rathenow | June 15, 1675 | The Brandenburg troops defeated the Swedish troops in the first battle of the Swedish-Brandenburg War. |
| Battle near Nauen | June 17, 1675 | The battle near Nauen was a battle between Brandenburg-Prussian vanguard troops and Swedish rear guard units in the run-up to the battle of Fehrbellin that followed a day later. |
| Battle of Fehrbellin | June 18, 1675 | The battle was a retreat in which the Brandenburg troops defeated the Swedish troops. |
| The great sleigh ride | Winter 1678 | Was a bold maneuver by Friedrich Wilhelm, who drove the Swedes again from Brandenburg-Prussia. |
Great Turkish War (1683–1699)
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Siege of Furnace | Mid June 1686 to September 2, 1686 | A Christian armed force of 74,000 men (including 8,000 Brandenburgers) besieged the Hungarian capital of Ofen (Hungarian Buda ) from mid-June 1686 . A Turkish relief army arrived in front of Ofen in mid-August, but its commanding officer shied away from a major attack against the siege army, and so on September 2, 1686, a successful general assault on the fortress took place. |
War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)
By virtue of a treaty dated November 16, 1700, Elector Friedrich III. obliged to provide Emperor Leopold I with a contingent of 8,000 men for the upcoming War of the Spanish Succession . In return, the emperor assured him that his future self-coronation as king in Prussia would be recognized throughout the empire and Europe . The coronation took place on January 18, 1701 in Königsberg and from April 1701 the now Royal Prussian contingent marched on the Lower Rhine near Wesel . In April 1702 it took part in the hostilities for the first time during the siege of Kaiserswerth .
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| First battle near Höchstädt | September 20, 1703 | French and Bavarian troops won a convincing victory over a contingent of Austria and the empire under Count Styrum. Only the resistance of Prussian units (6,000 men) under Leopold I von Anhalt-Dessau prevented the complete dissolution of the Austrian and Reich associations. |
| Second battle near Höchstädt | August 13, 1704 | Units of the Prussian army (9,000 men) fought and victorious in the Reichsarmee under the leadership of Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden together with the allied Anglo-Dutch troops against the French army. |
| Battle of Cassano | August 16, 1705 | A French defeated an Austro-Prussian army. The Prussian contingent was greatly decimated in this battle, but the activities of the Austrians and Prussians reduced the pressure on the besieged city of Turin , which enabled the city to hold out until it was relieved. |
| Battle of Turin | September 7, 1706 | An Allied army, consisting of Austrians, Prussians (led by Leopold I von Anhalt-Dessau) and Italians, broke the siege of the city of Turin by the French, forcing the French to withdraw completely from northern Italy. |
| Battle of Oudenaarde | July 11, 1708 | A 70,000 strong army of Prussians, British and Dutch under the command of Eugene of Savoy and Prince Marlborough defeated the French at Oudenaarde , Belgium. |
| Battle of Malplaquet | September 11, 1709 | Prussian troops fought and won against the French in an Allied army consisting of Austrians, Dutch and British. This battle caused very high losses among the Allies. |
Great Northern War (1700–1721)
After the death of his father, King Friedrich Wilhelm I joined the coalition against the Swedish King Karl XII. with the intention of winning the Swedish territories in Pomerania. The Prussians subsequently occupied Szczecin in 1713 . When Charles XII. took command in Swedish Pomerania in November 1714 , the Prussian army was able to push him back to Stralsund during the Pomeranian campaign from 1715 to 1716 together with the Saxons and Danes and besieged him there. After the end of the war, Prussia kept Stettin, Usedom and all areas south of the Peene .
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Pomeranian campaign 1715/1716 | May 1, 1715 to April 19, 1716 |
An allied army consisting of Prussians, Danes and Saxons conquered all of Swedish Pomerania. |
War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748)
First Silesian War (1740–1742)
Shortly after his coronation in 1740, in his first year of reign , Frederick II let the Prussian army march into the Austrian-ruled Silesia , thus triggering the First Silesian War and, more broadly, the War of the Austrian Succession . For Prussia allied itself with Bavaria, France, Saxony, Electoral Cologne, Spain, Sweden and Naples, while Prussia's main opponent Austria allied with Great Britain, Sardinia, the Netherlands and Russia. For Prussia, the war was limited to Silesia, and after a few victories it was able to secure the province for itself for the time being.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Storming of Glogau | February 8, 1741 | |
| Battle at Baumgarten | February 27, 1741 | |
| Battle of Mollwitz | April 10, 1741 | The battle took place between a 24,000-strong Prussian army under Friedrich II and a 20,000-strong Austrian army. Although both sides made serious military mistakes in the process (it was the first battle of Frederick II), Frederick II succeeded in achieving victory in the end. |
| Battle near Lesch | March 14, 1742 | Battle in connection with the Prussian occupation of Brno. Lösch (Líšeň) is now a north-eastern part of Brno |
| Battle of Chotusitz | May 17, 1742 | In this battle near Kuttenberg (Bohemia) on May 17, 1742, 23,500 Prussians under Frederick II defeated 28,000 Austrians under Prince Karl of Lorraine . The latter wanted to attack the Prussians, but found them in order of battle and were attacked and defeated by Frederick II on the left flank. This battle immediately led to the preliminary peace in Breslau . |
Second Silesian War (1744–1745)
The Second Silesian War was again part of the War of the Austrian Succession , on the other hand a war between Prussia and Austria for supremacy in Silesia. Frederick II had allied himself with France at the time. Austria formed an alliance with Saxony, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Prussia invaded Bohemia with 80,000 soldiers in August 1744 and opened the Second Silesian War. After heavy fighting it was agreed in the Peace of Dresden that Silesia should remain in Prussian possession forever.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle at Teltschitz | November 19, 1744 | |
| Battle at Pless | November 27, 1744 | |
| Battle at Ratibor | February 9, 1745 | |
| Battle of Hohenfriedberg | June 4, 1745 | In this battle in Silesia the Prussian troops led by Frederick II won a decisive victory against an army of equal strength made up of Austrians and Saxons. |
| Battle of thrush | September 30, 1745 | The Prussians under Friedrich II defeated the Austrians with 19,000 men and the Saxons with 32,000 men, who were commanded by Prince Karl of Lorraine . |
| Battle of Hennersdorf | November 23, 1745 | A Prussian army under the command of Frederick the Great defeated a Saxon army under the command of General Buchner. |
| Battle near Zittau | November 27, 1745 | |
| Battle of Kesselsdorf | December 15, 1745 | A Prussian army under the command of Leopold I von Dessau defeated the allied Austrians and Saxons under Field Marshal Rutowski . The battle of Kesselsdorf was the last victory of the old Dessauer, it decided the war in favor of Prussia. |
Seven Years War (1756–1763)
In the Seven Years War , all the major European powers of the time fought with Prussia and Great Britain on the one hand and Austria, France and Russia on the other. Austria's goal was to recapture Silesia, but Frederick II beat his opponents and on August 29, 1756 the Prussian army crossed the border of Saxony without declaring war. The military successes were reciprocal, and in the end the Prussian army was on the verge of defeat, despite great victories. On February 15, 1763, the Treaty of Hubertusburg was concluded between Prussia and its opponents. The status quo ante was restored. As a result of the war, Prussia was established as the fifth major power in the concert of European powers, but Prussia lost 180,000 soldiers in this war.
Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1807)
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Valmy cannonade | September 20, 1792 | A French army defeated a 35,000-strong Prussian army. From then on the French went over to the offensive in the First Coalition War. The strategically rather insignificant battle acquired historical importance because the French revolutionary soldiers for the first time withstood a massive attack by opposing troops and saved the revolution. |
| Siege of Mainz | April 14 to July 23, 1793 | Prussian troops and allied German troops besieged the French-occupied city. In the end, 19,000 French soldiers capitulated to the Allies and withdrew. |
| Battle of Pirmasens | September 14, 1793 | Was a battle between French troops on the one hand and Prussian and Austrian troops on the other and ended with a victory for the allies. After a fierce battle, the battle was decided by the intervention of Prussian troops under the command of Lieutenant General Wilhelm de Courbière . |
| Battle near Saalfeld | October 10, 1806 | The battle took place between a French and a Prussian-Saxon army and ended with a defeat for the Prussians. However, the battle had no strategic influence on the course of the campaign. However, the moral effects of the battle on the Prussian side were considerable. On the night of October 10-11, 1806, disorder and symptoms of panic broke out in the troops. Saxon and Prussian troops of the Hohenlohe corps took each other for French and fired at each other. |
| Battle of Jena and Auerstedt | October 14, 1806 | One of the most devastating defeats of the Prussian army. Over 10,000 Prussian and Saxon soldiers lost their lives. The defeats were bitter for the Prussian-Saxon army, but they alone did not lead to a catastrophe. It was only during the retreat that the troops got into a mess in which orderly command management was no longer possible and a large part of the troops deserted. |
| Battle of Lübeck | November 6, 1806 | French troops under Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult defeated a 21,000-strong Prussian army under the command of Blücher . This then had to capitulate with 8,000 remaining soldiers on November 7th. |
| Battle of Prussian Eylau | 7th / 8th February 1807 | Was a battle between the French and the allies Prussians and Russians. The battle ended in a draw. When the war seemed to be in favor of the French, the Prussian corps under Colonel Scharnhorst arrived with 8,000 men, who came in an express march to Preussisch Eylau, and pushed into the right flank of the French units. This enabled the Russian left wing to hold out and the French had to back down. |
| Siege of Kolberg, 1807 | March 14 to July 2, 1807 | Was the only major success of Prussia in this war. The fortress was able to hold its own until the armistice. This made the names Gneisenau , Schill and Nettelbeck known. The popular event served the Prussian reformers as an argument for the necessity of including the citizens in state life. |
| Battle of Heilsberg | June 10, 1807 | |
| Battle of Friedland | June 14, 1807 |
Wars of Liberation (1813-1815)
Battle near Lüneburg. All armed events that occurred between the troops of Napoleonic France and the Allies consisting of Prussia, Austria, Russia and Great Britain from 1813 to 1815 are summarized as Wars of Liberation . After the liberation of Germany, the winter campaign ended in 1814 with the abdication of Napoleon and the First Peace of Paris . After Napoleon's brief return, his rule was finally ended by the defeat against the British and the Prussians allied with them in the Battle of Waterloo .
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle near Lüneburg | April 2, 1813 | The battle was the first major combat operation after the French defeated in Russia retreated behind the Elbe . Allied Prussians and Russians destroyed a French corps that had captured the rebellious city of Lüneburg the previous evening. The circumstances and outcome of the battle were of moral importance for the beginning wars of liberation. |
| Battle of Großgörschen | May 2, 1813 | Napoléon lured the Prussian and Russian armies into a trap in this battle. The Prussians and Russians had to withdraw after a day of heavy fighting. |
| Battle of Bautzen | 20-21 May 1813 | During the retreat of the Prussian-Russian army, Napoléon attacked again near Bautzen. Although the French could only win terrain, this battle is counted as a victory for Napoléon. |
| Battle of Großbeeren | August 23, 1813 | The Prussian army under the command of Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow defeated a French army under the command of Marshal Reynier and Oudinot . After this defeat, Reynier and Oudinot decided to retreat to Wittenberg. The attack by Napoleon's armed forces on Berlin had failed and the Prussian capital had been saved from being conquered by the enemy. |
| Battle of the Katzbach | August 26, 1813 | The battle was an unintentional battle and took place between French forces under the command of Marshal MacDonald and Prussian forces under von Blucher. It ended with a victory for the Prussian army. |
| Battle of Dresden | 26.-27. August 1813 | The result of the battle was a French victory under Napoléon against the forces of the Allied Austrians, Russians and Prussians under the command of Field Marshal Schwarzenberg . |
| Battle of Hagelberg | August 27, 1813 | The battle occurred as a result of the Battle of Großbeeren. a Prussian contingent (3,500 regulars, 8,000 Landwehr) under General von Hirschfeld defeated a French corps (about 10,000 men strong). Only about 3,000 French reached Magdeburg. The battle, actually just a skirmish, was one of the first missions of the newly created Landwehr and confirmed the value of this troop. |
| Battle of Kulm | 29./30. August 1813 | A 32,000-strong French army under the command of General Vandamme lost to an Allied army of Austrians, Prussians and Russians. |
| Battle of Dennewitz | September 6, 1813 | In this battle, Prussian troops of the Northern Army, which was under the command of the Swedish Crown Prince Karl XIV. Johann , defeated the French army and the Saxons allied with it. This victory finally prevented Napoleon from advancing to Berlin and was an important cornerstone for the Battle of Leipzig. |
| Battle of the Göhrde | September 16, 1813 | A Prussian contingent (12,300 men) defeated a 3,000-strong French unit under the command of General Pécheux . |
| Battle of the Nations near Leipzig | 16. – 19. October 1813 | In the battle, the troops of Emperor Napoléon and those of the allies Russia, Prussia and Austria fought against each other. The defeat of Napoléon meant the end of French rule in Germany. The Prussian army suffered 17,200 dead and wounded in this battle. |
| Battle of Brienne | January 29, 1814 | The battle was a victory of the French against a Prussian-Russian army led by Blücher. |
| Battle of La Rothière | February 1, 1814 | A 110,000-strong Prussian army defeated a 40,000-strong French army under Napoléon. |
| Battle of Montmirail | February 11, 1814 | A 20,000-strong French army under Napoleon triumphed against the Russian and Prussian troops. |
| Battle of Château-Thierry | February 12, 1814 | The Prussian-Russian troops lost this battle against French troops under Napoléon. |
| Battle of Vauchamps | February 14, 1814 | 18,000 French under Napoléon defeated an army of 30,000 under von Blücher. |
| Battle of Craonne | March 7, 1814 | The French troops won a victory against the Prussian and Russian armies. |
| Battle of Laon | 9/10 March 1814 | The Battle of Laon was a victory of the Prussian army under von Blücher against the French army in northern France. |
| Battle of Paris | 30./31. March 1814 | The defeat of the French against the Prussian, Austrian and Russian armies in this battle led to the direct abdication of Napoleon. |
| Battle of Ligny | June 16, 1815 | Ligny was Napoléon's last victory. He was able to defeat the Prussian von Blüchers troops, but not completely destroy them. This would have fatal consequences for him in Waterloo. |
| Battle of Waterloo | June 18, 1815 | The battle was the last decisive battle of the Wars of Liberation and ended in a victory for the allied British-Prussian troops under von Blucher and Wellington . Napoléon Bonaparte had to resign as a result and was banished to St. Helena . This makes this battle one of the most significant battles in world history. |
| Battle of Wavre | 18./19. June 1815 | This battle marks the end of the Wars of Liberation and was fought between the Prussian rearguard under Johann von Thielmann and three French corps under Emmanuel de Grouchy . The fighting successfully prevented the French units from intervening in the battle of Waterloo, which could have saved Napoléon from defeat. |
Schleswig-Holstein War (1848-1851)
The Schleswig-Holstein survey became the first military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein question . Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg were then part of the entire Danish state. Denmark wanted to bind the duchies, at least the mixed-language Schleswig, closer to Denmark. The German speakers in the duchies rebelled against this. In March 1848 , the German Confederation installed a federal general who used troops from German states against Denmark. The emerging German Reich took on the role of the Federation. In 1850 the aid of German states for the insurgents ended, who had to surrender the following year. In Denmark the war is called the Three Years War, internationally also the First Schleswig War.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle of Schleswig | April 23, 1848 |
German-Danish War (1864)
The German-Danish War was the military conflict over the Duchy of Schleswig between Prussia and Austria on the one hand and Denmark on the other. Schleswig was a fiefdom of Denmark in which both German-speaking and Danish-speaking residents lived. In the previous year, troops of the German Confederation had already carried out a federal execution in Holstein and Lauenburg , but the federal government no longer took part in the German-Danish war and the occupation of Schleswig, but described the procedure as not being in conformity with the law. The federal government was not involved in the actual war itself, only the member states Austria and Prussia.
The war ended with a defeat for Denmark, which ceded the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg to Austria and Prussia. The two victorious powers then ruled the duchies as a condominium . However, the tense relationship between the two countries deteriorated in the following period until the German War finally broke out in 1866.
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Düppeler Schanzen | April 18, 1864 | The battle was the decisive battle in the German-Danish War. After a siege of almost five weeks, the ten Düppeler Schanzen were stormed by the Prussians under Prince Friedrich Karl on April 18, 1864 . |
| Battle of Als | June 29, 1864 | The Prussians under Herwarth von Bittenfeld captured Alsen after a night attack against the Danish army. The battle was the last major event of the war. The Danish army suffered 3,000 dead, wounded and prisoners. |
| Battle of Lundby | July 23, 1864 | The battle was the last in the German-Danish War. The result was a clear defeat for Denmark. The Danish side suffered 32 dead, 44 wounded and 20 prisoners, while the Prussians lost only three wounded. |
German War (1866)
The German War was a military conflict between Austria and other German states and Prussia. It ended with a victory for Prussia and resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation . Prussia took over from Austria the political supremacy among the German states and founded the North German Confederation .
| battle | date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Battle of chicken water | June 27, 1866 | The battle near Hühnerwasser was the first battle of the German War between Prussians and Austrians on June 27, 1866. The Prussians were victorious. |
| Battle of Podol | June 27, 1866 | Podol was the scene of a battle of the German War between Prussians and Austrians. The Prussians won. |
| Skirmishes near Trautenau | 27. / 28. June 1866 | In the first battle near Trautenau, an Austrian corps forced the Prussians to retreat, the following day it was defeated by the Prussian Guard. Striking were the four times higher Austrian casualties, over 8,000 men, due to the use of breech loading rifles by the Prussian army. |
| Battle of Nachod | June 27, 1866 | Was a battle in Bohemia in which the Prussian army defeated the Austrian army. |
| Battle of Langensalza | June 27, 1866 | The battle of Langensalza was the first major battle on the western theater of war during the German War. In this theater of war Prussia faced the Kingdom of Hanover . The Hanoverian army was victorious in this battle; However, this changed little in the unfavorable overall situation, and the Hanoverian army surrendered on June 29th. |
| Battle of Skalitz | June 28, 1866 | The battle was a skirmish in Bohemia between Prussians and Austrians in the German War and ended with a victory for the Prussians. |
| Battle of Münchengrätz | June 28, 1866 | The battle took place between Prussians and Austrians in Bohemia, in which the Prussians were victorious. |
| Battle of Gitschin | June 29, 1866 | The Battle of Gitschin took place in Bohemia between Prussia on the one hand and Austrians and Saxons on the other. It ended with a victory for the Prussian army. |
| Battle at the Königinhof | June 29, 1866 | The Austrians lost around 600 men in Koeniginhof, 100 of them dead. The Prussians won and took the Queen's Court with relatively little sacrifice. |
| Battle of pig skulls | June 29, 1866 | The battle took place in Bohemia between Prussians and Austrians. Despite heavy resistance, the Austrians were inferior to the Prussians in the fighting. In the fighting there were 1,750 dead on the Austrian side, the number of Prussian fallen was 394. |
| Battle of Königgrätz | July 3, 1866 | In the battle of Königgrätz the troops of Prussia met the army of the Austrians. It depicts the decisive battle of the war in which the Austrians were crushed. |
| Skirmishes near Dermbach | 4th July 1866 | The skirmishes at Dermbach mark the first clash between Prussian and Bavarian troops that took place on July 4th, 1866 near Dermbach in Thuringia . The battle ended with a victory for the Prussians. |
| Battle of Kissingen | July 10, 1866 | The battle of Bad Kissingen took place between Prussia and the German armed forces, consisting of southern German and Austrian troops, and ended with a Prussian victory. |
| Skirmishes at Frohnhofen | July 13, 1866 | The battles near Frohnhofen in Bavaria ended with a victory for the Prussians over the federal troops. |
| Battles near Aschaffenburg | July 14, 1866 | The battles took place between Prussia and the federal army consisting of southern German and Austrian troops, in which the Prussians were victorious. |
| Battle at Blumenau | July 22, 1866 | The battle was the last battle of the German War between Prussians and Austrians, in which the Prussians were also successful here. |
| Battle at Hundheim | July 23, 1866 | |
| Skirmishes at Tauberbischofsheim | July 24, 1866 | The battle took place between Prussia and the federal army in Baden and ended in a Prussian victory. |
| Battle at Werbach | July 24, 1866 | |
| Skirmishes near Helmstadt | July 25, 1866 | The skirmishes were a series of skirmishes of the German War that was fought between Prussia and the Federal Army, with the Prussians also being successful here. |
| Battles near Uettingen | July 26, 1866 | The fighting took place between Prussian troops and troops of the federal army in Bavaria. Prussia won. |
See also
- German Army (German Empire)
- Prussia
- List of wars and battles in the 17th century
- List of wars and battles in the 18th century
- List of wars and battles in the 19th century
literature
- Curt Jany: History of the Prussian Army from the 15th Century to 1914 . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1967.
- O. Büsch, W. Neugebauer: Modern Prussian History 1648–1947. Volume 2, part 4. Military system and social order . Verlag de Gruyter 1981, pp. 749-871, ISBN 3-11-008324-8 .
- Martin Guddat : Handbook on Prussian Military History 1701–1786 . Verlag Mittler, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0732-3 .
- Karl-Volker Neugebauer : Basics of German military history. Volume 1: Historical Overview . 1st edition, Rombach Verlag, Freiburg 1993, ISBN 3-7930-0662-6