Battle of Breslau (1757) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Breslau
Part of the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War)
Map of the battle
Date 22 November 1757 Location Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia (now Poland) Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
Prussia	Austria
Commanders and leaders
August Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Bevern	Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Strength
28,000	60,000
Casualties and losses
6,350 killed and wounded 3,800 captured	5,857

The Battle of Breslau was a big fight that happened on November 22, 1757. It took place in a city called Breslau, which is now Wrocław in Poland. This battle was part of the Third Silesian War, which was itself a part of the larger Seven Years' War.

In this battle, about 28,000 Prussian soldiers faced off against a much larger Austrian army of around 84,000 soldiers. The Prussians managed to stop the Austrian attack for a while. However, they lost about 6,000 soldiers, while the Austrians lost around 5,000. The very next day, the Prussian army had to retreat. A few days later, on November 25, 1757, the Prussian soldiers defending Breslau surrendered to the Austrians.

What was the Seven Years' War?

The Seven Years' War was a huge conflict that happened all over the world. But it was especially intense in Europe. This war followed another big conflict called the War of the Austrian Succession (1741–1748).

Why did the war start?

After the earlier war, a treaty was signed in 1748. This treaty gave a rich area called Silesia to Frederick II of Prussia, also known as Frederick the Great. But the ruler of Austria, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, wasn't happy about losing Silesia. She signed the treaty just to buy time. She wanted to rebuild her army and make new friends (alliances) to get Silesia back. She also wanted to become the most powerful ruler in the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1754, problems between Britain and France started to grow in North America. Maria Theresa saw this as a chance to get her land back and stop Prussia from becoming too strong. At the same time, France wanted to challenge Britain's control over trade in the Atlantic Ocean. So, France and Austria, who used to be enemies, decided to team up. Britain then joined forces with Kingdom of Prussia. This alliance also included areas like Hanover, which belonged to the British king. This big change in alliances was called the Diplomatic Revolution.

Battles before Breslau

After taking over Saxony, Frederick the Great fought in Bohemia. He defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Prague on May 6, 1757. When he heard that French forces had attacked Hanover, his ally's land, Frederick moved his army west. On November 5, 1757, he won another victory against a combined French and Austrian army at the Battle of Rossbach.

While Frederick was away, the Austrians managed to take back Silesia. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine captured the city of Schweidnitz. Then, he moved his army towards Breslau in Lower Silesia.

Setting the Stage for Battle

The Duke of Brunswick-Bevern was in charge of protecting Silesia with about 32,000 soldiers. This was a very tough job because he had to face much larger Austrian forces. The main Austrian army had 54,000 soldiers, led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and Count Leopold Joseph von Daun. Another group of 28,000 Austrian soldiers, led by Franz Leopold von Nádasdy, also moved to the front. Even with so many more soldiers, the Austrians initially wanted to avoid a direct battle.

Nádasdy's group of soldiers grew to 43,000. With this extra strength, the Austrians surrounded Schweidnitz on October 14. The city surrendered on November 13. Until then, Duke Bevern had kept the main Austrian army busy. But after Nádasdy's soldiers joined them, the Austrian army became much stronger.

Because they had so many more soldiers, the Austrian commanders decided to attack the Prussians right away. They wanted to capture Breslau before Frederick the Great's main army arrived. This would stop the Prussians from staying in Silesia for the winter.

The Prussians had over 40 groups of soldiers and 102 cavalry units, totaling about 28,400 soldiers. The Austrian army, however, was much bigger. They had 96 groups of soldiers, 93 grenadier companies, 141 cavalry units, and 228 cannons. This added up to about 83,606 soldiers.

How the Battle Unfolded

On November 22, Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine attacked the Prussian forces. The battle started with a lot of cannon fire outside the gates of Breslau, between the villages of Kosel and Gräbschen. The Prussians had set up strong positions in the nearby villages. The Austrians attacked these positions at three different points.

After the Austrians captured the first few villages, they brought in their own cannons. They fired even more intensely. In response, the Duke of Brunswick-Bevern gathered ten regiments (groups of soldiers) and launched a counter-attack. A fierce and bloody fight for the villages began. The Prussians managed to win some important successes against the larger Austrian forces.

It's not clear if Duke Bevern planned another counter-attack for the next day or if he intended to retreat. But the Prussians did retreat, and it seemed to happen very suddenly. The battlefield was left to Prince Charles, and the Prussians marched back to Glogau through Breslau.

The battle lasted almost the entire day. The Austrians lost 5,723 soldiers, and the Prussians lost 6,350 soldiers.

What Happened After the Battle?

After the Prussian army retreated, 10 groups of soldiers stayed behind in the fortress of Breslau. These soldiers were led by General Johann Georg von Lestwitz. The Austrians immediately started to surround and attack the fortress, led by General Nádasdy.

The people of Breslau mostly supported the Austrians. This made it very hard for the Prussians to defend the city. The citizens pressured General Lestwitz to leave the fortress. They even helped Prussian soldiers who tried to run away.

The Prussian soldiers' spirits were very low because of their defeat and the high number of new, less experienced soldiers in their army. Their discipline almost broke down completely. General Lestwitz surrendered on the night of November 25. He was allowed to leave the fortress without being attacked. Out of 4,227 Prussian soldiers, only 599 actually marched to Glogau; the rest deserted (ran away).

Frederick the Great had been marching west to help his British allies defend Hanover. Because of the events at Breslau, Frederick had to completely change his plans. But before turning back, he had already soundly defeated a combined French and Austrian army at the Battle of Rossbach.

After that victory, he turned his army around. In just 12 days, he covered about 272 kilometers (169 miles) to reach Leuthen. There, on December 4, he used a very clever plan to trick both Prince Charles and Daun. Frederick won a major victory at the Battle of Leuthen. After this, most of the Austrians defending Breslau left the city. However, they left behind 17,000 soldiers, supplies, and ammunition, led by Soloman Sprecher von Bernegg. After a short but tough siege, Frederick forced them to surrender in late December 1757.