Siege of Schweidnitz (1762)
Siege of Schweidnitz | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War) | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Prussia | Austria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Duke of Bevern |
Franz Guasco Leopold Joseph von Daun | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
25,000[1] | 10,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3,033 killed and wounded[1] |
10,000 3,552 killed and wounded[1] 9,000 captured[2](including the wounded) |
The siege of Schweidnitz took place between August and October 1762 during the
Background
Schweidnitz was the anchor of Prussia's position in Silesia during the war, due to its central location and major supply depots.[3] It had been stormed the previous year by Austrian forces under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.[4] The Austrians hoped to hold onto the city as a bargaining chip in any potential peace talks. Frederick was equally determined to recover the city, particularly as the departure of Russia and Sweden from the war allowed him to take the offensive once more.
Siege and relief attempts
Having isolated Schweidnitz from the main Austrian field army under
Six days after the defeat of this relief attempt, the commander of Schweidnitz offered to surrender the city. However, Frederick rejected his demand that his men be allowed to march away with the
On 8 October a Prussian
Aftermath
Along with the Prussian victory at Battle of Freiberg, it was one of the final acts of the war. A peace agreement was signed between the warring sides in early 1763. The Treaty of Hubertusburg acknowledged the return of all Silesian territory to Prussia.
References
Bibliography
- Bodart, G. (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905).
- Szabo, Franz A.J. The Seven Years War in Europe, 1756-1763. Pearson, 2008.
- Clodfelter, M. (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015 (4th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7470-7.