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List of wars and battles involving Prussia

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Prussia and its predecessor, Brandenburg-Prussia, were involved in numerous conflicts during their existence as nation-states. During their military engagements they often fulfilled the role of a supporting power, especially in the 17th century. In the 18th century Prussia began to adopt an independent role in the conflicts of that time; at the latest by the time of the Silesian Wars.

Prussia's Army won major victories like at Leuthen, Leipzig, Waterloo, Königgrätz and Sedan but also suffered devastating defeats such as at Kunersdorf and Jena-Auerstedt.

This article lists all the wars and battles in which Brandenburg-Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia were militarily engaged in before the founding of the German Empire, covering the period from 1618 to 1871.

Wars

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First Northern War (1656–1660)

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The First Northern War (also Second or Little Northern War) was a conflict that took place from 1655 to 1661 between Poland, Sweden and Russia for supremacy in the Baltic states. Brandenburg fought initially on the side of Sweden against Poland, but changed sides, after Poland granted its prince-elector sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia in the Treaty of Wehlau on 19 September 1657. Brandenburg succeeded in gaining ultimate sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia and proved itself during the war as an important military and political power.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Warsaw 28–30 July 1656 Victory
Battle of Prostki 8 October 1656 Loss
Battle of Nyborg 14 November 1659 Victory

The Swedish-Brandenburg War was part of the Franco-Dutch War, and was a conflict between the Electorate of Brandenburg and Kingdom of Sweden for the domination of Pomerania. In this war, Sweden was an ally of France, whilst Brandenburg-Prussia, together with Austria, Denmark and Spain, fought on the side of the Dutch. At the end of 1674, Swedish troops invaded Brandenburg, but were successfully repulsed by the Brandenburg army.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Turckheim 5 January 1675 Loss
Battle of Rathenow 15 June 1675 Victory
Battle of Nauen 17 June 1675 Victory
Battle of Fehrbellin 18 June 1675 Victory
Siege of Wismar 1 August – 14 December 1675 Victory
Siege of Wolgast 1–10 November 1675 Victory
Bremen-Verden campaign 15 September 1675 – 13 August 1676 Victory
Siege of Stettin 16 September – 16 November 1676 Loss
Siege of Stettin 25 June – 15 December 1677 Victory
Battle of Warksow 18 January 1678 Loss
Invasion of Rügen 22–24 September 1678 Victory
Siege of Stralsund 20 September – 15 October 1678 Victory
Great Sleigh Drive December 1678 – February 1679 Victory
Battle Date Result
Action of 30 September 1681 30 September 1686 Loss

Great Turkish War (1683–1699)

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Battle Date Result
Siege of Buda mid-June – 2 September 1686 Victory
Battle Date Result
Siege of Bonn July 1689 – 12 October 1689 Victory
Siege of Namur 2 July – 4 September 1695 Victory

In the Crown Treaty signed on 16 November 1700, Elector Frederick III had undertaken to provide a body of 8,000 men for the impending Spanish War of Succession for Emperor Leopold I. In return, the emperor promised that Frederick's future self-coronation as "King in Prussia" would be recognised across Europe and the Holy Roman Empire. The coronation took place on 18 January 1701 in Königsberg and from April 1701 the now entitled Royal Prussian Contingent deployed to the Lower Rhine at Wesel. In April 1702 it took part in hostilities for the first time at the Siege of Kaiserswerth.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Kaiserswerth 18 April 1702 – 15 June 1702 Victory
First Battle of Höchstädt 20 September 1703 Loss
Second Battle of Höchstädt 13 August 1704 Victory
Battle of Cassano 16 August 1705 Loss
Battle of Turin 7 September 1706 Victory
Battle of Oudenaarde 11 July 1708 Victory
Battle of Malplaquet 11 September 1709 Victory

Great Northern War (1700–1721)

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After the death of his father, King Frederick William I joined the coalition against the Swedish king, Charles XII, with the aim of capturing the Swedish territories in Pomerania. As a result, the Prussian occupied Stettin in 1713. In November 1714, when Charles XII took personal command of Swedish Pomerania, the Prussian Army, together with the Saxons and Danes, was able to force him back to Stralsund in 1715–16 during the Pomeranian campaign and besiege him there. After the end of the war Prussia gained Stettin, Usedom and all territories south of the Peene.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Stralsund 1 May – 24 December 1715 Victory
Battle of Stresow 16 November 1715 Victory

Austrian War of Succession (1740–1748)

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First Silesian War (1740–1742)

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In 1740, in the first year of his reign and shortly after his coronation Frederick II sent the Prussian Army to invade Austrian-ruled Silesia and so precipitated the First Silesian War and, in its broader sense, the Austrian War of Succession. Because Prussia allied itself with Bavaria, France, Saxony, the Electorate of Cologne, Spain, Sweden and Naples, whilst Prussia's main enemy, Austria allied itself with Great Britain, Sardinia, the Netherlands and Russia. For Prussia, the war was restricted to Silesia, and was able to capture the province after several victories.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Baumgarten 27 February 1741 Loss
Storming of Glogau 9 March 1741 Victory
Battle of Mollwitz 10 April 1741 Victory
Siege of Neisse 18–31 October 1741 Victory
Capitulation of Olmütz 27 December 1741 Victory
Siege of Glatz (1741) 9 January – 26 April 1741 Victory
Battle of Lesch 16 February 1742
Battle of Chotusitz 17 May 1742 Victory

Second Silesian War (1744–1745)

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The Second Silesian War was also part of the Austrian War of Succession, but also a war fought for supremacy in Silesia between Prussia and Austria. Frederick II had allied himself at that time with France. Austria formed an alliance with Saxony, Great Britain and the Netherlands. In August 1744, Prussia ambushed Bohemia with 80,000 soldiers and thereby opened the Second Silesian War. After several hard battles, it was agreed in the Treaty of Dresden that Silesia would always remain in Prussian hands.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Prague (1744) 6–16 September 1744 Victory
Siege of Tabor 20–23 October 1744 Loss
Storming of Budweis 23 October 1744 Loss
Battle of Teltschitz 19 November 1744 Loss
Battle of Pless 27 November 1744 Loss
Battle of Ratibor 9 February 1745 Victory
Battle of Habelschwerdt 14 February 1745 Victory
Battle of Hohenfriedberg 4 June 1745 Victory
Siege of Kosel 27 August – 5 September 1745 Victory
Battle of Soor 30 September 1745 Victory
Battle of Hennersdorf 23 November 1745 Victory
Battle of Zittau 27 November 1745
Battle of Kesselsdorf 15 December 1745 Victory

Seven Years' War (1756–1763)

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Third Silesian War (1756–1763)

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The Seven Years' War, fought between Prussia and Great Britain on one side and Austria, France, Sweden and Russia on the other, involved all the great European powers of the time. In the Third Silesian War (the Austrian-Prussian theatre), Austria's goal was the reconquest of Silesia, but Frederick II pre-empted his enemies, and on 29 August 1756 crossed the border of Saxony without a prior declaration of war. Military success alternated and the Prussian army faced defeat in the end, in spite of major victories. On 15 February 1763 the Peace of Hubertusburg was signed between Prussia and its opponents. The status quo ante was restored. The war established Prussia as the fifth major power in Europe, but Prussia lost 180,000 soldiers during the war.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Pirna 11 September – 14 October 1756 Victory
Battle of Lobositz 1 October 1756 Victory
Battle of Reichenberg 21 April 1757 Victory
Battle of Prague (1757) 6 May 1757 Victory
Siege of Prague May 1757 Loss
Battle of Kolín 18 June 1757 Loss
Siege of Memel 19-25 June 1757 Loss
Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf 30 August 1757 Loss
Battle of Moys 7 September 1757 Loss
1757 raid on Berlin 16 October 1757 Loss
Battle of Rossbach 5 November 1757 Victory
Battle of Breslau (1757) 22 November 1757 Loss
Battle of Leuthen 5 December 1757 Victory
Siege of Breslau (1757) 7–20 December 1757 Victory
Siege of Olomouc 4 May – 2 July 1758 Loss
Battle of Rheinberg 12 June 1758 Inconclusive
Battle of Krefeld 23 June 1758 Victory
Battle of Domstadtl 30 June 1758 Loss
Battle of Zorndorf 25 August 1758 Inconclusive
Battle of Tornow 26 September 1758 Victory
Battle of Fehrbellin (1758) 28 September 1758 Loss
Battle of Hochkirch 14 October 1758 Loss
Battle of Güstow 18 November 1758 Victory
Battle of Peterswalde 14–20 April 1759 Victory
Battle of Kay 23 July 1759 Loss
Battle of Kunersdorf 12 August 1759 Loss
Battle of Frisches Haff 10 September 1759 Loss
Battle of Hoyerswerda 25 September 1759 Victory
Siege of Kolberg 4 October – 1 November 1759 Victory
Battle of Maxen 20 November 1759 Loss
Battle of Meissen 4 December 1759 Loss
Battle of Landeshut (1760) 23 June 1760 Loss
Siege of Glatz 7 June – 26 July 1760 Loss
Siege of Dresden July 1760 Loss
Battle of Liegnitz (1760) 15 August 1760 Victory
Battle of Strehla 20 August 1760 Victory
Siege of Kolberg September 1760 Victory
Battle of Pasewalk 3 October 1760 Loss
Battle of Kloster Kampen 15 October 1760 Loss
Raid on Berlin October 1760 Loss
Battle of Torgau 3 November 1760 Victory
Battle of Langensalza (1761) 15 February 1761 Victory
Siege of Cassel (1761) March 1761 Loss
Battle of Grünberg 21 March 1761 Loss
Battle of Villinghausen 15–16 July 1761 Victory
Siege of Kolberg 22 August – 16 December 1761 Loss
Battle of Neuensund 18 September 1761 Loss
Battle of Neukalen 2 January 1762 Loss
Battle of Wilhelmsthal 24 June 1762 Victory
Battle of Burkersdorf 21 July 1762 Victory
Battle of Freiberg 29 October 1762 Victory

Overall, Prussia gained 36,000 km2 and about 600,000 people. According to Jerzy Surdykowski Frederick the Great soon introduced German colonists on territories he conquered and engaged in Germanization of Polish territories.

War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779)

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The War of the Bavarian Succession was fought between Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria on one side and Austria on the other.

Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815)

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The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts in the late 18th and early 19th centuries between Revolutionary France and later the French Empire and coalitions of various European states. Prussia was a member of three of the six anti-French coalitions.

War of the First Coalition (1792–1795)

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The War of the First Coalition saw the monarchies of Europe, led by Austria, opposed to revolutionary France. It lasted from 1793 to 1797, though Prussia made peace in 1795.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Thionville 24 August – 16 October 1792 Loss
Siege of Verdun 29 August – 2 September 1792 Victory
Battle of Valmy 20 September 1792 Loss
Siege of Mainz 14 April – 23 July 1793 Victory
Siege of Landau 20 August – 23 December 1793 Loss
Battle of Pirmasens 14 September 1793 Victory
Battle of Biesingen 17 November 1793 Victory
Battle of Kaiserslautern 28–30 November 1793 Victory
Second Battle of Wissembourg 26–29 December 1793 Loss
Battle of Kaiserslautern 23 May 1794 Victory
Battle of Trippstadt 13–17 July 1794 Loss

War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807)

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The War of the Fourth Coalition saw Prussia and her allies in conflict with France over concerns about the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine and the expansion of Napoleon's influence into Germany. It ended with the defeat of the coalition a year later.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Schleiz 9 October 1806 Loss
Battle of Saalfeld 10 October 1806 Loss
Battle of Jena and Auerstedt 14 October 1806 Loss
Capitulation of Erfurt 16 October 1806 Loss
Battle of Halle 17 October 1806 Loss
Siege of Magdeburg (1806) 25 October – 8 November 1806 Loss
Fall of Berlin (1806) 27 October 1806 Loss
Battle of Prenzlau 28 October 1806 Loss
Capitulation of Pasewalk 29 October 1806 Loss
Capitulation of Stettin 29–30 October 1806 Loss
Battle of Waren-Nossentin 1 November 1806 Victory
Greater Poland uprising (1806) November 1806 Loss
Battle of Lübeck 6 November 1806 Loss
Siege of Hamelin 7–22 November 1806 Loss
Battle of Czarnowo 23 December 1806 Loss
Siege of Graudenz 22 January – 11 December 1807 Inconclusive
Battle of Mohrungen 25 January 1807 Loss
Battle of Eylau 7–8 February 1807 Inconclusive
Siege of Kolberg 14 March – 2 July 1807 Inconclusive
Siege of Danzig 19 March – 24 May 1807 Loss
Battle of Guttstadt-Deppen 5–6 June 1807 Victory
Battle of Heilsberg 10 June 1807 Inconclusive

War of the Sixth Coalition (1813–1814)

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The War of the Sixth Coalition saw a re-vitalized Prussia join the allies against the French in 1813, resulting in France's defeat in 1814. The German campaign covers all the military engagements that took place from 1813 to 1815 between the troops of Napoleonic France and the allies, consisting of Prussia, Austria, Russia, Sweden and Great Britain. After the liberation of the German nations, the winter campaign of 1814 ended with the abdication of Napoleon and the First Treaty of Paris.

Battle Date Result
Siege of Danzig (1813) 16 January – 29 November 1813 Victory
Battle of Möckern 5 April 1813 Victory
Battle of Lützen 2 May 1813 Loss
Battle of Bautzen 20–21 May 1813 Loss
Battle of Haynau 26 May 1813 Victory
Battle of Luckau 4 June 1813 Victory
Battle of Großbeeren 23 August 1813 Victory
Battle of Katzbach 26 August 1813 Victory
Battle of Dresden 26–27 August 1813 Loss
Battle of Hagelberg 27 August 1813 Victory
Battle of Kulm 29–30 August 1813 Victory
Battle of Dennewitz 6 September 1813 Victory
Battle of the Göhrde 16 September 1813 Victory
Battle of Altenburg 28 September 1813 Victory
Battle of Wartenburg 3 October 1813 Victory
Battle of Leipzig 16–19 October 1813 Victory
Battle of Arnhem (1813) 30 November 1813 Victory
Siege of Metz (1814) 3 January – 10 April 1814 Inconclusive
Battle of Hoogstraten 11 January 1814 Victory
Siege of Antwerp (1814) 14 January – 4 May 1814 Victory
Battle of Brienne 29 January 1814 Loss
Battle of La Rothière 1 February 1814 Victory
Battle of Montmirail 11 February 1814 Loss
Battle of Château Thierry 12 February 1814 Loss
Battle of Vauchamps 14 February 1814 Loss
Battle of Gué-à-Tresmes 28 February – 1 March 1814 Loss
Battle of Craonne 7 March 1814 Loss
Battle of Laon 9–10 March 1814 Victory
Battle of Reims (1814) 12–13 March 1814 Loss
Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube 20–21 March 1814 Victory
Battle of Fère-Champenoise 25 March 1814 Victory
Battle of Paris 30–31 March 1814 Victory
Battle of Courtrai (1814) 31 March 1814 Loss

War of the Seventh Coalition (1815)

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The War of the Seventh Coalition, also called the Hundred Days, occurred in the summer of 1815. Following the short-lived return of Napoleon, his reign was finally ended following his defeat against Great Britain and their Prussian allies in the Waterloo Campaign.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Ligny 16 June 1815 Loss
Battle of Waterloo 18 June 1815 Victory
Battle of Wavre 18–19 June 1815 Tactical defeat, strategic victory
Battle of Rocquencourt 1 July 1815 Loss
Battle of Issy 2–3 July 1815 Victory

First Schleswig War (1848–1851)

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The First Schleswig War was the first military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein question, which was about who should rule over the Duchy of Schleswig. The warring parties were, on the one hand the German movement in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein in conjunction with the majority of nations in the German Confederation (including Prussia), and on the other hand the State of Denmark. This war ended in a decisive Danish victory, but 13 years later the next war broke out.

Battle Date Remarks
Battle of Dybbøl (1848) 5 June 1848 Loss
Battle of Kolding (1849) 12 April 1849 Victory
Skirmish of Århus 31 May 1849 Loss

Second Schleswig War (1864)

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The Second Schleswig War (also the German-Danish War) was a military conflict for the Duchy of Schleswig between the German Confederation and the Kingdom of Denmark. The war ended with the defeat of the Danes. The two victorious powers, Austria and Prussia, initially owned and ruled jointly over the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. The strained relationship between the two states worsened however in the period that followed, until finally the Austro-Prussian War broke out in 1866.

Battle Date Remarks
Battle of Mysunde 2 February 1864 Loss
Battle of Jasmund 17 March 1864 Loss
Battle of Dybbøl 18 April 1864 Victory
Battle of Heligoland 9 May 1864 Inconclusive
Battle of Als 29 June 1864 Victory
Battle of Lundby 3 July 1864 Victory

Austro-Prussian War (1866)

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The Austro-Prussian War was a military conflict between Austria and Prussia. The war was fought for supremacy in the German lands (aside from Switzerland). It ended with a victory for Prussia (and its allies) over Austria (and its allies) and the dissolution of the German Confederation. Prussia thereby assumed political supremacy over Austria amongst the German nations and founded the North German Confederation.

Battle Date Result
Battle of Hühnerwasser 26 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Podol 26–27 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Trautenau 27–28 June 1866 Loss
Battle of Nachod 27 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Langensalza 27 June 1866 Loss
Battle of Skalitz 28 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Münchengrätz 28 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Gitschin 29 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Königinhof 29 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Schweinschädel 29 June 1866 Victory
Battle of Königgrätz 3 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Dermbach 4 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Kissingen 10 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Frohnhofen 13 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Aschaffenburg 14 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Blumenau 22 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Hundheim 23 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Tauberbischofsheim 24 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Werbach 24 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Gerchsheim 25 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Helmstadt 25 July 1866 Victory
Battle of Roßbrunn 26 July 1866 Victory

Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871)

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Battle Date Result
Battle of Saarbrücken 2 August 1870 Loss
Battle of Wissembourg 4 August 1870 Victory
Battle of Spicheren 6 August 1870 Victory
Battle of Wörth 6 August 1870 Victory
Siege of Bitche 6 August 1870 – 26 March 1871 Victory
Siege of Lichtenberg 9–10 August 1870 Victory
Siege of Phalsbourg 10 August 1870 – 12 December 1870 Victory
Siege of Marsal 13–14 August 1870 Victory
Battle of Colombey 14 August 1870 Inconclusive
Siege of Strasbourg 14 August 1870 – 28 September 1870 Victory
Battle of Mars-la-Tour 16 August 1870 Inconclusive
Siege of Toul 16 August 1870 – 23 September 1870 Victory
Battle of Gravelotte 18 August 1870 Victory
Siege of Metz 20 August – 27 October 1870 Victory
Battle of Buzancy 27 August 1870 Victory
Battle of Beaumont 30 August 1870 Victory
Battle of Noisseville 31 August – 1 September 1870 Victory
Battle of Sedan 1–2 September 1870 Victory
Siege of Paris 19 September 1870 – 28 January 1871 Victory
Battle of Chevilly 30 September 1870 Victory
Battle of Bellevue 7 October 1870 Victory
Battle of Châtillon 13 October 1870 Victory
Battle of Buzenval (1870) 21 October 1870 Victory
Battle of Le Bourget 27–30 October 1870 Victory
Siege of Belfort 3 November 1870 – 18 February 1871 Victory
Battle of Havana 9 November 1870 Inconclusive
Battle of Amiens 27 November 1870 Victory
Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande 28 November 1870 Victory
Battle of Villiers 29 November – 3 December 1870 Victory
Battle of Loigny–Poupry 2 December 1870 Victory
Battle of Beaugency 8–10 December 1870 Victory
Battle of Hallue 23–24 December 1870 Inconclusive
Battle of Bapaume 3 January 1871 Victory
Battle of Villersexel 9 January 1871 Loss
Battle of Le Mans 10–12 January 1871 Victory
Battle of the Lisaine 15–17 January 1871 Victory
Battle of St. Quentin 19 January 1871 Victory
Battle of Buzenval 19–20 January 1871 Victory

See also

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Literature

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  • Curt Jany: Geschichte of the Preußischen Armyvom 15.Jahrhundert bis 1914. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1967.
  • O. Büsch, W. Neugebauer: Moderne Preußische Geschichte 1648–1947. Vol. 2, 4th Pt. Militärsystem and Gesellschaftsordnung. Verlag de Gruyter, 1981, p. 749–871, ISBN 3-11-008324-8.
  • Martin Guddat: Handbuch zur Prussian Militärgeschichte 1701–1786. Verlag Mittler, Hamburg, 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0732-3.
  • Karl-Volker Neugebauer: Grundzüge of the German Militärgeschichte. Band 1: Historischer Überblick. 1st edition, Rombach Verlag, Freiburg, 1993, ISBN 3-7930-0662-6.
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