Key Facts
- Date
- 29–30 October 1806
- French attackers
- ~500 hussars (5th and 7th Hussars)
- Prussian garrison size
- 5,000–6,000 troops
- French commander
- General of Brigade Antoine Lasalle
- Prussian commander
- Lt. Gen. Friedrich G.W. von Romberg
- Distance from Berlin
- ~120 km northeast
Strategic Narrative Overview
Following Jena-Auerstedt, Marshal Murat pursued the broken Prussian armies and forced over 10,000 soldiers to surrender at Prenzlau on 28 October. The next day, French cavalry brigades secured a further 4,200 Prussians at Pasewalk. On 29 October, General Lasalle arrived before Stettin with roughly 500 hussars and demanded surrender. Romberg, erroneously believing he faced 30,000 French troops, entered negotiations and capitulated that night.
01 / The Origins
The Capitulation of Stettin arose from the catastrophic Prussian defeat at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt on 14 October 1806, part of the War of the Fourth Coalition. The twin French victories shattered Prussian army cohesion, sending demoralized troops fleeing northeast toward the Oder River. This collapse created conditions in which small French cavalry forces could intimidate far larger Prussian garrisons into surrender through bluff and psychological pressure.
03 / The Outcome
Stettin's garrison of up to 6,000 men surrendered to a fraction of their number, yielding a major Baltic port fortress without resistance. Within days, Küstrin also capitulated, and three Prussian columns were captured at Boldekow, Anklam, and Wolgast. Only one Prussian corps and the garrisons of Magdeburg and former Hanover remained operational between the Elbe and Oder, leaving French dominance of northern Prussia essentially complete.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Antoine Lasalle, Joachim Murat.
Side B
1 belligerent
Friedrich Gisbert Wilhelm von Romberg.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.