Key Facts
- Date
- May 1757
- Prussian casualties at prior battle
- 14,300 dead (Battle of Prague)
- Austrian troops trapped in city
- 40,000
- Siege broken by
- Prussian defeat at Battle of Kolín
- Context
- Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Frederick attempted to gather intelligence by sending the criminal Christian Andreas Käsebier into the besieged city. Meanwhile, an Austrian relief army under Count von Daun executed a rapid northward march, threatening Prussian supply lines. Forced to abandon the siege and meet this threat, Frederick led his army to confront Daun, only to suffer a decisive defeat at the Battle of Kolín in June 1757.
01 / The Origins
Following his costly victory at the Battle of Prague in May 1757, Frederick the Great sought to capitalise on the situation by besieging the Bohemian capital. His army, severely depleted by 14,300 dead in the preceding battle, was too weak to storm the city outright, so Frederick turned to a siege strategy aimed at starving the 40,000 trapped Austrian defenders into submission.
03 / The Outcome
The defeat at Kolín rendered continuing the siege untenable, compelling Frederick to withdraw from Bohemia entirely. This episode represented the furthest Prussian penetration into Austrian territory during the war; thereafter, most fighting shifted onto Prussian soil. A subsequent Prussian invasion the following year also failed, culminating in an unsuccessful attempt to take Olomouc.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Frederick the Great.
Side B
1 belligerent
Count von Daun (Leopold Josef von Daun).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.