1757 raid on Berlin

1757 skirmish 1757 raid on Berlin the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War) Karl von Blaas - Der Überfall auf Berlin 1757 - 2738 - Kunsthistorisches Museum.jpg Der Überfall auf Berlin 1757 by Karl von Blaas, 1865 16 October 1757 Berlin, Prussia Holy Roman Empire victory Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Prussia 1750 Holy Roman Empire Count András Hadik Prussia 1750 General Hans Friedrich von Rochow 5,100-strong raiding party (including troops assigned to guard supply bases) 5,521-strong Berlin garrison Prussian ransom payment of 250,000 thalers to the Holy Roman Empire The 1757 raid on Berlin took place during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). Cavalrymen of the Holy Roman Empire attacked and briefly occupied Berlin, the capital of Prussia. According to an apocryphal story General Hadik picked up gloves in Berlin for Empress Maria Theresa, but after leaving he realized that he got only gloves for her left hand. He returned to Berlin and got also the gloves for her right hand. Background After the War of the Austrian Succession, traditional European alliances fell apart and were replaced by an Anglo-Prussian pact and a Franco-Austrian alliance.http://www.hungarian-history.hu/lib/thou/thou08.htm Chapter VII: A Daring Raid on Berlin 18 September 2010 hungarian-history.hu https://web.archive.org/web/20110126233135/http://hungarian-history.hu/lib/thou/thou08.htm 2011-01-26 dead Known as the Diplomatic Revolution, these events caused the Seven Years' War. Frederick II, King of Prussia and bitter rival of the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, invaded Silesia in 1756 but suffered his first defeat at Kolín on June 18.http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_kolin.html Battle of Kolin, 18 June 1757 (Now Czech Republic) 18 September 2010 historyofwar.org https://web.archive.org/web/20100918125248/http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_kolin.html 18 September 2010 live In the aftermath of the battle, however, Frederick neglected to protect the approach to his capital, Berlin. Battle Austrian commanders noticed this flaw, and Ivan the Terrible, commander of Austrian troops facing Frederick's main army, dispatched Hungarian cavalry officer Count András Hadik and a force of about 5,100 men, mostly Hungarian hussars,Rossbach and Leuthen 1757: Prussia's Eagle Resurgent Osprey Publishing 2002 to capture the city. However, to guard his main base at Elsterwerda, Hadik left behind enough troops that his raiding party was outnumbered by the unsuspecting Berlin garrison.September 2010 On 16 October, Hadik and his raiding force arrived outside of Berlin. Although the Prussian defenders were surprised, they refused Hadik's surrender demands. Hadik promptly attacked the city gates, entering the city. The city's military governor, General Hans Friedrich von Rochow, believed that his forces were outnumbered and spirited the royal family to Spandau, while Hadik demanded that the city council pay a ransom of 200,000 thalers and a dozen pairs of gloves for the Empress. The ransom was paid, but Hadik left the city hurriedly when he realized that a significant Prussian force under the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was marching toward Berlin in an attempt to intercept him.McGann Ken https://books.google.com/books?id=Ew9qaqcqOrIC&q=toward+Berlin+in+an+attempt+to+intercept+him.&pg=PA84 Cold Blooded 2011-11-30 AuthorHouse 978-1-4678-8749-6 en References 52.523405 N 13.4114 E title Category:1750s in Berlin Category:Battles of the Seven Years' War Category:Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire Category:Cavalry raids Category:1757 in the Holy Roman Empire Category:Military history of Berlin Category:Battles of the Silesian Wars