Battle of Chotusitz
Chotusice, Bohemia, Czech Republic
What happened
Frederick the Great's Prussian army fought an Austrian army under Charles of Lorraine. The Austrian army was marching toward Prague, then held by the French, when it met a Prussian army of about the same size. In the confusion of dust and smoke, cavalry on both sides ended up looting each other's baggage. Austrian infantry took the village, but heavy Prussian fire led Charles to withdraw, and fighting ended by noon.
Why it matters
It was a narrow Prussian victory with heavy losses on both sides. Prussia afterwards worked to train its cavalry better.
What came next
Less than a month later, the Treaty of Breslau gave Prussia most of Silesia and ended the First Silesian War. Fighting began again in 1744.
Did you know?
Buddenbrock, who commanded the Prussian right wing, was 70 years old.
Timeline
- 17 May 1742Battle of Chotusitz.
- 11 June 1742Treaty of Breslau.
- 28 July 1742Treaty of Berlin confirms the peace.
- 1744The Second Silesian War begins.