| Siege of Schweidnitz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theThird Silesian War (Seven Years' War) | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Prussia |  Austria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Frederick II of Prussia Friedrich Bogislav von Tauentzien Duke of Bevern | Franz Guasco Leopold Joseph von Daun | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 25,000[1] | 10,000[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3,033 killed and wounded[1] | Entire army captured and killed 3,552 killed and wounded[1] 9,000 captured[2](including the wounded) | ||||||
 | |||||||
Thesiege of Schweidnitz took place between August and October 1762 during theThird Silesian War, part of the widerSeven Years' War.Prussian forces under the overall command ofFrederick II laid siege to the city ofSchweidnitz, in an attempt to retake it from anAustrian garrison.
Schweidnitz was the anchor of Prussia's position in Silesia during the war, due to its central location and major supply depots.[3] It had been stormed the previous year by Austrian forces underErnst Gideon von Laudon.[4] The Austrians hoped to hold onto the city as a bargaining chip in any potential peace talks. Frederick was equally determined to recover the city, particularly as the departure ofRussia andSweden from the war allowed him to take the offensive once more.
Having isolated Schweidnitz from the main Austrian field army underLeopold Joseph von Daun, siege works were begun and a major bombardment commenced on 9 August. He deployed a force underDuke of Bevern to a covering position atReichenbach where he was able to frustrate Daun's attempts to march to the city's aid in action which produced 1,000 casualties.[5]
Six days after the defeat of this relief attempt, the commander of Schweidnitz offered to surrender the city. However, Frederick rejected his demand that his men be allowed to march away with thehonours of war. Frederick demanded instead that the entire garrison surrender asprisoners of war, and the siege continued.[6] In September he threatened to put the garrison to the sword if they did not surrender immediately. The Prussians were able to thwart another major effort by Daun to relieve the garrison.
On 8 October a Prussianmine, dug under the city, exploded the garrison's gunpowder magazine. The following day, Schweidnitz finally capitulated. Both sides had suffered around 3,000 casualties during the two month siege.[7] In recognition of the city's resistance, the Austrian EmpressMaria Theresa promoted the senior offices and rewarded the entire garrison following their release from captivity.[8]
Along with the Prussian victory atBattle of Freiberg, it was one of the final acts of the war. A peace agreement was signed between the warring sides in early 1763. TheTreaty of Hubertusburg acknowledged the return of all Silesian territory to Prussia.
