The siege of Pirna (or Investment of Pirna) took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

during the

Third Silesian War The Third Silesian War () was a war between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Archduchy of Austria, Austria (together with its allies) that lasted from 1756 to 1763 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Po ...

(part of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

). Following the occupation of the capital

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

on 9 September the Saxon army had withdrawn south and taken up position at the fortress of

Pirna Pirna (; hsb, Pěrno; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as ...

under Frederick von Rutowski. The Saxons hoped to receive relief from the Austrian army which was across the border in neighbouring

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

under

Marshal Browne Maximilian Ulysses, Reichsgraf von Browne, Baron de Camus and Mountany (23 October 1705 – 26 June 1757) was an Austrian military officer, one of the highest-ranking officers serving the Habsburg Emperor during the middle of the 18th century. ...

. Following the

Battle of Lobositz The Battle of Lobositz or Lovosice also Lowositz on 1 October 1756 was the opening land battle of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War. Frederick the Great's 28,000 Prussians were prevented by 33,000 Austrians under Maximilian Ul ...

the Austrians withdrew, and tried to approach Pirna by a different route but they failed to make contact with the defenders. Despite a Saxon attempt to escape by crossing the

River Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

, it soon became apparent that their position was hopeless. On 14 October Rutowski concluded a capitulation with Frederick. In total 18,000 troops surrendered. They were swiftly and forcibly incorporated into the Prussian forces, an act which caused widespread protest even from Prussians.Szabo p.45-46 Many of them later deserted and fought with the Austrians against the Prussian forces - with whole

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s changing sides at the Battle of Prague.

References

Bibliography

{{Commonscat, The Prussian Siege and Attack of Pirna in Saxony 1756 * Dull, Jonathan R. ''The French Navy and the Seven Years' War''. University of Nebraska Press, 2005. * Jacques, Tony. ''Dictionary of Battles and Sieges''. Greenwood Press, 2007. * Szabo, Franz A.J. ''The Seven Years War in Europe, 1756-1763''. Pearson, 2008.

Siege of Pirna The siege of Pirna (or Investment of Pirna) took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of Saxony during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). Following the occupation of the capital Dresden by Frederick the Great on ...

1756 in the Holy Roman Empire 18th century in Saxony