Siege of Prague (1744)

BelligerentsKingdom of Prussia Habsburg monarchyCommanders and leadersFrederick II Franz Hermann O'Gilvie
Ferdinand HarschStrength 71,843–80,000, 182 field guns, 56 siege guns 14,000–17,000, 116 guns, 14 mortarsCasualties and losses 150–160 killed & wounded 1,400 killed & wounded
13,500 POW. 130 guns

The Siege of Prague (6–16 September 1744) resulted in the surrender of the Habsburg Austrian garrison of Prague during the Bohemian campaign of 1744 in the War of the Austrian Succession. The Prussian besiegers were commanded by King Frederick II while the Austrians were led by Franz Karl Hermann von O'Gilvie and Ferdinand Philipp Harsch von Almedingen. In August 1744, the Prussian army under Frederick II suddenly invaded the Habsburg territory of Bohemia. Frederick's army converged on Prague in such strength that Károly József Batthyány's Austrian army was unable to intervene. The Prussian siege artillery quickly reduced the defensive works of Prague and forced the garrison to surrender in mid-September. After this brilliant start, Frederick overextended his army by seizing the eastern half of Bohemia. In October, the Austrian army of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and a Saxon corps joined with Batthyány's forces. By the end of the year, the Austro-Saxon army evicted the Prussians from Bohemia, including Prague.