Battle of Fehrbellin
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Fehrbellin was fought on June 18, 1675 between Swedish
and Brandenburg-Prussia
n troops. The Swedes, under Count Waldemar von Wrangel (stepbrother of Riksamiral
Carl Gustaf Wrangel
), had invaded and occupied parts of Brandenburg
from their possessions in Pomerania
, but were repelled by the forces of Frederick William
, the Great Elector, under his Feldmarschall Georg von Derfflinger
near the town of Fehrbellin
. The battle went down in history as Prussia
's baptism of fire.
had joined an allied expedition with Emperor Leopold I
to Alsace
against the forces of King Louis XIV of France
, the French persuaded Sweden, which had been increasingly isolated on the continent, to attack Brandenburg while her army was away.
When Frederick William, encamping at Erstein
, heard of the attack and occupation of a large part of his principality in December 1674, he immediately drew his army out of the coalition but had to take winter quarters at Marktbreit
in Franconia
. Leaving on 26 May 1675, he marched 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) to Magdeburg
in only two weeks. This feat was considered one of the great marches in military history. He did it by abandoning his supply wagons and leaving large parts of the infantry
behind, having his army buy supplies from the locals, but forbidding pillaging. The Swedes did not expect him to arrive that early.
Once he returned to Brandenburg, Frederick William realized that the Swedish forces, occupying the swampy Havel
land region between Havelberg
and the town of Brandenburg, were dispersed and ordered Derrflinger to take the central town of Rathenow
in order to split them roughly down the middle. The elector bribed a local official loyal to him to hold a large and elaborate banquet for the Swedish officers of the fortress in order to get them drunk before the assault began in the night of June 14. Derfflinger then personally impersonated a Swedish officer and convinced the guards to open the gates of the town by claiming that a Brandenburg patrol was after him. Once the gates were opened for him, he led the charge of 1,000 dragoon
s against the city and the rest of the army soon followed. He was 69 years old at the time.
Once Derfflinger had expelled the Swedish garrison from Rathenow, this made the Swedish lines vulnerable. On June 17, the Brandenburgian troops reached Nauen
. The Swedes, who had planned to cross the Elbe
river in order to join forces with Brunswick troops, were forced back to their last position at Fehrbellin.
River at the town of Fehrbellin. Impassable marsh
es on both flanks
left Wrangel little choice but to give battle south of the nearby village of Hakenberg while his engineer
s repaired the span.
A total of 15,000 Brandenburgers, including 5,600 cavalry and 13 cannons, faced 7,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry and 38 guns on the Swedish side. One authority gives the Swedes a total of 12,000 troops. Wrangel omitted to secure the surrounding heights, and Frederick William and Derfflinger, by placing their guns on a series of low hills to his left while the Swedes had only swamps to their flanks and a river behind them, gained a decisive tactical advantage.
These guns opened fire around noon on the 18th and caused heavy casualties on the Swedish right flank. Wrangel, now aware of the threat, attempted several times to wrest control of the hills but was stopped each time. Frederick William had his main attack press the right flank of the Swedes, eventually causing their cavalry to flee, and exposing their infantry to a flank attack led by Prince Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg
. In several hours of close combat involving heavy losses, the Brandenburgian cavalry turned and routed a regiment
of Swedish infantry. The Swedish right however held up long enough though for the Fehrbellin bridge to be repaired and Wrangel was able to get a large portion of his army across before darkness fell. Frederick William rejected all his officers' suggestions to shell the town.
The Brandenburg troops lost about 500 men. Wrangel's forces, although routed, lost only about the same amount on the day of the battle, but lost much more in the coming days' retreat pursued by the Brandenburgers up to Wittstock
. Raiding parties, desertion, starvation, and other factors reduced the retreating Swedish army to a fraction of what it once was.
and Denmark
finally met their obligations and declared war on Sweden. While Frederick William forces invaded Swedish Pomerania
, the Swedes did not enter the margraviate again until the 1679 Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
, which—to the elector's great disappointment—largely restored the status quo ante bellum
.
Although only of minor importance militarily, the victory had enormous psychological impact: the Swedes, long considered unbeatable, had been bested and Brandenburg alone had prevailed against Swedish and French power politics. Frederick William henceforth was known as the "Great Elector
", and the army that he and Derfflinger had led to victory became the core of the future Prussian Army
vital for the country's development as a European great power
. Glorified in the course of rising German nationalism
under the rule of the House of Hohenzollern
in the 19th century, June 18th was a holiday that would be celebrated in Germany
up until 1914.
's drama The Prince of Homburg
written in 1809-10. However, the story of the prince's subordination
, later popularised by the Prussian king Frederick the Great, may be a legend.
An observation tower on the Hakenberg hill with a Victoria
statue on top similar to the Berlin Victory Column
commemorates the battle. It was erected from 1875 on the initiative of Crown Prince Frederick III
and inaugurated on September 2 (Sedantag
), 1879.
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
and Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
n troops. The Swedes, under Count Waldemar von Wrangel (stepbrother of Riksamiral
Lord High Admiral of Sweden
The Lord High Admiral or Admiral of the Realm was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from c. 1571 until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and the head of the navy and Admiralty of Sweden...
Carl Gustaf Wrangel
Carl Gustaf Wrangel
Carl Gustaf Wrangel was a high-ranking Swedish noble, statesman and military commander in the Thirty Years', Torstenson, Bremen, Second Northern and Scanian Wars....
), had invaded and occupied parts of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
from their possessions in Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
, but were repelled by the forces of Frederick William
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
, the Great Elector, under his Feldmarschall Georg von Derfflinger
Georg von Derfflinger
Georg von Derfflinger was a field marshal in the army of Brandenburg-Prussia during and after the Thirty Years' War .-Early years:...
near the town of Fehrbellin
Fehrbellin
Fehrbellin is a municipality in Germany, located 60 km NW of Berlin. It has 9310 inhabitants as of 2005.-History:In 1675, the Battle of Fehrbellin was fought there, in which the troops of Brandenburg defeated those of occupying Sweden...
. The battle went down in history as Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
's baptism of fire.
Prelude
Prior to the battle the Swedes and Brandenburg had been allies in various wars against the Kingdom of Poland. However, when Elector Frederick William during the Franco-Dutch WarFranco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
had joined an allied expedition with Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
to Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
against the forces of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, the French persuaded Sweden, which had been increasingly isolated on the continent, to attack Brandenburg while her army was away.
When Frederick William, encamping at Erstein
Erstein
Erstein is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in the Alsace region in France.-History:Erstein was known in Alsace in the Middle Age for its Benedictine Abbey...
, heard of the attack and occupation of a large part of his principality in December 1674, he immediately drew his army out of the coalition but had to take winter quarters at Marktbreit
Marktbreit
Marktbreit is a town in the district of Kitzingen in the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken in Bavaria situated at the most southern point of the Main river. It is the birthplace of Alois Alzheimer who first identified the symptoms of what is now known as Alzheimer's Disease...
in Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
. Leaving on 26 May 1675, he marched 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) to Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
in only two weeks. This feat was considered one of the great marches in military history. He did it by abandoning his supply wagons and leaving large parts of the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
behind, having his army buy supplies from the locals, but forbidding pillaging. The Swedes did not expect him to arrive that early.
Once he returned to Brandenburg, Frederick William realized that the Swedish forces, occupying the swampy Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
land region between Havelberg
Havelberg
Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...
and the town of Brandenburg, were dispersed and ordered Derrflinger to take the central town of Rathenow
Rathenow
Rathenow is a town in the district of Havelland in Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 26,433 .-Overview:The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the Roman Catholic Church of St...
in order to split them roughly down the middle. The elector bribed a local official loyal to him to hold a large and elaborate banquet for the Swedish officers of the fortress in order to get them drunk before the assault began in the night of June 14. Derfflinger then personally impersonated a Swedish officer and convinced the guards to open the gates of the town by claiming that a Brandenburg patrol was after him. Once the gates were opened for him, he led the charge of 1,000 dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s against the city and the rest of the army soon followed. He was 69 years old at the time.
Once Derfflinger had expelled the Swedish garrison from Rathenow, this made the Swedish lines vulnerable. On June 17, the Brandenburgian troops reached Nauen
Nauen
Nauen is a town in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 38 km west of Berlin and 26 km northwest of Potsdam.-History:...
. The Swedes, who had planned to cross the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river in order to join forces with Brunswick troops, were forced back to their last position at Fehrbellin.
Battle
The Swedish commander, Wrangel, harassed by Brandenburg raiding parties under the command of Colonel Joachim Hennings, found himself hemmed in by a destroyed bridge over the RhinRhin
The Rhin is a 125 km long river in Brandenburg, Germany, right tributary to the river Havel. It flows through the city Neuruppin and several lakes. A few km downstream from Rhinow it flows into the Havel, approx. 20 km upstream from where the Havel meets the Elbe....
River at the town of Fehrbellin. Impassable marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es on both flanks
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
left Wrangel little choice but to give battle south of the nearby village of Hakenberg while his engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
s repaired the span.
These guns opened fire around noon on the 18th and caused heavy casualties on the Swedish right flank. Wrangel, now aware of the threat, attempted several times to wrest control of the hills but was stopped each time. Frederick William had his main attack press the right flank of the Swedes, eventually causing their cavalry to flee, and exposing their infantry to a flank attack led by Prince Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick II of Hesse-Homburg , also known as the Prince of Homburg was Landgraf of Hesse-Homburg. He was also a successful and experienced general for the crowns of both Sweden and of Brandenburg, but is best remembered as the eponymous hero of Heinrich von Kleist's play Der Prinz von Homburg.-...
. In several hours of close combat involving heavy losses, the Brandenburgian cavalry turned and routed a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of Swedish infantry. The Swedish right however held up long enough though for the Fehrbellin bridge to be repaired and Wrangel was able to get a large portion of his army across before darkness fell. Frederick William rejected all his officers' suggestions to shell the town.
The Brandenburg troops lost about 500 men. Wrangel's forces, although routed, lost only about the same amount on the day of the battle, but lost much more in the coming days' retreat pursued by the Brandenburgers up to Wittstock
Wittstock
Wittstock is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dosse, 20 km east of Pritzwalk, and 95 km northwest of Berlin. It was the location of the 1636 Battle of Wittstock between Sweden and an alliance of the Holy Roman...
. Raiding parties, desertion, starvation, and other factors reduced the retreating Swedish army to a fraction of what it once was.
Historical significance
Upon the Brandenburgian victory, the Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
finally met their obligations and declared war on Sweden. While Frederick William forces invaded Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
, the Swedes did not enter the margraviate again until the 1679 Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679)
The Treaty or Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 19 June or 29 June 1679 was a peace treaty between France and the Electorate of Brandenburg. It restored to France's ally Sweden her dominions Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania, lost to Brandenburg in the Scanian War...
, which—to the elector's great disappointment—largely restored the status quo ante bellum
Status quo ante bellum
The term status quo ante bellum is Latin, meaning literally "the state in which things were before the war".The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no side gains or loses...
.
Although only of minor importance militarily, the victory had enormous psychological impact: the Swedes, long considered unbeatable, had been bested and Brandenburg alone had prevailed against Swedish and French power politics. Frederick William henceforth was known as the "Great Elector
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
", and the army that he and Derfflinger had led to victory became the core of the future Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
vital for the country's development as a European great power
Concert of Europe
The Concert of Europe , also known as the Congress System after the Congress of Vienna, was the balance of power that existed in Europe from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the outbreak of World War I , albeit with major alterations after the revolutions of 1848...
. Glorified in the course of rising German nationalism
German nationalism
German nationalism refers to the nationalism of Germans or of German culture. The origins of the beginning of a sense of German identity began with the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther that resulted in the spread of a standardized common German language and literature...
under the rule of the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
in the 19th century, June 18th was a holiday that would be celebrated in Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
up until 1914.
Reception
The Battle of Fehrbellin is the setting of Heinrich von KleistHeinrich von Kleist
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer. The Kleist Prize, a prestigious prize for German literature, is named after him.- Life :...
's drama The Prince of Homburg
The Prince of Homburg (play)
The Prince of Homburg is a play by Heinrich von Kleist written in 1809-10, but not performed until 1821, after the author's death. A performance during his lifetime was not possible because Princess Marianne of Prussia , by birth a member of the Hesse-Homburg family, to whom Kleist had given sight...
written in 1809-10. However, the story of the prince's subordination
Subordination
Subordination may refer to one of the following.*Subordination in a hierarchy ** Insubordination, obedience*Subordination *Subordination...
, later popularised by the Prussian king Frederick the Great, may be a legend.
An observation tower on the Hakenberg hill with a Victoria
Victoria (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...
statue on top similar to the Berlin Victory Column
Berlin Victory Column
The Victory Column is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War and France in the...
commemorates the battle. It was erected from 1875 on the initiative of Crown Prince Frederick III
Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service...
and inaugurated on September 2 (Sedantag
Sedantag
Sedantag was a semi-official memorial holiday in the German Empire celebrated on the second of September to commemorate Emperor Frederick III's victory in the Battle of Sedan...
), 1879.