The miracle of the House of Brandenburg
Encyclopedia
The Miracle of the House of Brandenburg is the name given by Frederick II of Prussia
to the failure of Russia
and Austria
to follow up their victory over him at the Battle of Kunersdorf
on 12 August 1759.
and marched on the Prussian capital, Berlin
, "We'll fight them – more in order to die beneath the walls of our own city than through any hope of beating them". That day the Russian Field Marshal Saltykov
and his army crossed the Oder and the day before the Austrian Field Marhsal Laudon and his army had done the same. Daun was marching the rest of the Austrian army north from Saxony. All were aiming to march on Berlin.
Frederick massed 33,000 men to defend Berlin against what he estimated were enemy forces totalling 90,000. However now came what Frederick called the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. The Austrians and the Russians were reluctant to follow through their victory by occupying Berlin and in September began withdrawing their forces. The Austrians and Russians had lost 20,000 men at Kunersdorf and both were concerned that their lines of communication were being stretched to the limit by marching so far west. Also, one of Frederick's allies, Prince Henry of Saxony, was not involved in Kunersdorf and still posed a threat to the Austrians and Russians. Frederick was again confident.
During the war the Prussians had lost 120 generals, 1,500 officers (out of 5,500) and over 100,000 men. Most Prussians now supported peace and Frederick was trying to bring the Ottoman Empire
into the war but his efforts met no success. Then, in Janauary 1762, Frederick received the news that the Empress Elizabeth of Russia had died on 5 January: "The Messalina
of the North is dead. Morta la Bestia", wrote Frederick on 22 January. Her nephew Peter
succeeded her and was a strong admirer of Frederick the Great. He therefore reversed Elizabeth's anti-Prussian policy and negotiated peace with Prussia, with an armistice in March and a treaty of peace and friendship signed on 15 May.
in April 1945, Berlin was again encircled by Russian armies. The German Minister of Finance, Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
, recorded in his diary how in early April in the Fuhrerbunker
, Joseph Goebbels
read out loud to Adolf Hitler
Thomas Carlyle
's biography of Frederick the Great, the chapter being about
After reading this to Hitler, "tears stood in the Fuehrer's eyes". However Krosigk misquotes Carlyle for the minister was the Count d'Argenson rather than Finckenstein.
Later that month came the news that the United States President, Franklin D. Roosevelt
, had died. Krosigk wrote that "We felt the wings of the Angel of History rustle through the room. Could this be the long-desired change of fortune?" Krosigk records Goebbels as saying that:
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
to the failure of Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
to follow up their victory over him at the Battle of Kunersdorf
Battle of Kunersdorf
The Battle of Kunersdorf, fought in the Seven Year's War, was Frederick the Great's most devastating defeat. On August 12, 1759, near Kunersdorf , east of Frankfurt , 50,900 Prussians were defeated by a combined allied army 59,500 strong consisting of 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians under...
on 12 August 1759.
Miracle of the House of Brandenburg
After the Battle of Kunersdorf, Frederick thought Prussia and himself faced certain defeat. He wrote that it was "a cruel reverse! I shall not survive it. I think everything is lost. Adieu pour jamais". Prussia had lost 19,000 soldiers and was left with 18,000. On 16 August he wrote that if the Russians crossed the OderOder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
and marched on the Prussian capital, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, "We'll fight them – more in order to die beneath the walls of our own city than through any hope of beating them". That day the Russian Field Marshal Saltykov
Pyotr Saltykov
Count Pyotr Semyonovich Saltykov was a Russian statesman and a military figure, russian general-fieldmarshal , son of Semyon Saltykov....
and his army crossed the Oder and the day before the Austrian Field Marhsal Laudon and his army had done the same. Daun was marching the rest of the Austrian army north from Saxony. All were aiming to march on Berlin.
Frederick massed 33,000 men to defend Berlin against what he estimated were enemy forces totalling 90,000. However now came what Frederick called the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. The Austrians and the Russians were reluctant to follow through their victory by occupying Berlin and in September began withdrawing their forces. The Austrians and Russians had lost 20,000 men at Kunersdorf and both were concerned that their lines of communication were being stretched to the limit by marching so far west. Also, one of Frederick's allies, Prince Henry of Saxony, was not involved in Kunersdorf and still posed a threat to the Austrians and Russians. Frederick was again confident.
Second Miracle of the House of Brandenburg
By December 1761, after five years of war, the strategic situation for Prussia was bleak, as Frederick wrote on 10 December:The Austrians are masters of Schweidnitz and the mountains, the Russians are behind the length of the Warthe from Kolberg to Posen...my every bale of hay, sack of money or batch of recruits only arriving by courtesy of the enemy or from his negligence. Austrians controlling the hills in Saxony, the Imperials the same in Thuringia, all our fortresses vulnerable in Silesia, in Pomerania, Stetting, Kustrin, even Berlin, at the mercy of the Russians.
During the war the Prussians had lost 120 generals, 1,500 officers (out of 5,500) and over 100,000 men. Most Prussians now supported peace and Frederick was trying to bring the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
into the war but his efforts met no success. Then, in Janauary 1762, Frederick received the news that the Empress Elizabeth of Russia had died on 5 January: "The Messalina
Messalina
Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Claudius. She was also a paternal cousin of the Emperor Nero, second cousin of the Emperor Caligula, and great-grandniece of the Emperor Augustus...
of the North is dead. Morta la Bestia", wrote Frederick on 22 January. Her nephew Peter
Peter III of Russia
Peter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. He was very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine II.-Early life and character:Peter was born in Kiel, in...
succeeded her and was a strong admirer of Frederick the Great. He therefore reversed Elizabeth's anti-Prussian policy and negotiated peace with Prussia, with an armistice in March and a treaty of peace and friendship signed on 15 May.
Second World War
Near the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in April 1945, Berlin was again encircled by Russian armies. The German Minister of Finance, Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
, recorded in his diary how in early April in the Fuhrerbunker
Führerbunker
The Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
, Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
read out loud to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
's biography of Frederick the Great, the chapter being about
...how the great king himself no longer saw any way out of his difficulties, no longer had any plan; how all his generals and ministers were convinced that his downfall was at hand; how the enemy was already counting Prussia as destroyed; how the future hung dark before him, and in his last letter to his minister, Count Finckenstein, he gave himself one last respite: if there was no change by 15 February , he would give it up and take poison. “Brave king!” says Carlyle, “wait ye a little while, and the days of your good fortune stands behind the clouds, and soon will rise upon you.” On 12 February the Czarina died; the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg had come to pass.
After reading this to Hitler, "tears stood in the Fuehrer's eyes". However Krosigk misquotes Carlyle for the minister was the Count d'Argenson rather than Finckenstein.
Later that month came the news that the United States President, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, had died. Krosigk wrote that "We felt the wings of the Angel of History rustle through the room. Could this be the long-desired change of fortune?" Krosigk records Goebbels as saying that:
...for reasons of Historical Necessity and Justice, a change of fortune was inevitable, like the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg in the Seven Years War. One of the staff officers had somewhat sceptically and ironically asked, What Czarina will die this time? That, Goebbels had replied, he could not say; but Fate still held many possibilities in her hand. Then he had driven home, and had heard the news of Roosevelt's death. Immediately, he had telephoned to Buse, and said, “The Czarina is dead.” Buse had told him that this made a great impression on his soldiers; now they saw another chance.