Battle Of Chotusitz, 1741, In The Silesian Wars

By André Geraque Kiffer

The Silesian Wars were three conflicts fought in the mid-18th century between Prussia (under King Frederick the Great ) and Habsburg Austria (under Archduchess Maria Theresa) for control of the Silesian region of Central Europe (now in southwestern Poland). The Battle of Chotusitz, sometimes called the battle of Czaslau (today: Čáslav), took place on May 17, 1742, in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic; it was part of the First Silesian War, itself a subsidiary of the wider War of the Austrian Succession. In the battle simulation, I will try to correct the flaws presented in the historical analysis, testing improvements in the maneuvers. And then we will prove which maneuver will prevail, both being instructed with the best and maximum effort.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: May 3, 2024

Book preview

Battle  of  Chotusitz,

1742,  in  the Silesian  Wars

A  historical  simulation

André  Geraque  Kiffer

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---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1741,  in  the  Silesian  Wars.  A  historical simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2023. Bibliography:  108  p.  66  img.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  Science  of  War.  4.  War Games.  I.  Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-65-01-01773-0

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HISTORICAL  SIMULATION....................................  5

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ADDENDUM.........................................................  1

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REFERENCES.......................................................  1

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As  a  Military  Historian  I  rely  on  a  summary  of  the historical  fact,  I  analyze  and  highlight  the  decisive  factors, before  simulating  hypotheses  what  if…  hypotheses through  a  board  game.  In  the  simulation,  all  possibilities of  the  purpose  of  the  study  are  completed,  when  the  past of  history  is  analyzed  based  on  the  theory  of  the  present and  projected  for  similar  situations  in  the  future.  Since 2010  I  have  published  the  following  series  of  simulations: I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  of  the  First  Empires; II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  in  Classical  Greece; III.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Roman  Wars;  IV.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era;  V.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Modern  Era  (1453  to  1774);  VI. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Age  of  Revolutions (1775  to  1860);  VII.  Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the Industrial  Age  (1861  to  1913);  VIII.  Historical  Simulation of  the  First  World  War;  IX.  Historical  Simulation  of  World War  II;  X.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Cold  War  (1917  to 1991);  and  XI.  Historical  Simulation  of  Contemporary Wars  (1991  to  ...). Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  Science  of  War.  War

Games.

Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1742.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

HISTORICAL  FACT

The  Silesian  Wars  (1740  to  1763)

Were  three  conflicts  fought  in  the  mid-18th  century between  Prussia  (under  King  Frederick  the  Great)  and Habsburg  Austria  (under  Archduchess  Maria  Theresa)  for control  of  the  Silesian  region  in  Central  Europe  (now  in southwestern  Poland).

Img  1:  Europe  in  1738.

The  First  (1740–1742)  and  Second  (1744–1745)  Silesian Wars  formed  part  of  the  War  of  the  Austrian  Succession, in  which  Prussia  was  a  member  of  a  coalition  seeking

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Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1742.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

territorial  gains  at  Austria's  expense.  The  Third  Silesian War  (1756-1763)  was  one  of  the  Theaters  of  Operations of  the  global  Seven  Years'  War,  in  which  Austria,  in  turn, led  a  coalition  of  powers  with  the  aim  of  conquering Prussian  territory.

Img  2:  Silesia,  focus  of  discord.

In  the  early  18th  century,  the  House  of  Hohenzollern,  ruler of  Brandenburg-Prussia,  held  dynastic  claims  to  several duchies  in  the  Habsburg  province  of  Silesia,  a  populous and  prosperous  region  contiguous  to  the  central  Prussian territory  in  the  margraviate  of  Brandenburg.

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Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1742.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

In  addition  to  its  value  as  a  source  of  tax  revenue, industrial  production,  and  military  recruits,  Silesia  had great  geostrategic  importance  for  several  parties.

Img  3:  Maria  Theresa  in  1744  and  Frederick  in  1745.

The  upper  Oder  River  valley  formed  a  natural  military  axis between  Brandenburg,  the  Kingdom  of  Bohemia  and  the Marquesate  of  Moravia.  Silesia  also  lay  along  the northeastern  border  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  allowing its  controller  to  limit  the  influence  of  the  Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth  and  the  Russian  Empire  within  Germany. Frederick  saw  the  female  succession  of  Austria  as  an opportune  moment  for  the  conquest  of  Silesia,  calling  it  a sign  for  the  complete  transformation  of  the  ancient political  system  in  a  1740  letter  to  the  philosopher Voltaire.  He  argued  that  the  Pragmatic  Sanction  did  not

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Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1742.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

apply  to  Silesia,  which  was  held  by  the  Habsburg  as  part of  the  imperial  domain  and  not  as  a  hereditary  possession.

Img  4:  Europe  in  1763.

Frederick  also  argued  that  his  father,  King  Frederick William  I,  had  agreed  to  that  sanction  in  exchange  for assurances  of  Austrian  support  for  Hohenzollern  claims  to the  Rhenish  duchies  of  Jülich  and  Berg  along  the  River Rhine,  which  had  not  yet  materialized. Meanwhile,  Prince-Elector  Charles  Albert  of  Bavaria  and Prince-Elector  Frederick  Augustus  II  of  Saxony  married Maria  Theresa's  older  cousins  from  a  senior  branch  of  the House  of  Habsburg,  and  they  used  these  connections  to justify  claims  to  the  territory  of  the  Habsburg  in  the absence  of  a  male  heir.

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Battle  of  Chotusitz,  1742.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

Img  5:  German  unification  under  Prussia.

Frederick  Augustus,  who  ruled  Poland  in  personal  union, was  especially  interested  in  gaining  control  of  Silesia  to connect  his  two  kingdoms  into  a  contiguous  territory (which  would  almost  surround