Austro-Prussian War Battle of Königgrätz

Battle of Königgrätz

        The Battle of Königgrätz, also known as the Battle of Sadowa, Sadová, or Hradec Králové, was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. Taking place near Königgrätz (Hradec Králové) and Sadowa (Sadová) in Bohemia on 3 July 1866, it was an example of battlefield concentration, a convergence of multiple units at the same location to trap and/or destroy an enemy force between them.

the Battle of Königgrätz

        Christian Sell’s lithograph of the Battle of Königgrätz dates from 1866. In the central scene, Prussia’s King Wilhelm I pursues the retreating Austrians while accepting the “Hurrahs!” of his victorious foot-soldiers and cavalry. The painting also features specific parts of the battlefield and turning points in the day’s events, including, at the lower right, the cavalry battle that ensued during the Austrians’ panicked flight from the field of battle towards the town of Königgrätz.

Influence:
1. The French public resented the Prussian victory and demanded "Revanche pour Sadova" or "Revenge for Sadowa",which formed part of the build-up to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
2.Königgrätz was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War. An armistice signed at Prague ensued three weeks later. It provided a great opportunity for Prussian statesmen, by clearing a path toward German Unification, in particular with the Little Germany, or Germany without Austria solution, with the subsequent foundation of the North German Confederation.

Casualties Flood into Dresden

       In late June 1866, Saxon cities were already seeing the arrival of casualties resulting from skirmishes between Prussian, Saxon, and Austrian forces. After the Battle of Königgrätz on July 3, 1866, the number of dead and wounded rose enormously, straining Saxony’s transportation and medical facilities to the limit. The influx of prisoners of war only compounded the logistical nightmare. When Saxony’s municipal authorities complained to Prussian civil and military authorities in Dresden about the hardships their residents were facing as the result of war and occupation – including the billeting of Prussian soldiers, the building of huge defensive earthworks in the center of Dresden, forced tributes paid to the occupiers, and demands for ever greater numbers of hospital beds and medical supplies – their complaints generally fell on deaf ears. This woodcut is by Herbert König.C