Battle of Leuthen

A decisive Prussian victory over Austria on 5 December 1757, during the Seven Years’ War. Frederick the Great used a concealed flank attack to defeat a larger Austrian army near Leuthen in Silesia.

Oblique order: A battlefield formation that concentrates force against one part of an enemy line while holding elsewhere. Frederick concentrated Prussian strength against the Austrian left, turning a local attack into a breakthrough.
Seven Years' War: A global conflict fought from 1756 to 1763 among shifting coalitions of European powers and their empires. Leuthen was a major Prussian victory in the war’s European theater.
Charles Alexander of Lorraine: An Austrian field marshal and brother-in-law of Empress Maria Theresa who commanded at Leuthen. He led the Austrian army whose deployment Frederick exploited.
Siege of Breslau (1757): The 1757 siege in which Prussian forces retook Breslau from Austria after the Battle of Leuthen. Leuthen opened the way for Prussian forces to recover the city.
Flank attack: An attack directed against the side of an opposing force rather than its front. The Prussian advance reached the Austrian flank after concealing its intended direction.
Silesian Wars: A series of eighteenth-century wars in which Prussia and Austria contested control of Silesia. The battle continued the struggle over Silesia that had shaped Prussian-Austrian rivalry.
Hans Joachim von Zieten: A Prussian cavalry general who served Frederick the Great in the Silesian Wars. His cavalry helped pursue and disrupt Austrian forces during the defeat.
Treaty of Hubertusburg: The 1763 treaty that ended the continental conflict of the Seven Years’ War without major territorial changes in Central Europe. The settlement ultimately left Silesia in Prussian hands, preserving the result Leuthen defended.
Military deception: The use of misleading signals or actions to obscure military intentions from an opponent. A feint toward the Austrian right helped conceal Frederick’s intended strike on the left.
Battle of Rossbach: A 1757 battle in which Frederick the Great defeated a Franco-Imperial army near Rossbach, Saxony. The victory preceded Leuthen and freed Frederick to turn against Austria.

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