The Battle of Hastenbeck took place during the Seven Years' War on July 26, 1757, near the village of Hastenbeck (close to Hamelin). The allied forces of Electorate of Hanover, Hessian and Brunswick were defeated by the French army, finally resulting in the Convention of Klosterzeven and the occupation of Hanover. Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain Hanover Kingdom of Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Hamelin (German: Hameln) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (April 15, 1721–October 31, 1765), a younger son of King George II of Great Britain and Queen Caroline, was a noted military leader. ... Duke Louis Charles dEstrées (1695-1771) was a French military commander during the Seven Years War where he won the Battle of Hastenbeck July 26, 1757. ... Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain Hanover Kingdom of Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was... The naval Battle of Minorca took place on May 20, 1756, at the opening of the Seven Years War in the European theatre, shortly after the Kingdom of Great Britain had declared war on the House of Bourbon, off the Mediterranean island of Minorca between British and French squadrons. ... The Battle of Lobositz was a battle fought on October 1, 1756 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Reichenberg was a battle of the Seven Years War, fought on April 21, 1757 near the village of Liberec (German Reichenberg) in Bohemia. ... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders King Frederick the Great Charles of Lorraine Reichsgraf von Browne Strength 65,000 62,000 Casualties 14,300 8,800 The Battle of Prague (in the Czech Republic known as the Battle of Å tÄ›rboholy) was a battle fought on May 6, 1757 during the Seven... The Battle of Kolin was a battle fought on June 18, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf was a battle fought on August 30, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... The battle of Moys was a battle fought on September 7, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Rossbach (November 5, 1757) took place during the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763) near the village of Rossbach, then in Prussian Saxony. ... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders August Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Bevern Prince Charles of Lorraine Strength 28,000 men 84,000 men Casualties 6,000 men 5,000 men The Battle of Breslau was a battle fought on November 22, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders Frederick the Great Charles of Lorraine Strength 39,000 167 guns 58,500 210 guns Casualties 1,141 dead 5118 wounded 85 captured 3000 dead 7,000 wounded 12,000 captured 51 flags 116 cannons The Battle of Leuthen was a battle fought on December 5... {{Battlebox|campaign=Seven Years War: European |image= |caption= |battle_name=Battle of Krefeld |colour_scheme=background:#cccccc |conflict=Seven Years War |date=June 23, 1758 |place=Krefeld |result=Hessian / Brunswicker / Hanoverian victory |combatant1=[[Hesse-kassel], [Brunswick] and Hanover |combatant2=France |commander1=Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick |commander2=Le Comte de Clermont |strength1=ca... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders Hans Joachim von Zieten Ernst Gideon von Laudon and Joseph von Siskovits Strength 30,000 12,000 Casualties 2,000 dead, wounded or missing, 1,450 captured 600 dead or wounded The Battle of Domstadtl (DomaÅ¡ov) was a battle between Austrian and Prussian troops at... The Battle of Zorndorf was a battle fought on August 25, 1758 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Hochkirch was a battle fought on October 14, 1758 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Great Britain, Hesse-Kassel, Brunswick and Hanover France Commanders Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie Strength ca 32,000 men ca 25,900 men Casualties ca 1,800 men ca 2,400 men The Battle of Bergen was a battle of the Seven Years... The Battle of Kay was a battle fought on July 23, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Great Britain, Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia France Commanders Prince Ferdinand Louis Georges Érasme de Contades Strength 60,500 56,000 Casualties 2,800 10,000-11,000 The Battle of Minden was a battle fought on August 1, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... The battle of Kunersdorf was fought on August 23, 1759 during the Seven Years War near Kunersdorf, east of Frankfurt an der Oder. ... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders Prince Henry of Prussia General Wehla Strength ? 3,000 Casualties minimal 600 dead 1,800 captured The Battle of Hoyerswerda was a minor encounter of the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Maxen was a battle fought on November 21, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... The battle of Meissen was an engagement fought on December 4, 1759 during the Seven Years War between a Prussian and an Austrian army. ... The Battle of Landesschut or Battle of Landshut was an engagement fought on June 23, 1760 during the Seven Years War. ... The battle of Warburg was a battle fought on August 1, 1760 during the Seven Years War. ... The Battle of Leignitz was fought in the early hours of August 15, 1760. ... The Battle of Torgau (Germany) was a battle fought on November 3, 1760 during the Seven Years War on the Süptitzer Höhen. ... Combatants Great Britain, Hanover, Prussia France Commanders Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick Duc de Broglie and Prince de Soubise Strength ~100,000 ~80,000 Casualties 1,400 5,000 (Broglie 4,700, Soubise 300) The Battle of Villinghausen (or Vellinghausen) was fought in 1761 between a large French army and a... The Battle of Burkersdorf was a battle fought on July 21, 1762 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain Hanover Kingdom of Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Hamelin (German: Hameln) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Capital Hanover Head of State King of Hanover Hanover (German: Hannover) is a historical territory in todays Germany. ... The term Hessian refers to the inhabitants of the German state of Hesse. ... Braunschweig (sometimes in English Brunswick) is one of the four Regierungsbezirke of Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the southeast of the state. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...

Prelude

The French, who were allied with Austria, Russia, Sweden and Saxony, invaded Germany in April 1757 with two armies, altogether about 100,000 soldiers. The French hoped to draw the attention of Prussia, which was allied with England and Hanover, away from the Bohemian theatre where Prussia and Austria fought several battles (Battle of Lobositz, Battle of Prague, Battle of Kolin). The Battle of Hastenbeck is one of the most curious battles in history, since both commanders-in-chief thought that they lost the battle and were already starting to withdraw from the battlefield. The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stat Sakska) is a federal state of Germany. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... The Battle of Lobositz was a battle fought on October 1, 1756 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Prussia Austria Commanders King Frederick the Great Charles of Lorraine Reichsgraf von Browne Strength 65,000 62,000 Casualties 14,300 8,800 The Battle of Prague (in the Czech Republic known as the Battle of Å tÄ›rboholy) was a battle fought on May 6, 1757 during the Seven... The Battle of Kolin was a battle fought on June 18, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ...

One of the two French armies under command of Prince de Soubise marched through central Germany. They joined the so called "Reichsarmee" commanded by Prinz von Hildburghausen. This coalition army later met a Prussian army at the Battle of Rossbach on November 5, 1757 with disaster. Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise (1715 - July 4, 1787) was a peer and marshal of France, the grandson of the Princesse de Soubise, who is known to history as one of the mistresses of Louis XIV. He accompanied Louis XV in the campaign of 1744-1748 and attained high... The Battle of Rossbach (November 5, 1757) took place during the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763) near the village of Rossbach, then in Prussian Saxony. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

The other French army commanded by Marshal Louis Charles d'Estrées consisted of about 50,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry and 68 cannons. The army advanced towards the Electorate of Hanover. Prussia was heavily involved with its enemies Austria, Russia and Sweden and therefore was not able to help on the western front. This task was given to the Hanoverian Army of Observation which only had little support from Prussia, namely six Prussian battalions. The main part of the "Hanoverian Army of Observation" came from Hanover (about 60%) and Hesse (about 25%), smaller additional forces from Brunswick and Prussia. The total strength of the Hanoverian Army of Observation was about 40,000 men (note: the sources differ here between 36,000 and 47,000). The army was commanded by William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland who was a son of King George II of Great Britain. Duke Louis Charles dEstrées (1695-1771) was a French military commander during the Seven Years War where he won the Battle of Hastenbeck July 26, 1757. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (April 15, 1721–October 31, 1765), a younger son of King George II of Great Britain and Queen Caroline, was a noted military leader. ... George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ...

The Weser and the fortresses at Hamelin, Minden, Nienburg and Bremen formed a natural defense line.

Hanover refused to defend the river Rhine which is farther to the west than the river Weser. This left the Prussians no choice than to abandon their fortress in Wesel and to give up the line of the Lippe river in April. Cumberland's main objective was preventing the occupation of Hanover. He first concentrated his army at Bielefeld, and then after a brief stand in Brackwede, Cumberland decided to cross the Weser south of Minden. The main idea was to use the Weser as a natural defense line and to make it impossible for the French troops to cross the river. The Duke of Cumberland deployed his main forces at Hamelin which is a couple of kilometers to the northwest from Hastenbeck and left the Prussian battalions as garrison forces to Minden. He also deployed small patrols all along the Weser. Meanwhile the French sent a detachment to the North to capture Emden on July 3, which was an important access point for Britain to Europe. Later they sent another detachment to the south which took Kassel on July 15. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (373x607, 26 KB)map showing the river Weser from Kassel to Bremerhaven. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (373x607, 26 KB)map showing the river Weser from Kassel to Bremerhaven. ... Loreley At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (Dutch Rijn, French Rhin, German Rhein, Italian: Reno, Romansch: Rein, ) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ... Weser watershed The Weser is a river of north-western Germany. ... Wesel is a city (population about 61,689 in 2004) in Germany, located at the point where the Lippe River empties into the Rhine. ... This article is about the district Lippe. ... Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Hamelin (German: Hameln) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on river Ems. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River in northern Hessen, Germany, one of the two sources of the Weser river . ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ...

During the night of July 7 a strong French advance guard crossed the river Weser close to the town Beverungen. While the river Weser normally cannot be easily forded, during the summer the water level drops down to a low of 80 cm (~3 feet) between Münden and Hameln, making it possible for infantry and cavalry to cross. The French advance troops then marched to the north and established a bridgehead at Höxter. The main army crossed the river Weser on July 16 leaving the Duke of Cumberland no choice than to deploy his troops south of Hamelin and to engage d'Estrées. Unfortunately for him Frederick the Great lost in the meantime the Battle of Kolin against Austria and therefore needed his additional battalions back. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... Höxter is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, capital of the district Höxter, prettily situated on the left bank of the Weser, 32 miles north of Kassel. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... Frederick II of Prussia (German: ; January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) of Hohenzollern dynasty, ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. ... The Battle of Kolin was a battle fought on June 18, 1757 during the Seven Years War. ...

The battle

The armies finally met on the morning of July 25 at the village of Hastenbeck. The commander of the French right flank, general François de Chevert, was ordered to engage Hanoverian troops at the village of Voremberg, but failed to drive them out. As the French left under general Duc de Broglie was still crossing the Weser near Hameln, d'Estrées decided to postpone the battle until all his troops were up. General Chevert François de Chevert (February 2, 1695, Verdun - January 24, 1769, Paris) was a French general. ... Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie (19 October 1718–30 March 1804) was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France. ...

The next day saw the Hanoverian army holding on a line from Hamelin to Voremberg. Their right flank was anchored on the Hamel river and the Hastenbach creek. The center of the Hanoverian front was deployed north of the town of Hastenbeck and an artillery battery was situated on high ground behind the town. The Hanoverian left consisted of two entrenched batteries with grenadier battalions protecting the guns. The left flank was anchored on the Obensburg. Cumberland made the mistake in assuming the hill to be impassable to formed troops and deployed a meagre three Jäger companies on its the summit, effectively leaving the Hanoverian left flank in the air.

General Chevert was ordered to flank the Hanoverian position with four brigades containing troops from Picardy, la Marine, Navarre and Eu. At 09.00 hours this force advanced toward the Obensburg in three battalion columns and quickly overwhelmed the Jägers. The Duke of Cumberland, seeing his position threatened from the rear, ordered his reserves and the grenadier battalions protecting the guns to recapture the Obensburg. The use of these grenadier battalions in the counterattack on the Obensburg meant they were no longer available in the center when the main French attacks went in against the Hanoverian center. wazzup Categories: | ...

The French main attack consisted out of general d'Armentieres' attack against Voremberg with five brigades of infantry plus four regiments of dismounted dragoons. At the same time, the French center assaulted the battery immediately north of it. The Hanoverian grand battery was able to repulse several of the French attacks but eventually the guns were overrun. When the Hanoverian reserve infantry arrived on the Obensburg, they were able to turn the tide momentarily, but as the Duke of Cumberland had begun to withdraw his army, they were unable to maintain the now isolated position for long.

During the battle Hastenbeck was almost completely destroyed, only the church, the manse and the farm house were not destroyed.