Battle of Kunersdorf 1759
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 12 August 1759 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1759 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Poland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Seven Years' War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Archduchy of Austria, Prussia, Russian Empire | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 52.3531, 14.6128 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Kunersdorf occurred on 12 August 1759 near Kunersdorf (now Kunowice, Poland) immediately east of Frankfurt an der Oder. Part of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War, the battle involved over 100,000 men. An Allied army commanded by Pyotr Saltykov and Ernst Gideon von Laudon that included 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians defeated Frederick the Great's army of 50,900 Prussians.
The terrain complicated battle tactics for both sides, but the Russians and the Austrians, having arrived in the area first, were able to overcome many of its difficulties by strengthening a causeway between two small ponds. They had also devised a solution to Frederick's deadly modus operandi, the oblique order. Although Frederick's troops initially gained the upper hand in the battle, his limited scouting, combined with the strong defensive preparations of the Allied troops, gave the Russians and Austrians an advantage. By afternoon, when the combatants were exhausted, fresh Austrian troops thrown into the fray secured the Allied victory.
This was the only time in the Seven Years' War that the Prussian Army, under Frederick's direct command, disintegrated into an undisciplined mass.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Kunersdorf (revision 1380516441), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Frankfurt an der Oder 1631 · 4 km
- Battle of Lubusz (1239) 1239 · 10 km
- Siege of Lubusz 1012 · 10 km
- Battle of the Oder–Neisse 1945 · 23 km
- Battle of the Seelow Heights 1945 · 25 km
- Siege of Küstrin 1758 · 26 km
Other battles of the Seven Years' War
- Cherbourg raid 1758
- Raid on St Malo 1758
- Siege of Küstrin 1758
- Siege of Madras 1758
- Siege of Olomouc 1758
- Battle of Beauport 1759
- Battle of Bergen (1759) 1759
- Battle of Chinsurah 1759
- Battle of Fort Niagara 1759
- Battle of Frisches Haff 1759
All 102 battles of the Seven Years' War →
Browse more: battles in Poland · Europe · Early modern battles