Frederick's Mistakes After the First Silesian War

[Lord Thesaurian]

For those of you familiar with Frederick II of Prussia, or Frederick the Great, I pose a hypothetical question: Did Frederick's apathetic attitude during the first Silesian War lead to the Austrian and French threats being as severe as they were during the Seven Years War? In other words, did Frederick, in your opinion, fail to take the inititive and crush the Austrian empire, or, once he halted his advance into Lower Silesia, did he deal too leniently with the French and allow them to take the upper hand in the peace settlement that ultimately resulted in Charles V being crowned a puppet Holy Roman Emperor?

[hellas1]

Hi Legio,

I can say that Austria at this time was busy on 2 fronts.

Given that Frederick had time to move decisively regarding this war, I believe that looking into the man's character & political ties "framed" his next move.

Remember, Frederick was no fool. He campaigned with Prince Eugene of Savoy, buddy of Churchill: Duke of Marlborough, i.e. Undefeated in battle & participant in over 26 sieges. I'm sure that Eugene talked with the man regarding politics as well as war and perhaps, no probably, spoke about a whole lot more.

P.S. Consider his character in dealing Maria Theresa later on in his life. This man HAD principles but what set him off, to war that is, is rather complex, man.


Just some food for thought,
hellas1

[Prince of Darkness]

Frederick's only purpose to fight Austria was to get Silesia, which allowed him to take full control of the Oder trade and gain access to the province's rich mineral and agricultural resources.
Prussia actually fought two wars during the War of the Austrian Succession, the first Silesian war(1740-42) and the second (1744-45).
In the first Silesian war the Prussians found out that although their infantry was much better than the Austrians, their cavalry and artillery departments were much left to be desired. In Mollwitz Frederick's numerically-superior army was close to being defeated with all their cavalry defeated and flanks exposed. Frederick ran away mid-battle, but thanks of Marshal Schwerin's heroic efforts the day was saved. In the next battle Chotusitz the Prussians also suffered heavy casualities (though their cavalry performed better), which led to a conclusion of peace. Frederick acknowleged the fact that his country was still too weak to face the Austrian empire alone, so peace was the immediate solution.

[konny]

Did Frederick's apathetic attitude during the first Silesian War lead to the Austrian and French threats being as severe as they were during the Seven Years War?
In other words, did Frederick, in your opinion, fail to take the inititive and crush the Austrian empire, or, once he halted his advance into Lower Silesia, did he deal too leniently with the French and allow them to take the upper hand in the peace settlement that ultimately resulted in Charles V being crowned a puppet Holy Roman Emperor?

I am not sure what you mean here, but France and Austria were at war and Frederick allied to France. He did not have the intention to destroy, or even seriously weaken Austria, strengthen France, or otherwise change the major coordinates of European politics. His only goal was to grap Silesia.

Concerning Charles VII (Charles V already was rotten for some 200 years), I remember that indeed crowning Frederick German king had been an option but he refused because

- it would have been difficult to get a majority with the mostly
Catholic electors for a Protestant king,
- this was nothing but an empty title if not backed up by a serious household power
- it did earn you more trouble than anything and rather was a prestige, or confirmation for already being the biggest fish in the pond
- it was considered a hereditary right by Habsburg, means everyone else calling himself "Kaiser" would have had to fight it out all-or-nothing with Austria.

In short, this was a suicide mission and Charles of Bavaria the only idiot the French could find for the job - may be, he didn't care because he already was playing chess with the grim reaper.

[Frederich Barbarossa]

it was during the 2nd silesian war in which he sought out the improvement and developement of better artillery. Like he said "The Army with the best artillery always wins."

[Lord Thesaurian]

There is no doubt Frederick had a firm grasp of the "limited aim," but that is what I'm referring to. Fredrick must surely have known that by snubbing Maria Theresa in his opposition to her position as empress, and by taking advantage of her vulnerable political situation and snatching Silesia, he was creating an embittered enemy. Besides, Frederick hated Maria Theresa (mostly because he had serious reservations about powerful women) and when she managed to wrest from him his alliance with the French, his situation would have become all too obvious. Once the Russians and Swedes became a threat, Prussia was surrounded.

What I am wondering is why a very competent ruler such as Frederick would not have more thoroughly punished Austria and backed Charles V more ardently, thus cementing his relationship with the French (who felt abandoned by the Prussians when Charles V was so easily deposed) and setting himself up as a major power on the Continent (much like the "elder statesman" we see in Frederick's later years). Do any of you know of any significant events of figures which dissuaded him from pressing his gains, or did Frederick really not see the disaster he was helping to create for himself?

As for the Prussian military, the foot was the best in the world. Though the cavalry were somewhat lacking in quality, the "Hussar King" Zeiten saw them to many crucial triumphs during the Seven Years War. Frederick, who more than once fled in the face of difficulty, was blessed with many admirable subordinates in the Prussian officer corps. Frederick was a philosopher, poet, misanthrope and Francophile who saw his own people as backward and inferior and who found war incredibly boring and depressing. It is for this reason I often wonder how he earned the name "Great," and yet, as the savior and shepherd of his country, it is well-deserved.