This war involved Prussia, France, Austria, Britain, and other powers vying for influence over the Habsburg throne. Key engagements are studied through 18th-century military maps, uniform guides, and period reports, alongside site reconnaissance to explore battlefield positioning, tactical doctrines, and terrain influence on outcomes.
🪖 Museum Artefacts →
The Battle of Chotusitz (17 May 1742) was Frederick the Great’s hardest-won early victory — a chaotic, bloody battle that secured Silesia but exposed deep weaknesses in Prussian command and coordination. Frederick’s maintenance of a fresh reserve to be committed at the decisive moment was a lesson that stayed with him as a commander.
The Battle of Fontenoy, fought on 11 May 1745, was a major battle during the War of the Austrian Succession. A French army of ~50,000 under Marshal Maurice de Saxe against a coalition force of ~50,000 British, Dutch, Hanoverian, and Austrian troops led by the Duke of Cumberland. The result was a decisive French victory!.