The Battle of Chotusitz, 1742 ⚔️ | Frederick the Great's First Silesian War (1740-1742)

On the evening of May 16, 1742, Frederick II, King of Prussia and his 10.000-strong army set up camp somewhere in Bohemia. The men lit their campfires and began cooking, while Frederick talked strategy with his officers. Then, a messenger suddenly entered the camp. His horse out of breath, he handed Frederick a letter written by his general marching with the remainder of his army, around one day’s march behind him.
The day before Frederick passed a minor Austrian encampment nearby the town of Chotusitz. Thinking nothing of it, he continued his march. This letter, however, revealed the encampment they passed wasn’t minor. It housed a 28.000-strong Habsburg army, chasing Frederick. His general urged him to turn around immediately, as there was no doubt in his mind his army would face battle at the break of dawn.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:01 After the Battle of Mollwitz
7:23 The Battle of Chotusitz
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The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.
Thank you for taking the time to check out House of History, I hope you will find the films informative, interesting and enjoyable!
If you have any feedback, questions or criticism feel free to leave a comment. Your opinion truly aids me in improving the content of the channel! If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I will either write a reply, answer your question in a Q&A video, or make an entire video about it!
Sources:
Blanning, Tim. Frederick the Great: King of Prussia. Penguin UK, 2015.
Clark, Christopher M. Iron kingdom: the rise and downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947. Harvard University Press, 2006.
Duffy, Christopher. Frederick the Great: a military life. Routledge, 2015.
Fraser, David. Frederick the Great: King of Prussia. Penguin Uk, 2000.
Written by House of History
Music courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Cinematic footage is from Total War: Empire recorded by House of History.
Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons
#HouseofHistory #History

[@Friedrich2DerGrosse]

13:44 "I don't give a f*ck about titles, so long as i get the territory." Based Frederick

[@thebabylonian109]

😂😂

[@Friedrich2DerGrosse]

Frederick after betraying pretty much every side on the war: "We do a little bit of trollin'"

[@zurgesmiecal]

world fu*ed Fridrich when he was young so Fridrich decided to fu* the world when he was adult

[@frederickiithegreat4903]

Hello there

[@Friedrich2DerGrosse]

@@frederickiithegreat4903 Brother?

[@Friedrich2DerGrosse]

@@frederickiithegreat4903 I noticed i fucked up a "General Kenobi" forgive me 😭

[@thebabylonian109]

"What? You have NOT read Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico? Cannot be allies with people like this! They get what they deserve."

[@1987MartinT]

I'm hoping you'll cover Frederick's other battles. An entire series on his career would be awesome.

[@MM22966]

Let us take a moment to salute Charles' moral fortitude to say "we lost" amidst the uncertainty, smoke, dust, the cacophony of battle, and the risk of being labelled a coward to pull out his army out before they got completely rolled up from the flank and wiped out. Austrians, whether facing a Fredrick, a Napoleon, or a Brusilov, are usually cast as history's fall guy & punching bag. But it doesn't mean they didn't have courage - ALL kinds of courage.

[@thebabylonian109]

Indeed, he did his job well. A lot of intricacies concerning open field engagements during this period were about positioning (think chess players), so it was very important for veteran commanders to admit when they were outmaneuvered. Otherwise the soldiers would lose respect for them and run away even more quickly the next time.

[@KHK001]

Great been waiting for this one! great as always

[@HoH]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@comeing7]

I really love this prussian series ! thanks for that great work

[@HoH]

Glad to hear it!

[@dzpower189]

Thanks for the video

[@isaacio8924]

A very interesting video. I often watch Kings and Generals and Invicta, and so I am grateful that I stumbled upon your channel.

[@chimochills]

Excellent video. Enjoyed it very much.

[@ScottymanT]

I stumbled upon your channel via History Marche, and I was excited to see videos regarding Frederick the Great as it's a time in history I have been interested in learning about for a little while and you present it brilliantly I cant wait to see more videos on him! You had a question at the end of the video about specific time / or event suggestions and I noticed a lot of your videos are focused on modern history I'd love to see videos regarding Vietnam the political and military campaigns.

[@HoH]

That's a great suggestion. I hope to find the time to cover it in the future. Slowly but surely I am moving to more modern-era events. 😉

[@ScottymanT]

Fantastic :) absolutely no rush! I have subscribed and waiting for the continuation of Frederick the Great's videos, In time I will watch your other videos also.

[@Jesse_Dawg]

Loving this series!

[@nateconley6432]

Excellent video keep doing Fredericks battles awesome content keep up the great work

[@anglowarrior7970]

Another Awesome Video on the Series 💚

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nice video. It's always nice to know more about lesser known historical events.

[@hardilaziz6577]

You are Brilliant my Friend 👍

[@IVAN-zm8pz]

Bro the way you narate give me chills on my back, AWSOME.

[@kcharles8857]

As entertaining as it is informative. Great stuff.

[@szalard]

I like that you make videos and series about events little known for the wide public.

[@Hy-jg8ow]

Loved it, thanks! The only critical observation I have is with the sound: the music tends to overwhelm the narration at times.

[@HoH]

Sorry about that. Noted!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

A wonderful history coverage about Fredericks Battle in 1742

[@LiveinReykjavik]

Astonishing, as always! I really adore your channel, became my favorite really fast. Always wondered, if I may ask, where are you from?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I recommend you do the other battles of this war, from Cartagena in South America to Fontenoy in Belgium.

[@deadnconfused7982]

Watching your videos make me want to play some many turn based and rts games.

[@amtmannb.4627]

More accurate pictures of the Austrian uniforms would be nice for example. Many Austrian regiments didn't had lapels on their white uniforms at that moment in the war. But I see that Empire TW is a not too complex tool to get battle scenes into a video. It would be nice to see videos about the Italian and other theaters of war of the WAS as well. I would recommend to look into my blog which reflects a lot about the larger (and smaller) battles such as Piacenza or Bassignana for example. It's great to see your interest in the wars of the mid 18th century.

[@HoH]

Do you have any suggestions what mods to use (Empire: TW)? I am not much of a gamer and even figuring out how to record these scenes took quite some time. I installed Darthmod, but I don't think that overhauled the uniform graphics.

[@paronzoda]

Real great series. Love learning about the Prussians. I would love to have a series about the Swedes. A Patreon I will become.

[@ajthelwell6357]

im not sure if it has been done on this channel as im new but The Battle of Bosworth would be a great topic imo to animate in your sstyle

[@xjuliussx]

we would like to know more about britain campaign in europe in that period. I search on youtube and there is not much reference to few great battles that british generals gave to counterparts, battles like: Blenheim 1704 The Duke of Marlborough's masterpiece , Ramillies 1706 Marlborough's tactical masterpiece

[@dawnsparrow4477]

Nice historical coverage of this issue which mobilized due to complications of several interferes

[@anglowarrior7970]

Could u make a discord for your channel? it would be amazing :3

[@HoH]

I don't use Discord, perhaps in the future!

[@anglowarrior7970]

@@HoH U should make one!

[@AdityaSingh-iz5zs]

Today I re-watched battle of chotusitz and realized that how a marvelous work made it easy to understand a massive mess.

[@emisat8970]

It's really interesting how some of these battles feel like Napoleonic ones without the tools that Napoleon had. All the ingredients are there. Pinning an enemy force, reinforcements arriving screened by a natural curtain like a river or mountains (or in Napoleon's case, his light cavalry screen), then sending them in en masse on the flank to force them to refuse that flank, leaving the center open for a rupture.

[@quiciky]

More of thiz pls.

[@stefanioansbarcea8948]

I'm pretty sure there are some very well made Empire total war mods to use for these series that portray accurately the armies of the time. Unless you think it's too much hassle , it you make for a nice touch to include scenes made with them😉

[@HoH]

I will have to look into how to install those mods. I am not a gamer and figuring out how to record Total War in itself was a hassle already. Thanks for the suggestion, it's good to know there are things like that out there!

[@imoutofideas8515]

​@@HoH empire 2 is great also if you wanna game its a good mod

[@patricklioneljonson2747]

Great series, I'm enjoying every video so far. Unfortunately, the extra history channel has decided to do their own version of Frederick the Great. Definitely not a historically accurate version.

[@Sindrewino]

Great video! I have some constructive criticism about your gestures. Your right hand is moving up and down, in rhythm with your speech. Repetitive gestures can be a nuisance and distraction for some. Maybe you want to do something about that:) Cheers!

[@Chris-mf1rm]

Very good overall. Especially on the strategic picture and on the Battle. The graphics need work though. The flags are completely wrong, the pre-battle columns are too broad and in the wrong order, and bayonet fighting was practically unheard of in open battle.

[@HoH]

What do you mean by the flags being wrong? I used the many (academic) sources available regarding the pre-battle columns. Many of which base themselves on Frederick's personal drawings recounting the battle. Of course, there will always be unique interpretations and mistakes, especially because fighting is chaotic and post-fact accounts undoubtedly differ from each other and from reality. There is always room for improvement, so please let me know if you have any other sources.

[@fangexploring]

This is great, I really enjoyed it. I tried to find out more about Federick's battles but books I borrowed from the library only mentioned them in passing. Thanks for filling the gap. :D kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbOkoCPp76Ehpo But why were the Austrians repeatedly surprised by Federick's appearance when some of them welcomed him. Or did you mean Prussian soldiers welcomed him? In hindsight, was it really wise of Federick to betray his allies multiple times... Alliances back then seem so flimsy The soldiers animations on the battlefield look nice. I haven't seen them in any other history videos.

[@HoH]

My comment about the large body of Austrians welcoming him is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek remark. It was one of the first things he saw as he arrived at the battlefield. I am glad you enjoyed the video and like the animations - I create all of it myself!

[@thebabylonian109]

Ohh dude, more videos coming. And it was NOT wise to betray his allies (especially the way he did it, which was very callous and blatantly showed now empathy for his peers), he and the people of Prussia paid very, very dearly for it later.

[@aarondemiri486]

ah dear old fritz at it again good to see

[@flap3869]

Ahhh... makes me want to play some total ware empire

[@scottanos9981]

Naval battles make me not want to. Such a waste of time lol

[@rodneyhighwaystar1]

great seige of Malta!

[@alenigmar7325]

Subtitulos por favor

[@beepboop204]

👍

[@gerardjagroo]

Ok ok, don't bite my head off! I'm a big admirer of Fritz too. But does anyone think that Frederick made a huge blunder by playing so fast and loose with his alliances?!

[@dorussio]

I applaud the effort. You should know though, that infantry square was a rather rare formation, used against cavalry charges. So I am baffled by what do you mean when you say that Frederick deployed his infantry squares before charging. Because, if there is one thing you are not able to do while in a square formation, that is charge (or hardly move at all without breaking the formation). Also, the second time Frederick was more entitled to abandon the alliance with France. After the first betrayal, France was skeptical, sent only poorly trained troops in Bohemia, and the commanders were advised not to trust or combine with the prussian army. Frederick did advise them what would the best maneuvers be, but they were so untrusting of him, that they boggled down in minor fighting with the austrians. That is when the prussian king was convinced that this campaign has no perspective, and agreed to peace talks.

[@thebabylonian109]

Remember that after the war the Austrians, French, Saxons, Bavarians, and Russians all started talking to each other. So all of Frederick's broken promises, secret discussions, and broken treaties became known to everyone, which was not good for Freddy.

[@sergueiothonucci1638]

😃

[@generaltso8278]

Turn up the yolume

[@BillHimmel]

Charles of Lorraine was the best General Frederick had!😂

[@bkprimo1]

Who ever decided to use the machine gun sound effect for this battle should be removed from a decision making position. Wow…

[@HoH]

It's a musket sound 😂 and I created it myself

[@bkprimo1]

@@HoH That’s what I would expect from you, attention to detail. Problem was that the firing would not be in such wonderful syncopation manually as opposed to the digital reproduction. Hence it sounds more akin to a machine gun burst as oppose to a musket volley, even one’s executed by well drilled Prussian infantrymen. The human collective and body doesn’t have that fine Swiss like precision. Your detailed approach is heartening and you put all of yourself in these productions. Please do not take my criticism to heart. I’m a huge fan. Bravo! 🎉

[@thebigone6071]

Awwww yeah imma from da hood an I love deez history vids tho dem lit af my g pow pow pow dayum 🙏🏿👍🏿💯

[@ryanstewart8157]

What…?

[@thebigone6071]

Ryan Stewart holla back at yo boy tho pew pew pew my g shawty u kno it I be fiendin fo deez history vids real talk!!!!

[@2russo.phobic4u]

@@thebigone6071 fo shizzle my fizzle

[@thebigone6071]

Otto Von Pissmarck bang bang my dawg

[@krisiankov6069]

think about how in the future someone will make same video named the battle of Kyiv,2022 and future people will be watching it(if the madman didn't nuke the world)

[@zurgesmiecal]

nah I think they have Biden under control so he can't accidentally sleep off and hit the button with his forehead

[@zurgesmiecal]

would be nice if Saxony would have get Silesia instead

[@ryanjuguilon213]

Tjey wiuld have fucked it up. Imagine having the industrial resources of upper saxony and thuringia but you manged to get eclipsed by impoverished brandenburg?

[@joeljmmp4456]

King IN Prussia, not OF…

[@jurgschupbach3059]

Machsuschlafmanibullisasionmachickhaushock