Battle of Pfaffenhofen
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pfaffenhofen was fought on April 15, 1745 between France and Austria. The Austrians under Karl Josef Batthyány
defeated the outnumbered French under General Ségur, ending the war in Bavaria.
, Prince-elector
of Bavaria and Holy Roman Emperor, in his capital Munich
. Here he died 3 months later.
His 18-year-old son and heir Maximilian III Joseph wavered between the Peace-party, led by his mother Maria Amalia of Austria
and Army Commander Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff and the War-party, led by Foreign Minister General Ignaz von Törring and the French envoy Chavigny.
This hampered the ongoing peace negotiations, so Maria Theresia ordered the Austrian Army to start a new offensive to put pressure on the Bavarian negotiators. Amberg
and Vilshofen
were taken and the Bavarian army under Törring and its French, Hessian and Palatinate allies were pushed on the defensive.
Törring decided to pull back his Bavarian and Hessian troops behind the Lech River
.
The French Army commander Henri François de Ségur
was not informed of this manoeuver and waited unaware and unprotected near Pfaffenhofen on Palatinate reinforcements under General Zastrow, which arrived on April 14. The next day Segur decided to also pull back behind the Lech.
The Austrians, aware of the isolated French position, had by then reached Pfaffenhofen with a force larger than the French.
But the Austrians took the town in house-to-house combat in which the fierce Croatian Pandurs
inflicted heavy casualties on the French defenders.
Meanwhile, François de Ségur had hastily improvised a defensive position around a hill west of the city. But, when more and more Austrian troops, including the main force under Batthyány, reached the battlefield, de Ségur was forced twice to withdraw his army, to avoid encirclement. When the sign for a general withdrawal was given, panic broke out amongst the
Palatinate troops and they fled. de Ségur had the greatest difficulty in preventing the panic spreading amongst his French troops.
The retreating army was harassed by the Pandur
and Hussar
light cavalry, which inflicted many casualties.
Only after the French and Palatinates had crossed the Paar
river at Hohenwart
at 18:00, the Austrians gave up their pursuit. The defeated army reached Rain on the Lech
the next day at 11:00 at set up camp. But the next morning the Austrian army appeared and the allies fled over the Lech River, leaving all its material behind. Only the burning down of the bridge prevented a total disaster for the allies.
de Ségur had lost many troops and material, but his maintenance of discipline had prevented the total destruction of his army.
One week later, Maximilian III Joseph concluded the Treaty of Füssen
with Austria.
Maximilian recognized the Pragmatic Sanction
. He also abandoned his father's claims on Bohemia and the imperial crown and promised to support the imperial candidacy of Maria Theresa's husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine
, who in fact became the next Emperor on September 13, 1745.
The Battle of Pfaffenhofen eliminated Bavaria-Bohemia as one of the four theaters of War the Austrians had to fight on, releasing troops for the war in Silesia
, Italy and the Austrian Netherlands.
Karl Josef Batthyány
Count Karl Josef Batthyány of Németújvár was a Hungarian-Austrian general and field marshal. He served as ban of Croatia from 1743 to 1756.Károly József Batthyány was born 1697 as a son of the Hungarian count Ádám Batthyány...
defeated the outnumbered French under General Ségur, ending the war in Bavaria.
Prelude
In October 1744, the Franco-Bavarian army had succeeded, in coordination with Prussia, to expel the Austrians from Bavaria, and to reinstate Charles VIICharles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
, Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Bavaria and Holy Roman Emperor, in his capital Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Here he died 3 months later.
His 18-year-old son and heir Maximilian III Joseph wavered between the Peace-party, led by his mother Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and Army Commander Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff and the War-party, led by Foreign Minister General Ignaz von Törring and the French envoy Chavigny.
This hampered the ongoing peace negotiations, so Maria Theresia ordered the Austrian Army to start a new offensive to put pressure on the Bavarian negotiators. Amberg
Amberg
Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
and Vilshofen
Vilshofen an der Donau
Vilshofen an der Donau is a town in the German district of Passau.-Demographics:ReligionThe population of Vislhofen is overwhelmingly Christian. In Vilshofen there is a Catholic Church, a Protestant Church and a new Apostolic Church...
were taken and the Bavarian army under Törring and its French, Hessian and Palatinate allies were pushed on the defensive.
Törring decided to pull back his Bavarian and Hessian troops behind the Lech River
Lech River
The Lech is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube in length with a drainage basin of .Its source is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the Alps at an altitude of...
.
The French Army commander Henri François de Ségur
Henri François de Ségur
Henri François, comte de Ségur, baron de Romainville et de Ponchat, seigneur de Fougueyrolles was a French general....
was not informed of this manoeuver and waited unaware and unprotected near Pfaffenhofen on Palatinate reinforcements under General Zastrow, which arrived on April 14. The next day Segur decided to also pull back behind the Lech.
The Austrians, aware of the isolated French position, had by then reached Pfaffenhofen with a force larger than the French.
The battle
First the Austrians attacked the town of Pfaffenhofen and were met by French fire.But the Austrians took the town in house-to-house combat in which the fierce Croatian Pandurs
Pandurs
The Pandurs were Croatian Austrian frontier soldiers, who inhabited the areas of the Kingdom of Croatia and Military Frontier, and fought not only in the East-Turkish front, but also in the West-European front. They were a non-linear army, made out mainly of Croats...
inflicted heavy casualties on the French defenders.
Meanwhile, François de Ségur had hastily improvised a defensive position around a hill west of the city. But, when more and more Austrian troops, including the main force under Batthyány, reached the battlefield, de Ségur was forced twice to withdraw his army, to avoid encirclement. When the sign for a general withdrawal was given, panic broke out amongst the
Palatinate troops and they fled. de Ségur had the greatest difficulty in preventing the panic spreading amongst his French troops.
The retreating army was harassed by the Pandur
Pandur
Pandur can refer to:* Pandurs, Balkan Slavic guerrilla fighters* Pandur, an armoured personnel carrier:* Pandur I 6x6* Pandur II 8x8* The Sumerian term for long-necked lutes...
and Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
light cavalry, which inflicted many casualties.
Only after the French and Palatinates had crossed the Paar
Paar
The Paar is a river in Germany and a right tributary of the Danube. For several tens of kilometers it flows parallel to the Lech, at only a few km distance. Near Augsburg, the Paar leaves the Lech valley and turns north-east towards Ingolstadt. It flows into the Danube near Vohburg...
river at Hohenwart
Hohenwart
Hohenwart is a municipality in the district of Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria in Germany....
at 18:00, the Austrians gave up their pursuit. The defeated army reached Rain on the Lech
Rain (Lech)
Rain is a municipality in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Lech, close to its confluence with the Danube, 11 km east of Donauwörth....
the next day at 11:00 at set up camp. But the next morning the Austrian army appeared and the allies fled over the Lech River, leaving all its material behind. Only the burning down of the bridge prevented a total disaster for the allies.
de Ségur had lost many troops and material, but his maintenance of discipline had prevented the total destruction of his army.
Consequences
The day after the defeat, Törring was dismissed and the Peace-party prevailed.One week later, Maximilian III Joseph concluded the Treaty of Füssen
Treaty of Füssen
The Peace of Füssen was a peace treaty signed at Füssen, Bavaria, between the Electorate of Bavaria and Habsburg Austria. Signed on 22 April 1745, it ended the participation of Bavaria on the French side in the War of the Austrian Succession.-Background:...
with Austria.
Maximilian recognized the Pragmatic Sanction
Pragmatic sanction
A pragmatic sanction is a sovereign's solemn decree on a matter of primary importance and has the force of fundamental law. In the late history of the Holy Roman Empire it referred more specifically to an edict issued by the Emperor....
. He also abandoned his father's claims on Bohemia and the imperial crown and promised to support the imperial candidacy of Maria Theresa's husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, who in fact became the next Emperor on September 13, 1745.
The Battle of Pfaffenhofen eliminated Bavaria-Bohemia as one of the four theaters of War the Austrians had to fight on, releasing troops for the war in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Italy and the Austrian Netherlands.