The Rhineland Campaigns- the Election of the Holy Roman Emperor

1714- The Karabiniergarde had led raids into Alsace-Lorraine throughout the summer, steering clear of the garrison city of Strasbourg to ravage small-scale industrial and mining towns. The troops stationed there were unable to cope- stripped of most of its numbers the previous winter due to the failed assault on Stuttgart, the French’s priority was ensuring that the Saxons did not think the city made a tempting target, and when they did attempt to respond the clumsy movements of a mostly-infantry army were easily outwitted by mounted men gaining in experience and confidence all the time. However, despite the damage caused Louis XIV knew that the Saxons could not take the offensive against the French or their allies until Stuttgart was properly secured from attack- if Pirngruber marched west, the Westphalians would make a severe nuisance of themselves, but of course if he went north even the depleted French could launch a surprise raid that might end in some victory. No, Saxon aggression was tempered until Smeltzer and the rest of the Wolf regiments managed to redeploy back west, giving the French a window to scramble troops and reinforce the Alsace-Lorraine area. The problem was that no one on the Allied-French side knew how quickly that was going to happen.

Smeltzer had already put a lot of miles on his men’s boots, marching back to Dresden, then pursuing the Poles before finally defeating them outside Prague. Messengers kept him informed on the situation in Württemberg, particularly the progress of the 3rd siege of Stuttgart, and the general and his staff knew that the army was needed on the Rhineland as quickly as possible. After peace with Poland, he rallied his jaded army by relaying (and embellishing) the heroic exploits of Pirngruber and his men, of how badly the men were needed to help their comrades, and finally that they were marching straight away. In a calculated piece of theatre, he and his staff dismissed their horses and indicated they would be marching on foot with the rest of the men to “invoke the Spirit of Caesar”- coming from a rich family, Smeltzer was well aware of the legendary Roman general and had studied his writings at school, so was consciously borrowing a trick or two in motivation from the old master.

It worked marvellously. Leaving the 6th Irish to garrison Prague, the Wolves set off and made progress through the country, stopping only for supplies and reinforcements. By the winter of 1714 they had arrived east of Mainz, Westphalia, and linked up with the KG who had withdrawn into friendly territory for the winter. The Dragoons also brought news of troop movements to Smeltzer- the Westphalians’ guards, the Behr regiment, were seen on exercises around the city of Mainz, and Smeltzer could not resist the opportunity to cause a bit of panic in the enemy’s ranks by inflicting an easy defeat on some of their best troops.

The Behrs were cut off from help by the swift riding of the KG, and were cut down by massed volleys from the Saxon infantry. Evidently Westphalia and France were taken completely by surprise by the rapid march of Smeltzer- reinforcements for Strasburg were nowhere near ready, and the Westphalians would have never let their best regiment become so isolated near the front line if they had known of the presence of enemy troops. The Archbishop of Mainz knew immediately that there was only going to be one winner in this contest and threw open the city’s gates, pledging his allegiance to Saxony as he did so.



This ambush near Mainz was an indicator as to how unprepared the Westphalians were for this new phase of the Rhineland campaigns, but had another interesting knock on effect. A few days after, the ruler of Austria, de jure King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I died after a fall from his horse whilst touring the extensive Schonbrunn Palace grounds- he was 74 years old, but he had still insisted on gentle rides and walks in order to maintain an Imperial air until the unfortunate end. His eldest son, Joseph I, now took the Austrian throne, and called for the election for the King of the Romans- Hapsburgs had won this election for hundreds of years and Joseph believed that the trend would continue for at least his inevitable coronation with Austria’s faithful ally Saxony controlling two of the votes in the electoral college.


The Schonbrunn Palace today in the heart of Vienna, where Leopold died. It has extensive gardens the public may wander for free, as well as a reasonably-price tour of the palace itself with guides.

The powers in Europe, however, were more concerned with the new potential outcome of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France still pushed for his second son to become King of Spain, but the Hapsburg claimant was now ruler of a still powerful realm, despite a defeat to Poland and grinding progress in Italy against France. Joseph was at least smart enough to realise that none of the neutral parties in Europe such as Great Britain and Prussia could stomach a joined Hapsburg empire in much the same way they were against a united Bourbon crown. Therefore, with the advice of his ministers he proclaimed that upon taking the throne he would renounce his claim on the Spanish crown, and put forward his younger brother Charles forward as an alternative candidate “In order to ensure the sovereignty of the Spanish peoples”- the Spanish peoples, of course, not having been asked what they thought about the whole mess. France rejected this new proclamation immediately, Louis still dreaming of the Spanish empire under his command, and furthermore reiterated their support for sovereign state of Westphalia, and the exiled rulers of Württemberg and Bavaria against the “tyranny of Austria and her allies, the Wolf-like Saxons”. So the War of the Spanish Succession would continue into its 9th, and quite possibly 10th year of fighting.

To Joseph, this was not unexpected in the slightest. What he did not count on, however, was the sheer extent of his ally’s magpie-like thirst for titles and glory.

It has been seen before that August’s compulsion for crowns could land him in trouble, and here once again politicians such as Gauss could only watch in horror as their Elector proceeded to make a move for the greatest of crowns regardless of others’ wishes. The electoral college consisted of the King of Bohemia, still by inheritance the eldest Hapsburg’s title despite a Saxon garrison in Prague, the Duke of Saxony, August I, the Duke of Bavaria, also August’s vote to exercise, the Margrave of Brandenburg, controlled by the King In Prussia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Archbishop of Cologne, both nominally controlled by the rulers of Westphalia, and the Archbishop of Mainz and Trier, independent bishops within Westphalia’s territory. The final Elector was that of Hannover, who was also the King of Britain. The college convened in Vienna after Leopold’s funeral, and set about the election of the new Holy Roman Emperor as their forefathers had done for many years previously all the way back to Carolingian times. However, despite Joseph’s confidence that he was going to be elected without hassle, this was going to be the most extraordinary conclave of electors for many years. The Archbishop of Cologne, and the Count of the Rhine, ruler of Westphalia, was becoming a very bitter enemy to both Austria and Saxony, and made contact with Frederick William I, the new (relatively- ascended early 1714) and suitably ambitious ruler of Prussia, promising their votes to him if Prussia would help safeguard Westphalian sovereignty. Frederick appears to have accepted on the condition that they break with their alliance with France so that external powers do not become involved in German affairs whilst the Saxo-Austrian-Westphalian dispute would be hypothetically be sorted out. Three votes to Prussia, then, but Austria could count on the rest of the votes to secure the Imperial crown, couldn’t they?

Unknown to the Prussian supporters and Austria, August was making his own clandestine arrangements to deliver the greatest title of all into his hands- Emperor. The Archbishop of Mainz had met with August and pleaded with him not to allow Smeltzer to billet his men in the city before the funeral, to which August graciously gave his assent in return for a vote for Saxony in the election. Three votes for Saxony, then, so far but August was not finished yet. He met with the Elector of Hannover, George I of Great Britain, and convinced him that Austria’s time as the dominant force in German politics was coming to an end. France was already attempting to exert its influence on Germany, Prussia with its dynamic new king was starting to make rumblings (strangely enough August did not actually know about Westphalia’s pact with Prussia during these negotiations- he was referring to Prussia’s discomfort at Saxony approaching an equal footing in terms of power with itself. The old treaty of technological swaps had fallen by the wayside as Saxony became able to fund its own research into military and industrial activities on a large scale and thus no longer needed it), but Saxony with its regiments had begun to establish itself as a serious force- one that would only grow with the Imperial Crown. August promised to align Saxon interests with Great Britain’s, in that it would strive to ensure no one power would become too great in power on the mainland to ensure domination, and respect Great Britain’s disputed territorial claims in the New World against any potential enemies. The latter promise wouldn’t affect Saxony much in the short term- August had no colonies of that time, but George knew that a man of August’s ambition would certainly look to establish some, and so safeguarded his realm’s land for the future.

And so, when the votes were read out, Joseph was utterly taken aback to have been beaten into third place, with votes from himself as King of Bohemia and from the Archbishop of Trier. The young Prussian king came in second place with three votes from Brandenburg, Cologne, and the Count of the Rhine, but did not care he had lost the race to the title- like his father, Frederick was more interested in more concrete forms of power such as manpower, training and the manipulation of others than an old crown, and this election had taught him a lot about the way some German states could be manipulated against an enemy presented as clamping down on their freedoms. August of Saxony, however, to his utter joy and horror of his ministers, had succeeded in wresting the Imperial Crown away from his Austrian allies for the first time in several hundred years with four votes- two cast by himself as Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, one by the Archbishop of Mainz and a further vote from Hannover.

Joseph was furious. A confrontation with August nearly became a full blown fight, but the two were separated. Johannes Gauss attempted to cool tempers by pointing out that the two states still had to act as allies in the War of the Spanish Succession, lest the French and her allies pose a larger problem than the ownership of the Imperial Title when the crowns of France and Spain were united. The Archduke of Austria demanded the handover of Prague back to his rightful keeping, but August refused, saying that he was protecting it from the Polish, who were still hostile to Austria and had never signed a peace treaty with Leopold. Gauss recalled the rest of the argument in a letter to his wife back in Dresden afterwards-

“The Archduke demanded of our new foolish Emperor by what right was his birth right withheld from him, to which August replied that at present time, Saxon armies were superior to Austria’s, and it was by right of strength. And then, because he seemed to have not known he had gone far enough, he said that Saxon regiments had won the bulk of the meaningful victories in the war, that the balance of power had shifted a little away from Austria, and the elevation of himself to the Imperial Crown merely reflected that. Joseph then forgot all dignity that his titles gave him, such was his fury, and spat at August’s feet, and said “an Imperial crown? No, it is A Crown for the Wolves” before marching away, his followers surrounding him.”

The relationship between Austria and Saxony became very strained- were it not for the War against the French it is entirely possible Joseph would have declared war to regain Prague, but his ministers advised that it would be better to sort out the Spanish Succession first, before demanding Prague once more when Saxon power was at a low ebb. Thus, Austria and Saxony became reluctant allies, and all thanks to the lust for crowns displayed by August.

*****

[This message has been edited by EnemyofJupitor (edited 06-03-2013 @ 01:39 PM).]

[This message has been edited by EnemyofJupitor (edited 06-03-2013 @ 01:41 PM).]

The Rhineland Campaigns- The Battle of Nancy

Winter, 1717- In the north, the rumblings of cannon fire and battle could be heard across the border in Saxon lands. Prussia had marched on Hanover to liberate it, whilst Great Britain harried Swedish shipping. Saxony was “officially” neutral, though ministers in Dresden didn’t know for how long for until the Swedish caught wind of the state-sponsored sabotaging campaign. With the memory of the Poles still fresh in the mind, recruitment began on recruiting more regiments to enable the Saxon military to guard Dresden in the face of a Swedish invasion. Pirngruber and Smeltzer were sent more aggressive orders to bring France to a position where, should Sweden declare war, August and Gauss could pursue peace talks with the new French King that would hopefully end the War of the Spanish Succession (or at least Saxon involvement in it)- there was a strong desire in the capital to avoid two separate wars on two fronts with two powerful enemies, and nervous night time meetings between the Emperor and his cabinet made preparations for the next conflict, studying Swedish army compositions and movements intently. New advancements in artillery and industry were prepared to make sure that Saxony could wipe out the next enemy regiment and pay for the expense afterwards.



In 1718 situation in the north became even more grave- Prussia was soundly beaten in battle, Sweden seemingly had limitless reinforcements forever coming in from Denmark, and had managed to break off British blockade. A protracted land war against Russia had been concluded in Sweden’s favour, and the Swedish King Karl XII could now shuffle great and experienced armies from one side of the Baltic to the other using the largest fleet in the Baltic, and it was this surge of veterans that proved too much for the Prussians. To make things worse, public appetite in Britain for war was flagging, and doubts were being raised as to their ability to execute a decisive action that would bring about victory due to a land war on the Indian sub-continent tieing down most of the British military. With it looking increasingly likely that Sweden’s hold on Hanover would not be broken, the “Big Three” cabinet ministers, Erlanger, Kallenbach and Gauss, all agreed that Sweden would look to expand into even further Germany, and was a threat to Saxony and indeed the Holy Roman Empire itself.

Over in the Rhineland, raiding continued in Alsace-Lorraine all through 1718 by both sides, and it wasn’t until snowy November that the Wolf regiments fought another large-scale set piece battle, when another French army made its way to Nancy, intent on wrecking the economic infrastructure in the area that the Saxons had been profiting off during the year. 2500 Frenchmen, including cannon, grenadiers and some cavalry, marched straight for their target, and Pirngruber was forced to retreat and attempt to link up with reinforcements- his own force was only 1500 men including the KG, which as noted before are not suited for head-on engagement, so the 5th and 8th were sent for from Strasbourg. Unfortunately, the French had cleverly intercepted the reinforcing regiments, and though they had not managed to engage them Pirngruber knew the two regiments would be lost unless he assisted them.



And so, on a crisp winter morning, Pirngruber arrayed his forces to fight what would be one of the major battles of the War of the Spanish Succession. The 1st Royal Regiment was deployed on the left, cannon in the middle, and the 7th on the right. The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the KG were further right still, with instructions to race around the frogs and provide support for the 5th and 8th. (I)

The French opening salvo of artillery was devastating, inflicting losses in the centre(III), so Pirngruber instructed his men to use the rolling hills present on the battlefield as cover from direct fire. The topography of the battlefield meant that the 1st and 7th would have to march separately from each other at too great a distance to provide support for each other, so the KG’s 1st battalion was tasked with neutralising the French cavalry situated on the Saxon left flank that would attempt to take advantage of this. Upon tempting the lancers into a foolhardy charge, the 1st battalion fired their carbines, retreated into a wooded grove, and then countercharged the enemy lancers once all momentum had been lost. Their enemy dispatched with sabre, they then took up the carbine and harried the mass of infantrymen on the great ridge ahead of the 1st (IV). Taking advantage of the distraction, the 1st managed to reach the bottom of the ridge, out of the line of fire and waited until all the pieces were in position.(V) For his part, the French commander, Marc Bagot, decided to keep his forces together as a single unit that would be much easier to control until he could discern the pattern of the battle- the French still had many more muskets and close artillery support than the Saxons, and any thrust by the KG was met by a large volley from the French line regiments.




On the right, the KG reached positions on the flank of the French. The second battalion dismounted and lay down a base of fire (I), whilst the 3rd skipped in and out of effective musket rage, teasing at the seams of the French line (II). The 7th marched slowly to support them, picking their route with care (III), but aimed for a gap in the line formed by the KG’s constant skirmishing. Ahead of them, and behind the French, the 5th and 8th arrived but were harried by enemy cavalry. However, by forming square formation in turn, and with the help of the mobile 3rd battalion of the KG, they managed to close on the French army. (IV)




Pirngruber wrote what happened next in his diaries-

“I received the runner from the artillery battery, the eyes and ears throughout, at my position with the 1st, telling me that the other regiments appeared to be in agreeable positions (I). I sounded a general “Fire at will” order, meaning for all regiments to close to musket range, and trusted that the Karabiniers had managed to relay these instructions on to the reinforcements, or indeed that the commanders would get the general idea from their own observations. Ahead of me, the Royals ran at the slope, meaning the reach the top. Unfortunately, some of the slope was more shallow than other areas, and the 3rd battalion took a few cannonballs to the front. (II) According to my colonels’ reports, the 7th managed to exploit a gap in the French line made by the KG (III), whilst a battalion of the 5th helped finish off the isolated frogs. A final harrying by the enemy lancer corps were dealt with by the usual square (IV), and I think it a shame I could not see the Frog in charge’s face when he realised that he had been encircled as the Royals popped up over the lip of the ridge and opened fire (V).”

Pirngruber had managed to encircle the French on three sides, and coordinate the final attack so that his enemies faced a sudden barrage of missiles from all directions with the best Wolf regiment of the lot suddenly popping up not twenty meters in front of them. Crucially, however, he’d left one side seemingly open- an inviting escape route. Before the French general could issue an order for his troops to counter, either with reforming a line or an en masse bayonet charge on one side to break out of the trap, his men had downed their muskets and fled. The 7th only managed 7 rounds before their quarry started- for the 1st, it was 3. The Breach Stormers immediately led an impetuous charge on whichever French regiments were still standing, whilst Pirngruber kicked his horse into a gallop and joined his Karabiniergarde in hunting the enemy. 8 cannon, 10,000 rounds and a large amount of good soldiers were captured, and only 500 Frenchmen managed to flee the clutches of the Saxons. In contrast, Pirngruber sustained a mere 300 casualties.




The survivors moved were pursued to the foot of the alps, where they managed to double back on themselves and give Pirngruber the slip early 1819, heading back to France via the way they came. However, Nancy was once more to be their undoing, as the Saxons caught up and killed every last one outside the town in a very one-sided engagement.



With France reeling from this total defeat, Smeltzer begged the Secretary of War, August Erlanger, for permission to march on Flanders and the Netherlands. France’s remaining military was concentrated in these areas, and Smeltzer managed to convince his superiors that confronting and defeating the French regiments head on would be the final straw for France, as well as potentially fulfilling the Gauss plan to gain Saxony a port. Two weeks later, Erlanger’s orders were received- both Saxon forces would march north in concert, attempt to take the Netherlands or Flanders if lightly defended and inflict a moral-damaging defeat on the French. Pirngruber and Smeltzer had just the target in their sights- a relatively strong French contingent preparing to defend the Flemish countryside under an inexperienced general lacking artillery support. Should they defeat this last bulwark of French resistance, it was hoped Brussels and Amsterdam would be very much open to attack, France irrevocably weakened and Saxony would be able to enter onto the world stage and not just be confined to central Europe. Things would not quite pan out that way.

*****

[This message has been edited by EnemyofJupitor (edited 07-06-2013 @ 05:58 AM).]

The Swedish Wars- The Battle of Cassel, The Duke of Wurttemberg, The Danish campaign
-Battle of Cassel in winter 1720- Two Saxon armies link up, engage Swedish. Pirngruber dies, Hannover gleefully becomes part of Saxony. 1st (minus their grenadiers), 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, KG, and new Howitzers involved.
-Survivors of Swedish force are perused into Hannover by Smeltzer and then later the KG’s new 2nd.
-Smeltzer “Hero of the Army”. Elevated to Duke of Württemberg 1721 – Non Elector state that is under Saxon Control. Still, a great honour. Rumours Saxony will be raised to a Kingdom.
-March into Danish mainland 1722. Raid ports and towns, and sabotage Copenhagen.

The Kingdom of Saxony and the Resumption of the War of Spanish Succession
-Summer 1723 Johannes Gauss dies, replaced by Franz Werner. Saxony raised to Kingdom, assuming direct control of the lands it holds on the map.
-Winter 1724 France declares war- tries to get to Austria and reclaim A-L.
-Summer 1725 August Erlanger dies. Leopold Sutor raised to General (from the 2nd Saxony?), attacks French raiding Rhineland. Flees in first battle but comes back. Raids near Strasbourg repelled. Smeltzer withdraws to Hannover.

The Swedish Wars- The First battle of Hamburg, the second Danish campaign, and the Conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession- The siege of Amsterdam
-Winter 1725 Swedish Incursion leads to first battle of Hamburg with Smeltzer. First time the Grenadiers of the 1st saw action with the rest of the regiment. 1st KG adopt name “Raven Guard” due to their 1st battalion.
-Sutor sieges Amsterdam. Small relief force made up of Swiss Guard and Grenadiers are joined by garrison, seen off by 2nd, 6th, and 11th. Summer 1725 the city falls. Peace with France.
-Taking of Amsterdam seen as final victory for the War of the Spanish Succession for Austria, though only partial and Pyrrhic. They’ve lost the HRE-ship, quite a lot of their army, and lots of land ruined by it. France and Austria settle on a minor cadet branch of the Hapsburgs getting the throne at GB’s and Saxony’s insistence. Austria refused Bohemia, though- “come back when you can defeat the Poles”.
- 2nd Smeltzer incursion into Denmark.
-Poland takes Hungary, threaten Vienna. Austria beat back 1726-1727. Saxony finally has a port!
-Karl Marx dies, Carcass shot developed summer 1727. Marx’s son takes over treasury. Prussia declares war- massive military, feels threatened by Saxon/Austrian duology. They take Dresden. Prague now capital.

The Swedish War- The 2nd Battle of Hamburg, and the Northern War
-Sweden attack Smeltzer, beaten off.
-1727 Sutor marches to Prague. KG raid Prussia. First navy made up of 5th rates retreat in face of superior Prussian navy. They then sail to the Ivory Coast and export Ivory.
-1728 Prussia declared bankrupt. New port in Hannover- Cuxhaven. Prussia declares war on Sweden 1729.
-1729 2nd battle of Hamburg- Smeltzer dies. 7th Renamed. Replacement was Friedrich Schnabel, storms into Denmark for revenge, can’t reach Copenhagen due to Swedes blocking the straights with a superior navy.

The Northern War- The Brandenburg Campaign,
First naval engagement off Netherlands, loss. 4th and 12th Bavarians hunt scattered Prussians in Bohemia.
-1730 Trade agreement with France cancelled. Schnabel assaults Berlin, raises all buildings.

-France declare war, assault Amsterdam. Take it, wipe out the 6th.