Battle of Rossbach
1757 CE · Germany (Saxony)
The Battle of Rossbach was fought in 1757 CE in Germany (Saxony) between Kingdom of Prussia vs France and the Holy Roman Empire; decisive Prussian victory in under two hours.
Battle of Rossbach: quick facts
- Date
- 1757 CE
- Location
- Germany (Saxony)
- Belligerents
- Kingdom of Prussia vs France and the Holy Roman Empire
- Commanders
- Frederick the Great vs the Prince de Soubise and Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen
- Result
- decisive Prussian victory in under two hours.
- Era
- ⛵ Colonial & Napoleonic Era
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Rossbach?
Frederick the Great annihilated a combined French and Imperial Austrian army twice his size in under ninety minutes at Rossbach. As the allied army attempted a flanking march, Frederick rapidly redeployed and launched General Seydlitz's cavalry into their exposed flank before the enemy could form battle lines. The allies suffered over 5,000 casualties and 5,000 captured against only 550 Prussian losses. The victory humiliated France and made Frederick a hero across Protestant Europe.
Did you know?
Frederick the Great's cavalry commander Seydlitz reportedly signaled the charge at Rossbach by tossing his tobacco pipe into the air, his personal signal that the moment had come.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Rossbach on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.