Angry Thuringian Peasants looking for
French marauders after the Battle of Rossbach
(Drawing by Menzel



The Battle of Rossbach (5th November 1757) was a massive defeat for the French and the Reichsarmee. After the battle the French fled through Thuringia and beyond in disorder, and on the way they supplied themselves by plunder and pillage. The Thuringian peasants were outraged by this behaviour and in places turned out armed and took vengeance. Many areas of Germany in fact suffered quite serious devastation and population loss during the war, with armies repeatedly moving across them; more disruption was caused by forced "Contributionen" of large sums, this type of extortion was a general practice during this period.

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Website "The Seven Years war 1756-63"
©Martin Tomczak 2003