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Reinhold Koser, The Battle of Mollwitz.

Studies in Brandenburg and Prussian History, 1890, pp. 151 ff.

Depiction of the Battle of Mollwitz after a contemporary engraving.
Depiction of the Battle of Mollwitz after a contemporary engraving.

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Napoleon and Prussia - Reflections on the Collapse of the Old Prussian Army in 1806

In 1806 a confrontation occurs between post-Frederick Prussia and the young French Empire. This clash was to become a bitter lesson for the once-respected military power of Prussia. As the danger of war intensified that year and the conflict between France and Prussia began to take shape, Austria and Russia had already been defeated. Now Prussia stood alone on the battlefield, halfheartedly supported by Saxony. King Frederick William III had great difficulty deciding on taking up arms and had hoped for a diplomatic solution until the last moment. Prussia's declaration of war was also attributable to the urging of the strengthened war party in the country, which included high-ranking military officers as well as politicians, prominent members of society, and even members of the royal family.