Battle of Fraustadt

Thanksgiving after the victory of Fraustadt – Gustaf Cederström

Date	2 February 1706 (O.S.) 3 February 1706 (Swedish calendar) 13 February 1706 (N.S.)
Location	Fraustadt (Wschowa), Poland
Result	Decisive Swedish victory

Belligerents

Swedish Empire

Saxony

Tsardom of Russia

Commanders and leaders

Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld

Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg

Strength

9,400:

3,700 infantry
5,700 cavalry,
(no artillery)

20,000:

16,000 infantry
4,000 cavalry,
32 artillery pieces

Casualties and losses

1,500:

452 killed,
1,077 wounded

15,000:

7,377 killed
7,300–7,900 captured

9,400:

20,000:

1,500:

15,000:

The Battle of Fraustadt was fought on 2 February 1706 (O.S.) / 3 February 1706 (Swedish calendar) / 13 February 1706 (N.S.) between Sweden and Saxony-Poland and their Russian allies near Fraustadt (nowWschowa) in Poland. During the Battle of Fraustadt on February 3, August II was only 120 km away, with a cavalry force about 8,000 men strong. That was one of the main reasons that Swedish General Rehnskiöld hurried to engage Schulenburg. The battle is an example of a successful pincer movement and was one of Sweden's greatest victories in the Great Northern War.

The Saxon army had not chosen its position carefully; Schulenburg had been maneuvered into a position chosen by the Swedes. Rehnskiöld withdrew his forces from Schlawa to Fraustadt. Rehnskiöld later stated in his journals, (Swedish) “Så resolverade jag att draga mig till Fraustadt tillbaka i den tanken att locka till mig fienden efter mig utur sin fördel, inbillandes honom att jag ville alldeles draga mig av” roughly translated as ”Thus I resolved to withdraw to Fraustadt with the thought to lure the enemy to me away from his advantageous position, deceiving him into thinking I was in full retreat”.

The Saxons, superior in numbers regarding infantry (9,000 Saxons and 6,300 Russians), but with less cavalry (4,000 Saxons) than the Swedes, took a strong defensive position behind lines of chevaux de frise littered by artillery. In two lines, with cavalry on both flanks, between the villages of Geyersdorf and Röhrsdorf and ahead of the town of Fraustadt, entrenched behind frozen lakes and marshes opposing the Saxon-Russian army, Rehnskiöld placed his infantry of 3,700 men in the center in three columns and his cavalry consisting of 5,700 units on both flanks.

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