Johann Gottfried Piefke was a German band leader, (Kapellmeister) and composer of military music.
The Battle of Königgrätz was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové and village of Sadová, now in the Czech Republic.
Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Seydlitz was a Prussian officer, lieutenant general, and among the greatest of the Prussian cavalry generals. He commanded one of the first Hussar squadrons of Frederick the Great's army and is credited with the development of the Prussian cavalry to its efficient level of performance in the Seven Years' War. His cavalryman father retired and then died while Seydlitz was still young. Subsequently, he was mentored by Margrave Frederick William of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Seydlitz's superb horsemanship and his recklessness combined to make him a stand-out subaltern, and he emerged as a redoubtable Rittmeister in the War of Austrian Succession (1740–1748) during the First and Second Silesian Wars.
The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg, now Dobromierz, also known as the Battle of Striegau, now Strzegom, was one of Frederick the Great's most admired victories. Frederick's Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine on 4 June 1745 during the Second Silesian War.
Friedrich Heinrich Reichsgraf von Seckendorff was a Franconian field marshal and diplomat, in the service of the imperial Habsburg monarchy of Austria. Later he served as commander of the Bavarian army and fought Austria.
Count Heinrich von Bellegarde, Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia, of a noble Savoyard family, was born in Saxony, joined the Saxon army and later entered Habsburg military service, where he became a general officer serving in the Habsburg border wars, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He became a Generalfeldmarschall and statesman.
Hans Joachim von Zieten, sometimes spelled Johann Joachim von Ziethen,, also known as Zieten aus dem Busch, was a cavalry general in the Prussian Army. He served in four wars and was instrumental in several victories during the reign of Frederick the Great, most particularly at Hohenfriedberg and Torgau. He is also well known for a raid into the Habsburg territories during the Second Silesian War, known as Zieten's Ride. After engaging in a reputed 74 duels, and fighting in four wars, he died in his bed at the age of 86.
The Cuirassier Regiment "Queen" (Pomeranian) No. 2 was a Prussian cavalry regiment. Formed in 1717 as Dragoner-Regiment Nr.5 Bayreuth Dragoner it was originally a dragoon regiment and was part of the Prussian order of battle until 1918. The Bayreuth Dragoons achieved fame for their role in winning the Battle of Hohenfriedberg in 1745. In 1819 it was transformed into a cuirassier regiment.
The Battle of Soor was a battle between Frederick the Great's Prussian army and an Austro-Saxon army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the Second Silesian War. The battle occurred in the vicinity of Soor, also known as Hajnice, in the modern day Czech Republic. The battle started with a failed Austrian surprise attack on the outnumbered Prussians. Despite initial setbacks the Prussian army managed to defeat the Austrians, due to an unexpected attack from a reserve regiment that refused to follow Frederick's orders.
The "Badonviller-Marsch" is a Bavarian military march by composer Georg Fürst (1870–1936). After 1934, with its name Germanized to "Badenweiler Marsch" by the Nazis, it was used as the official march of Hitler in his role as Führer, to signal his arrival and therefore personal presence at public events.
The Royal Prussian Army served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Prussia as a European power.
Friedrich Leopold Graf von Gessler (or Geßler; was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall and one of Frederick the Great's most famous cavalry generals.
The Königgrätz March, also known as Der Königgrätzer or Der Königgrätzer Marsch, is one of the most famous German military marches, composed in 1866 by Johann Gottfried Piefke in commemoration of the Battle of Königgrätz, the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. In Piefke's most successful arrangement of the Königgrätzer Marsch, another march, Der Hohenfriedberger, is used as a trio. The commonly played version is set as an infantry march, while an alternate adaptation is arranged as a cavalry galop. The German military march catalogue also has the "Königgrätzer mit anderem Trio", but this secondary composition is far less recognized.
The Pariser Einzugsmarsch is a well-known German military march composed by Johann Heinrich Walch during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Armeemarschsammlung, also known as the Prussian Army March Collection refers to the basic catalog of works of German military march music.
Gustav Bogislav von Münchow was a Prussian general. In the early years of the reign of Frederick the Great, Münchow was not only a soldier and a diplomatic confidant, but he also earned a reputation for the improvement of Prussian military medical care. He was honored with the Black Eagle Order and his name is listed on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great.
Otto Magnus (Martin) von Schwerin was a Prussian general in the army of Frederick the Great.
Ernst Christoph von Nassau, sometimes called Christoph Ernst, was a Prussian general lieutenant and knight of the Black Eagle Order. He is memorialized on the Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. After fighting in the Prussian army during the War of Spanish Succession, he transferred to the Hessian army; subsequently, he served during peacetime in the army of the Duke of Saxony and in 1740, upon the ascension of Frederick in 1740, he rejoined the Prussian army and served in the War of Austrian Succession.
Kasimir Wedig von Bonin, also called Casimir Wedigo von Bonin, was a Prussian lieutenant general during the reigns of Frederick William I and his son, Frederick the Great.
Peter Ernst von Pennavaire was the son of a French advocate (attorney) in Toulouse who fled France in about 1685. He served in the Prussian army, achieving the rank of lieutenant general of cavalry and proprietor of the Leib-Carabiniers. He was the recipient of the Black Eagle Order and Pour le Mérite. At age 80, he led his cavalry in a charge at the Battle of Breslau at the Austrian front, and died of complications from injuries he received there.
