The siege of Kassel in 1762 took place during the so-called Seven Years' War, also known as the Third Silesian War. This war began in 1756 and ended in 1763 with the Peace of Paris. The battle could be seen as a sequel to the War of the Austrian Succession. Opposing the 'allies' - Prussia, Britain and Hanover - were the Russian Empire, Austria, Sweden, Saxony and France. Never before had a war been fought on such a large scale on European soil.
The battle around Kassel, which was in French hands in 1762, was the final piece in the Seven Years' War. Under the command of Duke Friedrich August von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1740-1805), troops from Hanover, Hesse and Britain began preparations for the siege of the city in August 1762. Two months later, the positions were ready and the siege was a fact. In November, Kassel fell into the hands of the Aaillies.
News of the fall of Kassel reached the rulers only after the draft terms of the Paris Peace Treaty had already been laid down. The capture of the city therefore had less influence than the Duke of Brunswick had hoped for.
The military engineer Johann Heinrich Daniel Gerlach (1735-1798), employed by Braunschweig, was responsible for the content of the map image. He produced the manuscript map, which underpinned this printed version. The map was skilfully engraved by Jacobus van der Schley (1715-1779) and published in The Hague in 1763 by Pierre Gosse jr. and Daniel Pinet.
The map shows the encirclement of Kassel by Allied troops. A cartouche at the top right explains which troops were involved and their size. Indicated are the positions of the army units during the preparations for the siege between 18 August and 13 October 1762.
