Summary

Medal Conquete de la Silesie 'Conquest of Silesia', Issued by France, 1807
Artist: Bertrand Andrieu and Bertrand George
Minted by Paris Mint

Obverse Description

Laureate head facing right; around, NAPOLEON EMP. ET ROI.; on neck truncation, ANDRIEU F.

Reverse Description

Victory seated left writing on shield with the tip of a sword, Peace guiding her hand; in front a mural column inscribed GLATZ / KOSEL / NEISSE / SCHWE / BREG / BRESLAW / GLOGAW; at left and right near rim in small lettering, ANDRIEU F. DENON DIR.; in exergue, CONQUETE DE LA SILESIE / MDCCCVII

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

"While the treaty of peace was pending between Prussia and France, the troops of Wirtemberg and Bavaria, under the command of Jerome Bonaparte, undertook the conquest of Silesia, where victory appeared to them easy and sure, there being no army to contend with, and the fortified places were destitute of, as they presumed, the means of any long defence, but the panic which had delivered up so many Prussian fortresses without resistance, had in a degree subsided. Great Glogaw, the capital of Lower Silesia, though invested on the 8th of December, and defended by a garrison of only 25,000 men, held out till the 29th; and Breslau, though bombarded for more than three weeks, did not surrender till the 5th January, following: an attempt was made to raise the siege by the Prince of Anhalt Pless; but his army drawn from the garrisons in Upper Silesia, after being repeatedly defeated, was at length dispersed: this disaster finally extinguished all hopes of relief, and Breslau immediately surrendered by capitulation.

On the 11th January, Brieg surrendered to the French by capitulation. On the 16th February, Schweidnitz was taken possession of. On the 16th May, the town and fort of Neisse was occupied by the French, who found in it 300,000 lbs. of gunpowder, and 300 pieces of cannon; and on the 19th following, the fortress of Glatz was obliged to capitulate to the French, and lastly, Silverberg, whose emblematic turret at the foot of History, remains to be placed on the summit of the column.

The turretted column on the reverse of the medal, points out the several cities and fortresses which thus rapidly fell to the conqueror's power." Laskey p.145-146

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