Abstract
During the Seven Years War (1756-63), Frederick II (“the Great”) of
Prussia (r. 1740-86) faced an overwhelming force of Austrian, Saxon,
French, and Russian troops. His only source of assistance was Britain,
which provided him with essential, but not continuous, support.
Prussia’s resources were strained to the limit. As a result, Frederick’s
forces often dispensed with niceties when it came to requisitioning
provisions, and their actions tended to show an utter disregard for the
legal status of cities and other governing units within the Holy Roman
Empire. This painting depicts one of four instances during the Seven
Years War, when Prussian troops in search of supplies forcibly occupied
the Bishopric of Bamberg, which was formally independent apart from its
subjection to imperial overlordship. The town’s status within the Holy
Roman Empire did not protect it from such incursions and actually made
them more likely, since the Empire was aligned against Frederick.