Siege of Hamelin

Siege of Hamelin
Part of The War of the Fourth Coalition
Hamelin, showing the town's defences in 1654
Date 7 to 22 November 1806 Location Hamelin, 36 km southwest of Hanover 52°6′N 9°22′E / 52.100°N 9.367°E / 52.100; 9.367 Result Franco-Dutch victory:[1]
Belligerents
French Empire Kingdom of Holland	Kingdom of Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Édouard Mortier Jean Savary Jean Dumonceau	Karl von Lecoq
Units involved
VIII Corps	Garrison of Hamelin
Strength
6,000[1] 12 cannons	10,000[1] 175 cannons
Casualties and losses
minor	600[1]–10,000 175 guns

War of the Fourth Coalition

200km
125miles

Friedland

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Eylau

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Berlin

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Jena–Auerstedt

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⬤ current battle

⬤ Napoleon not in command

⬤ Napoleon in command

In the siege of Hamelin or siege of Hameln (7 November 1806–22 November 1806), First French Empire forces captured the fortress of Hamelin from its garrison composed of troops from the Kingdom of Prussia. The siege was begun by the VIII Corps under French Marshal Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier. The marshal initially left General of Division Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau in charge of operations. General of Division Anne Jean Marie René Savary soon arrived to conduct negotiations with the Prussian commander General Karl Ludwig von Lecoq, who was quickly persuaded to surrender. Technically, the operation from the War of the Fourth Coalition was a blockade because a formal siege never took place. Hamelin is located 36 kilometers southwest of Hanover.

After Emperor Napoleon I smashed the main Prussian armies at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt on 14 October, his victorious Grande Armée chased his enemies across the Elbe River. This left the Prussian force defending the former Electorate of Hanover strategically isolated west of the river. While the Grande Armée hunted down Prussian forces between the Elbe and the Oder River, subsidiary forces invaded Hanover and Hesse-Kassel. The defenders withdrew into the fortresses of Hamelin and Nienburg where they were blockaded and captured.