Siege of Hamelin | |||||||
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Part of The War of the Fourth Coalition | |||||||
![]() Hamelin, showing the town's defences in 1654 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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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 |
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.
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