Reichsarmee Upper Saxon Circle

Imperial Army of the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763

Upper Saxon Circle (Upper Saxony), one of the four Imperial circles raised in 1512, which were added to the six existing circles of the German Empire established in 1500; it included the following territories after the 1521 reogranisation: Electoral Saxony, Electroal Brandenburg, Anhalt, Thuringia, Schwarzburg, Reuß, Pommerania, the Bishoprics Meißen, Merseburg, Naumburg, Brandenburg, Havelberg, Lebus and Cammin, with an area of 104,619 sq km and 4.5 mill. inhabitants. Head and military commander of the circle was the Elector of Saxony. The circle diet was initially held at Leipzig, later also at Frankfurt (Oder) and Jüterbog; from 1683 no more meetings were held.

Upper Saxon Circle

  • 1st Electoral Saxon Circle Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Electoral Saxon Circle Infantry Regiment
  • 3rd Electoral Saxon Circle Infantry Regiment
  • 4th Electoral Saxon Circle Infantry Regiment
  • Ducal Saxon Infantry Regiment (2 Btl. with 5 Coys. each)
    • Saxe-Weimar
    • Saxe-Hildburghausen
    • Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
  • Saxe-Gotha Infantry Regiment (in Hanoverian service)
  • Schwarzburg-Reuß Infantry Regiment
  • Saxe-Gotha Dragoon Regiment (2 Squadrons)

Apart from its household troops, the Electorate of Saxony had to provide four circle infantry regiments for the Imperial Army. The mobilization of the Saxon circle infantry regiments was discontinued when the Saxon army surrendered at Pirna in 1756. Recruits who had already been raised were distributed among the electoral Saxon infantry regiments, which were taken into the Prussian army. Losses through desertion were exceptionally high. Many of the deserters joined the new electoral Saxon army under Prince Franz Xavier of Saxony, which operated in the Rhineland from 1758. The electoral Saxon circle infantry regiments were not raised again after 1756.

Bibliography

  • Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909

Seven Years’ War Miniatures