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87-637: The first church in Schönefeld was probably built in the early 14th century. It burned down in 1526, and was restored within a year. It was rebuilt and expanded from 1753 to 1776. On 18 October 1813, it was destroyed by fire during the Battle of Leipzig . In 1816, a new church was begun, by the Leipzig master carpenter Walter Friedrich and the Schönefeld master mason Carl Friedrich. From 1817, mason Wagner from Leipzig and Adam Gottlob Lindner from Seegeritz helped. The church

174-622: A brief armistice . During the armistice, the monarchs of Russia and Prussia met Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden at Trachenberg Castle in Silesia . Charles John, a former French Marshal of the Empire (previously known as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte), outlined a strategy for defeating Napoleon that, with added details from the Austrians following their joining of the Coalition on 12 August 1813, became known as

261-493: A French counterattack. Russo-Prussian General Württemberg was notable for his extreme bravery directing his troops under fire. At this point, Napoleon ordered General Drouot to form a grand battery of 150 guns on Gallows hill. This was done and the guns blasted the exposed Russian II Corps, forcing the Prussian battalions supporting it to take cover. The hole had now been opened as Napoleon wished and at this point, Marshal Murat

348-653: A baptism table made in Jerusalem from olive tree wood, with a silver bowl, in 1870. In 1869 a steam heating and gas lighting were installed, and the chancel was moved from the centre to the south side, replaced by a high Cross. Gustav Jäger painted a cycle of four paintings, of Moses and Abraham , David with four prophets , the Four Evangelists , and Christ the King . A restoration in 1915/16, supervised by architect Fritz Drechsler  [ de ] included an expansion of

435-578: A catastrophic defeat at the hands of von Bülow and Charles John at the Battle of Dennewitz . With an intact Army of the North threatening from the direction of Berlin, and Blücher's army moving toward the Elbe , Napoleon was compelled to withdraw westward. He crossed the Elbe with much of his army between late September and early October, and organized his forces around Leipzig , to protect his crucial supply lines and oppose

522-573: A collection of Prussian enclaves within Saxon Lower Lusatia , to Saxony. The treaties also established the Polish Duchy of Warsaw , which was placed in a personal union with Saxony under Frederick Augustus I. Saxony remained within the Confederation until its dissolution in 1813 with Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig . Following the battle, in which Saxony – virtually alone of all

609-438: A drafting of the battle plan, with Marshals Prince Volkonsky of Russia, Johan Christopher Toll of Sweden and Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck of Prussia taking part in the planning. After the first plan was drafted, Schwarzenberg submitted it to the monarchs. However, Alexander complained about his incompetence in terms of battle planning upon seeing the plan for himself. Upon learning of Schwarzenberg's main plan – to call for

696-449: A law be advanced in the Diet. He equally had authority to issue emergency decrees and even to issue non-emergency laws that he found needful or "advantageous", though such instruments required the counter-signature of at least one of his ministers, and had to be presented to the next Diet for approval. He could not, however, change the constitution itself or the electoral laws in this manner. He

783-539: A secondary attack on the bridge between Leipzig and Lindenau to be led by Blücher and Gyulay , and a main attack astride the Pleiße River to be led by General Merveldt , Hessen-Homburg and the Prussian Guard, he insisted that this was a disastrous tactic as it would not permit the Coalition armies to outflank and encircle Napoleon's army and destroy it. Alexander thought the plan would potentially allow Napoleon to break

870-484: A single sector. The northern front was defended by Marshals Michel Ney and Auguste de Marmont , and the eastern front by Marshal Jacques MacDonald . The artillery reserve and parks, ambulances, and baggage stood near Leipzig, which Napoleon made his supply base for the battle. The bridges on the Pleisse and White Elster rivers were defended by infantry and a few guns. The main battery stood in reserve, and during battle

957-523: A strong artillery battery and blew the Poles out of the position. The Poles suffered heavy casualties during their furious defense and set fire to both the manor and the mill during their retreat. General Kleist , moving along the Pleiße, attacked Poniatowski and Marshal Augereau in the village of Markkleeberg . The Austrians repaired a bridge and took a school building and manor. The French counterattacked, throwing

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1044-692: The Austrian army in Bohemia. This effectiveness probably allowed Saxony to escape the fate of other north German states allied with Austria – notably the Kingdom of Hanover – which were annexed by Prussia after the war. The Austrians and French insisted as a point of honour that Saxony must be spared, and the Prussians acquiesced. Saxony nevertheless joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation

1131-566: The Battle of the Nations , was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig , Saxony . The Coalition armies of Austria , Prussia , Sweden , and Russia , led by Tsar Alexander I and Karl von Schwarzenberg , decisively defeated the Grande Armée of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte . Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops, as well as Germans from the Confederation of

1218-508: The Confederation of the Rhine , totalling 225,000 troops. The Coalition had around 380,000 troops along with 1,500 guns, consisting of 145,000 Russians, 115,000 Austrians, 90,000 Prussians, and 30,000 Swedes. This made Leipzig the largest battle of the Napoleonic wars, surpassing Borodino , Wagram , Jena and Auerstedt , Ulm , and Dresden . The Grande Armée , under the command of Napoleon,

1305-573: The German Confederation after Napoleon was defeated in 1815. From 1871, it was part of the German Empire . It became a free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War I and the abdication of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony . Its capital was the city of Dresden , and its modern successor state is the Free State of Saxony . Before 1806, Saxony was part of

1392-789: The Grande Armée virtually destroyed by the time it returned from Russia. To make matters even worse for Napoleon, in June 1813, the combined armies of Portugal , Spain , and the United Kingdom , under the command of the Duke of Wellington , had decisively routed the French at the Battle of Vitoria in the Peninsular War , and were now advancing towards the Pyrenees and into France itself. With this string of defeats,

1479-634: The Holy Roman Empire , a thousand-year-old entity that had become highly decentralised over the centuries. The rulers of the Electorate of Saxony of the House of Wettin had held the title of elector for several centuries. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in August 1806 following the defeat of Emperor Francis II by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz , thereby rendering Saxony an independent state. Following

1566-559: The Sixth Coalition kept up its momentum, dissolving the Confederation of the Rhine and invading France early the next year. Napoleon was forced to abdicate and was exiled to Elba in May 1814. The French Emperor Napoleon I attempted to force Emperor Alexander I of Russia into rejoining his unpopular Continental System by invading Russia on 24 June 1812 with around 685,000 troops, and eventually entered Moscow in late 1812, following

1653-713: The Trachenberg Plan . In accordance with the Trachenberg Plan, three Coalition armies were formed, the Army of Silesia of 95,000 men under the command of Gebhard von Blücher , the Army of North Germany of 120,000 (including Swedish garrisons in Stralsund ) under Crown Prince Charles John, and the Army of Bohemia , the primary allied army in the field with 225,000 men, under the command of Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg . A fourth army

1740-666: The Allied lines. The northern front opened with the attack by General Langeron's Russian corps on the villages of Groß-Wiederitzsch and Klein-Wiederitzsch in the centre of the French northern lines. This position was defended by General Dąbrowski 's Polish division of four infantry battalions and two cavalry battalions. At first sign of the attack, the Polish division attacked. The battle wavered back and forth with attacks and counterattacks. General Langeron rallied his forces and finally took both villages with heavy casualties. The northern front

1827-472: The Allies, closely following the Trachenberg Plan , systematically defeated his marshals with weaker corps, while exhausting Napoleon's corps with chases across Germany. The French Imperial cavalry was similarly insufficient, making it difficult for Napoleon to keep his eyes on his lines of communications or even scout enemy positions, a fact which influenced the outcome of the Battle of Großbeeren and others during

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1914-563: The Army of Bohemia engaged Napoleon at the Battle of Dresden on 27 August where the French won a crushing victory. However, close adherence to the Trachenberg Plan led to Coalition victories at Großbeeren , Kulm , Katzbach , and Dennewitz . Meanwhile, Charles John had begun a concerted propaganda campaign in Germany, drawing on his experience as Minister of War during the French Revolution, to stoke German nationalist feeling and calling on

2001-514: The Austrians out of the school and back over the river. French attacks on the manor only resulted in mounting casualties for the French and Poles. The Russian 14th Division began a series of flanking attacks that forced the Poles out of Markkleeberg. Poniatowski stopped the retreat and the advancing Russians. Catching four battalions of the Prussian 12th Brigade in the open, Poniatowski directed attacks by artillery and cavalry until they were relieved by Russian hussars. Poniatowski retook Markkleeberg, but

2088-526: The Bavarians proclaimed neutrality following Charles John's victory over Ney at Dennewitz. After these defeats and defections the French emperor could not capitalize on his victory at Dresden. Thinly-stretched supply lines spanning into now somewhat hostile territory, coupled with Bavaria's switching of sides against the French just eight days prior to Leipzig, made it almost impossible to replace his army's losses of 150,000 men, 300 guns, and 50,000 sick. With

2175-554: The Coalition battle line at one point and then concentrate his forces in the gap created and the weakened sectors. This would possibly give Napoleon a chance to regain the strategic initiative in Germany. Frederick William III attempted to opine to Alexander but could do nothing so he treated the discussion as if it was none of his concern. Later events in the battle proved the Russian emperor's judgments correct. The action he had ordered Blücher to take met with great success north of Leipzig and

2262-478: The Diet, though new elections for the lower house had to be held within six months; he was also permitted to convoke extraordinary sessions of the legislature at his discretion. From 1697 the Electors of Saxony became Catholic in order to accept the crowns of Poland-Lithuania , of which they were kings until 1763. The royal family remained Roman Catholic , ruling over a domain that was 95% Protestant . The ministry

2349-501: The French advantage in terms of casualties, the first day ended in a draw. Moreover, the odds seemed to be shifting in the Allies' favor, for while Napoleon could only anticipate the arrival of Jean Reynier's 14,000 men to raise his strength to barely 200,000 troops and 900 cannon, the Allies were awaiting the appearance of Charles John's 70,000 men and a similar number under Bennigsen, and these reinforcements would bring their total strength to over 300,000 and 1,500 guns. Looking back on

2436-515: The French armies were in retreat on all fronts across Europe. Anti-French forces joined Russia as its troops pursued the remnants of the virtually destroyed Grande Armée across Central Europe. The allies regrouped as the Sixth Coalition, comprising Prussia, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as smaller German states whose citizens and leaders were no longer loyal to

2523-651: The French emperor. Napoleon hurried back to France and managed to mobilize another large army, but severe economic hardship and news of defeats had led to war-weariness and growing unrest among France's population. Despite disastrous campaigns in Spain and Russia in 1812, France was still able to rebuild another massive army for Napoleon. Though this new army was large in numbers, it was mostly made up of raw and young French conscripts , many of whom had no desire to fight in Napoleon's wars. Yet Napoleon, with this new massive army, had

2610-700: The German campaign. The Coalition army was organized into four army-level commands: the Army of Bohemia under Karl von Schwarzenberg, the Army of Silesia under Blücher, the Army of Poland under Levin August von Bennigsen and the combined Prussian, Russian, and Swedish Army of the North under Crown Prince Charles XIV John . The Swedes also had under their command a company of the British Rocket Brigade armed with Congreve rockets , led by Captain Richard Bogue . Despite being outnumbered, Napoleon planned to take

2697-422: The German states – had fought alongside the French, King Frederick Augustus I was deserted by his troops, taken prisoner by the Prussians, and considered to have forfeited his throne by the allies, who put Saxony under Prussian occupation and administration. This was probably more due to the Prussian desire to annex Saxony than to any crime on Frederick Augustus's part, and the fate of Saxony would prove to be one of

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2784-577: The Neustadt Circle was re-ceded to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by Prussia. Within Prussia most of the ceded territory other than Lusatia would become part of the new Province of Saxony ; the Upper Lusatian territory was attached to Silesia and the remainder, including Lower Lusatia, became part of Brandenburg . Frederick Augustus was restored to the throne in the remainder of his kingdom, which still included

2871-484: The Prussians out of Wachau and the French recovered the village. Liebertwolkwitz was a large village in a commanding position, defended by Marshal MacDonald and General Lauriston with about 18,000 men. General von Klenau 's Austrian IV Corps attacked with 24,500 men backed up by Pirch 's 10th Brigade (4,550) and Zieten 's 11th Brigade (5,365). The Austrians attacked first, driving the French out of Liebertwolkwitz after hard fighting, only to be driven out in turn by

2958-594: The Rhine (mainly Saxony and Württemberg ). The battle was the culmination of the German Campaign of 1813 and involved 560,000 soldiers, 2,200 artillery pieces, the expenditure of 400,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, and 133,000 casualties, making it the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars , and the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I . Decisively defeated, Napoleon was compelled to return to France while

3045-555: The Saxon-Polish lines at the Pleiße River. Repulsed, the Austrians then moved to attack nearby Dölitz, down a road crossed by two bridges and leading to a manor house and a mill. Two companies of the 24th Regiment ousted the small Polish garrison and took the position. A prompt counterattack by the Saxons and Poles ejected the Austrian troops and the battle seesawed until the Austrians brought up

3132-452: The ability to enter into diplomatic relations with other states. Wilhelm I's grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918 as a result of a revolution set off in the days before Germany's defeat in World War I . King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony followed him into abdication when workers' and soldiers' councils were set up in the cities of Dresden , Chemnitz and Leipzig . Within

3219-566: The actions of the Russian Guard were decisive in halting the all-out French attack on Gulden Gossa in the south. On the other hand, the actions of the Austrians along the Pleiße River, part of Schwarzenberg's initial plan, ended in failure. However, not willing to plan the battle by himself as he had done during his disastrous defeat at Austerlitz almost a decade earlier, Alexander had Schwarzenberg draft another battle plan based on his thoughts and views. Schwarzenberg then drafted another plan that

3306-622: The battle. During this time, Napoleon sent Merveldt, who had been captured two days earlier, back to the Allies on parole. Merveldt was given a letter to Alexander I, Francis I, and Frederick William III in which Napoleon offered to surrender to the Allies the fortresses he held along the Oder and Vistula, on the condition that the Allies allow him to withdraw to a position behind the Saale. He added that, if approved, they should sign an armistice and undertake peace negotiations. However, all three monarchs declined

3393-399: The bloody, yet indecisive Battle of Borodino . However, Alexander refused to surrender even as the French occupied the city, which was set on fire by the time of its occupation. The campaign ended in complete disaster as Napoleon and his remaining forces retreated during the bitter Russian winter, with sickness, starvation, and the constant harrying by Russian Cossacks and partisans, leaving

3480-454: The consent of the Diet, or parliament. The crown was hereditary in the male line of the royal family through agnatic primogeniture , though provisions existed allowing a female line to inherit in the absence of qualified male heirs. Added provisions concerned the formation of a regency if the king was too young or otherwise unable to rule, as well as provisions concerning the crown prince's education. Any acts or decrees signed or issued by

3567-538: The converging Coalition armies arrayed against him. He deployed his army around the city, but concentrated his force from Taucha through Stötteritz, where he placed his command. The Prussians advanced from Wartenburg , the Austrians and Russians from Dresden (which they had recently retaken, after the Battle of Kulm ), and the Swedes from the north. The French had around 160,000 soldiers along with 700 guns plus 15,000 Poles, 10,000 Italians, and 40,000 Germans belonging to

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3654-696: The defeat of Saxony's ally Prussia at the Battle of Jena in October 1806, Saxony joined the Confederation of the Rhine , subordinating itself to the First French Empire , then the dominant power in Central Europe . On 20 December 1806 Frederick Augustus III, the last elector of Saxony, became King Frederick Augustus I . In 1807 the Treaties of Tilsit ceded the Lordship of Cottbus  [ de ] , formerly

3741-506: The first day's fighting, both sides made mistakes. Napoleon had underestimated Allied aggressiveness and miscalculated the position of Blücher and the Army of Silesia, and his men had suffered a sharp repulse at Möckern as a consequence. As for the Allies, the chaotic nature of their initial attack at Wachau, coupled with the flanking of waiting French forces, nearly led to catastrophe. The Austrian II Corps, commanded by Merveldt, advanced towards Connewitz via Gautzsch and attempted to attack

3828-402: The formation of new laws or changes in existing ones, but no bill could be brought forward without the king's express consent. Conversely, no new law could be enacted, without the Diet's consent. Bills could be passed by a simple one-third-plus-one vote in both houses of the Diet; a majority vote was not necessary in either house. Any bill rejected or amended must contain a statement of why it

3915-399: The head of the three alongside King Frederick William III of Prussia and Emperor Francis I of Austria, and a substantial staff supported the Coalition commanders. Alexander was also the supreme commander of the Coalition forces in the eastern front of the war, while Prince Karl von Schwarzenberg of Austria was the commander-in-chief of all Coalition forces in the German theatre. There was

4002-455: The intention of either inducing a temporary alliance or at least cessation of hostilities, or knocking at least one of the Great Powers (Prussia or Russia) out of the war and keeping Austria neutral. Napoleon sought to regain the offensive by re-establishing his hold in Germany, winning two hard-fought tactical victories, at Lützen on 2 May and Bautzen on 20–21 May. These victories led to

4089-457: The intention of knocking Prussia out of the war as soon as possible, Napoleon sent Marshal Nicolas Oudinot to take the Prussian capital of Berlin with an army of 60,000. Oudinot was defeated at the Battle of Großbeeren , by the Swedes and Prussians of the Army of the North, just south of the city. Another attempt was made at Berlin on 6 September 1813, this time with Ney in command of 58,000 troops. However, Ney's command disintegrated following

4176-429: The king had to be countersigned by at least one of his ministers, who thus took responsibility for them. Without the ministerial countersignature, no act of the king was to be considered valid. The king was given the right to declare any accused person innocent, or alternately to mitigate or suspend their punishment or pardon them (but not to increase penalties); such decrees did not require ministerial co-signature. He

4263-508: The king, before proceeding to any other business. Members were to vote their consciences, and were not to accept instructions from their constituents. Members were granted full freedom of speech in the chambers, but were not permitted to insult each other, the king, any member of the royal family, or the parliament. Members who violated any of these rules could be disciplined by their respective house, up to and including permanent expulsion with ineligibility for re-election. The Diet could propose

4350-472: The kings of Bavaria and Saxony , whose armies he had commanded in 1805 and 1809, to repudiate their French alliances. His efforts met with success as the Saxon and Westphalian armies had begun exhibiting signs of mutiny throughout late August and September, with Saxon units defecting to the Coalition at Großbeeren and Dennewitz and Westphalian troops deserting in increasing numbers. Additionally, in early September

4437-963: The lighting and heating to comply with current standards. The plans were realised from 2010 and completed in 2021. 51°21′34.″N 12°24′32.6″E  /  51.35944°N 12.409056°E  / 51.35944; 12.409056 Battle of Leipzig Dissolution of the Rhine Confederation Army of Silesia Army of the North (1813-1814) Army of Bohemia Russo-Prussian Reserve Southern Wing Corps-Group Wittgenstein Army of Poland (1813) Northern Sector Lindenau Leipzig Sector Eastern Sector Southern Sector 16–17 October: 257,000 1,400 guns 18–19 October: 365,000 16–17 October: 177,000 700 guns 18–19 October: 195,000 54,000–80,000 Official allied estimates: 60,000–79,000 325 guns The Battle of Leipzig , also known as

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4524-747: The main issues at the Congress of Vienna . In the end, 60% of the Kingdom, including the historically significant Wittenberg – home of the Protestant Reformation and historic core of the Electorate – as well as Lower Lusatia , most of Upper Lusatia , the Thuringian Circle  [ de ] and the Neustadt Circle  [ de ] , among other territories, was annexed by Prussia; most of

4611-480: The major cities of Dresden and Leipzig . The kingdom also joined the German Confederation , the new organization of the German states to replace the fallen Holy Roman Empire. During the 1866 Austro-Prussian War , Saxony sided with Austria , and the Royal Saxon Army was generally seen as the only ally to bring substantial aid to the Austrian cause, having abandoned the defence of Saxony itself to join up with

4698-500: The majority of the 9,000 Allied and 7,000 French casualties, and the French lost another 2,000 prisoners. In the western front, the Austrian III Corps under General Gyulay attacked the suburb of Lindenau and had success at first, forcing Marshal Ney to divert General Bertrand 's IV Corps to hold the position. But soon the French held, the fighting later ground down into a stalemate, and the Austrians were driven back not far from

4785-408: The needed decisive results. Seemingly, though somewhat reluctantly, convinced, Alexander soon agreed to his plan, and he then ordered him to tell the other commanders to follow the plan. The French had gained slight victories at Lindenau and Wachau , and sustained a reverse at Möckern . The Allies had lost approximately 30,000 men, including 2,000 prisoners, the French about 25,000 in all. Despite

4872-406: The newly formed Weimar Republic , on 1 November 1920, the Kingdom of Saxony was reorganized into the Free State of Saxony The 1831 Constitution of Saxony established the state as a parliamentary monarchy . The king was named as head of the nation. He was required to follow the provisions of the constitution, and could not become the ruler of any other state (save by blood inheritance) without

4959-421: The next year. With Prussia's victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, the members of the confederation were organised by Otto von Bismarck into the German Empire , with Wilhelm I as its emperor. John , as Saxony's incumbent king, had to accept the Emperor as primus inter pares , although he, like the other German princes, retained some of the prerogatives of a sovereign ruler, including

5046-424: The offensive between the Pleiße and the Parthe rivers. The position at Leipzig held several advantages for his army and his battle strategy. The rivers that converged there split the surrounding terrain into four separate sectors. Holding Leipzig and its bridges, Napoleon could shift troops from one sector to another far more rapidly than the Allies could, who had difficulty moving such large numbers of troops into

5133-405: The offer. The Allies launched a huge assault from all sides, this time completely encircling Napoleon's army. In over nine hours of fighting, in which both sides suffered heavy casualties, the French troops were slowly forced back towards Leipzig. The Allies had Blücher and Charles John to the north, Barclay de Tolly and Bennigsen, and Prince von Hesse-Homburg to the south, as well as Gyulay to

5220-413: The organ balcony, with new staircases leading to it; the entrance hall was transformed to a memorial to soldiers fallen in the Franco-Prussian War and the World War . It was reopened on 19 March 1916, now named Gedächtniskirche. In 2017 the parish invested in cleaning and tuning the Eule organ, installing a ramp for handicapped visitors, restoring the interior to the original colour plan, and modernising

5307-553: The other hand, the Allies were strengthened by the arrival of 145,000 troops divided into two armies, one commanded by Bennigsen from the Army of Bohemia's first line and the other, the Army of the North which consisted mainly of Swedish troops, commanded by Charles John. It was soon evident that the Allies would encircle Napoleon and his army, and he knew that not retreating from the battle would mean capitulation for his entire army, which by this time were starting to run out of supplies and ammunition. So Napoleon began to examine whether

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5394-436: The position. By the time Napoleon arrived on the battlefield along with the Young Guard and some Chasseurs, Merveldt found that the avenue of advance was well covered by the French battery and some skirmishers who had occupied the houses there and did not permit the Austrians to deploy their artillery in support of the attack. Merveldt himself in an unlucky turn was wounded and captured by the French after he went straight into

5481-426: The positions in reserve and for a quick counter-attack against any fallen position. Blücher commanded Langeron's Russian and Yorck 's Prussian corps against Marmont's VI Corps. When the battle hung in the balance, Marmont ordered a cavalry charge, but his commander refused to attack. Later, an attack by Prussian hussars caused serious losses to the French defenders. The battle lasted well into the night. Artillery caused

5568-418: The representative's place, should they be incapacitated, absent, resign or be removed. Each representative was elected for nine years; however, approximately one-third were required to resign their seats every three years (the exact figures were set in the constitution, and determined by lot at the commencement of the first session of the Diet), though all were eligible for immediate re-election. The lower house

5655-426: The roads and bridges of Lindenau could be used to withdraw his troops, or at the very least to secure a bridgehead crossing on the Pleiße River. However, he was not yet in the mood for withdrawing as he thought to achieve one more great victory for France. He also thought that a strong, formidable rear guard in Leipzig itself could repulse any Allied assault, which could buy him and his forces more time to withdraw from

5742-421: The share of votes and Landtag seats three ways. (In 1909: Social Democrats won 27% of seats, Conservatives won 31% of seats, National Liberals won 31% of seats). Voter participation was high (82% in 1909). The judiciary was made independent of the civil government. The High Court of Judiciature, created in Sections 142 to 150, was also given authority to rule upon "dubious" points in the constitution; its decision

5829-466: The village of Gohlis . In the end, the numbers and determination of the Russians prevailed and the Poles retreated to Pfaffendorf. Blücher, who was made a field marshal the day before, ordered General Lanskoi's Russian 2nd Hussar Division to attack General Arrighi 's III Cavalry Corps. As they had the day before, the Allied cavalry proved to be superior, driving the French away with great losses. The French received only 14,000 troops as reinforcements. On

5916-426: The village with artillery support. Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony ( German : Königreich Sachsen ) was a German monarchy that existed in Central Europe between 1806 to 1918. The territory of the Kingdom comprised from the former Electorate of Saxony . A member of historical confederacies, it joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire , later joining

6003-472: The village. However, for the French, there was also a negative strategic consequence for this minor success. IV Corps was needed by Napoleon for his attacks on the main Austro-Russian armies positioned at the south, and since they did not take part in the attack as they were that time engaging the Austrians in Lindenau, his attack failed. There were only two actions on 17 October, one an attack by Russian General Sacken on General Dąbrowski's Polish division at

6090-423: The wake of the tumultuous 1848 revolutions , Saxony's Landtag extended voting rights (though still maintaining property requirements) and abolished voting taxes. In 1871, Saxony was incorporated into the German Empire and more voting rights were gradually extended. By the early 1900s, Saxony's local politics had settled into a niche in which Social Democrats , Conservatives , and National Liberals were splitting

6177-477: The west. The Prussian 9th Brigade occupied the abandoned village of Wachau while the Austrians, with General Bianchi's Hungarians, threw the French out of Lößnig. The Austrians proceeded to give a demonstration of combined arms cooperation as Austrian cavalry attacked French infantry to give the Austrian infantry time to arrive and deploy in the attack on Dölitz, but the Young Guard threw them out. At this point, three Austrian grenadier battalions began to contest for

6264-458: Was also given supreme power over religious matters in Saxony. He appointed the president of the upper house of the Diet, together with a proxy from among three candidates suggested by that house, and appointed the president and proxy of the lower house, as well. (See below.) The king was given sole power to promulgate laws, and to carry them into effect, and only by his consent could any proposal for

6351-450: Was constituted as the Army of Poland, initially 30,000 men, but expanding to 70,000 by year's end, under the command of Count Benningsen . As outlined by the Trachenberg Plan, the Coalition armies would avoid battle with Napoleon, retreat whenever Napoleon himself advanced, and instead target the forces under the command of his marshals. Despite the injunction to avoid battle with the Emperor,

6438-538: Was decreed to be final, and was protected from royal interference. Following the adoption of the 1831 constitution, by the Order of April 6, 1835 District Directorates ( Kreisdirektionen ) were established. These were subsequently known as Kreishauptmannschafts . Originally there were four: In 1900 a fifth was added: Following the North German Confederation Treaty the Kingdom of Saxony entered

6525-560: Was defined in the constitution as consisting of six departments, all of which were made responsible to the Diet: Members of the ministry had the right to appear in either chamber of the Diet at will, and there to participate in debate, but upon a division of the house they had to withdraw. A Bill of Rights was included in the constitution. It incorporated: The Diet, or legislature was divided into two houses, which were constitutionally equal in their rights and status, and neither house

6612-594: Was dominated by the Battle of Möckern. This was a four phase battle and saw hard fighting from both sides. A manor, palace, walled gardens, and low walls dominated the village. Each position was turned into a fortress with the walls being loopholed for covered fire by the French. The ground to the west of the position was too wooded and swampy for emplacement of artillery. A dike ran east along the Elster River being four metres high. Marshal Marmont brought up infantry columns behind

6699-464: Was in a weakened state. The majority of his troops now consisted of teenagers and inexperienced men conscripted shortly after the near destruction of the Grande Armée in Russia. Napoleon conscripted these men to be readied for an even larger campaign against the newly formed Sixth Coalition and its forces stationed in Germany. While he won several preliminary battles, his army was being steadily depleted as

6786-427: Was inaugurated on 16 April 1820; the tower was completed end of that year, and the bells were consecrated on 25 August 1839. Interior features were provided by 27 sponsors from Leipzig, mostly merchants, including a marble altar (no longer extant) and silver chandeliers and communion sets. Clara and Robert Schumann were married at the church on 12 September 1840. Hedwig von Eberstein  [ de ] donated

6873-537: Was largely designed to let everyone do as they pleased. The plan was as follows: Blücher's axis of advance was to be shifted northward to the Halle road, the Russian and Prussian guards and the Russian heavy cavalry was to be amassed at Rotha in general reserve. The Austrian grenadiers and cuirassiers would advance between the rivers. This strategy would ensure the encirclement of the French army in Leipzig and its vicinity, or at least inflict heavy losses upon them to assure

6960-463: Was permitted to veto laws passed by the Diet (though he was required to give his reasons for so doing, in each instance), or to send them back with proposed amendments for reconsideration. He was permitted to issue extraordinary decrees to obtain money for state expenditures refused by the Diet, through the Supreme Court, though such decrees could only last for one year. He was permitted to dissolve

7047-423: Was rejected or amended. No new taxes could be imposed without the Diet's consent, though the king was permitted to bypass this in certain instances. The parliament could impeach members of the ministry by unanimous vote of both houses; ministers so impeached were to be tried by a special court; the decision of this court was final, and even the king's right of pardon did not extend to persons convicted by it. In

7134-453: Was sent in to drive out the allies and give Napoleon his breakthrough. They recaptured both Liebertwolkwitz and Wachau, but the allies countered with Russian Guard and Austrian grenadiers backed by Russian cuirassiers. The units lived up to their elite reputation, forming squares that blasted the French cavalrymen from their horses and overran the French artillery batteries. On the southern front, although Napoleon gained ground, he could not break

7221-485: Was thrown out by two Prussian battalions. Austrian grenadiers then formed in front of Markkleeberg and drove the Poles and French out of the area with a flank attack. The Russian II Corps attacked Wachau near Leipzig with support from the Prussian 9th Brigade. The Russians advanced, unaware that French forces were waiting. The French took them by surprise on the flank, mauling them. The Prussians entered Wachau, engaging in street-to-street fighting. French artillery blasted

7308-466: Was to be deployed on the Gallows Height. This battery was to be commanded by the artillery expert Antoine Drouot . The western flank of the French positions at Wachau and Liebertwolkwitz was defended by Prince Józef Poniatowski and Marshal Pierre Augereau and his young French conscripts. The three monarchs of the Coalition powers were present in the field, with Emperor Alexander I of Russia at

7395-414: Was to meet without the other. The upper chamber consisted of the following: Members of this house held their seats so long as they remained qualified to do so under the constitution, or in certain cases until they had reached the age of sixty or participated in three sessions of the Diet. The lower house of the Diet consisted of: A proxy was to also be chosen for each representative, who would take

7482-438: Was to nominate four members, of whom the king was to choose one to be president of that house, and another to be his proxy. Members of the Diet must be at least 30 years of age; electors must be 25 years of age, not have been convicted of any offense in a court of law, not have their personal estate financially encumbered in any way, and not be under guardianship. The Diet was required to consider any business laid before it by

7569-467: Was unleashed with 10,000 French, Italian, and Saxon cavalry. However, Murat's choice of massive columns for the attack formation was unfortunate for the French force, as smaller mobile formations of Russian, Prussian, and Austrian cavalry were able to successfully harass Murat's division, driving them back to their own artillery, where they were saved by the French Guard Dragoons . The Young Guard

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