Following the Armies: Contemporary Images of Military Women and Children in German Central Europe

A reenactor portraying a Prussian Soldatenfrau
late in the Seven Years War

Dear Reader,

Today, I would like to present several contemporary images of women who followed Germanic Armies during the Eighteenth Century. These women, often the wives of soldiers, traveled alongside the armies of Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa. The first four images come from the collection produced by Johann Christian Becher, Wahrhaftige Nachricht derer Begebenheiten drawn during the Seven Years War.

A Franconian Sutleress, Becher

The first woman, a sutler of some means, wears a red sleeved waistcoat and dark blue jacket and petticoat. Her shoes are obscured, but she wears a round, shallow-crowned felt hat with a red ribbon. Her cart/wheelbarrow contains a cask, bags, and she is pictured with a "Coffee Machine" according to a different version of the same image.  The cookware is not blackened. 

An Austrian Sutleress and her family 

There are some similar elements of dress in this image, showing a black felt round hat, likewise tied with a red ribbon (both are knotted on the right of the wearers' crown). This woman has three children, two walk barefoot, and the third is kept tied around the woman's body. Like the Franconian woman above, this woman wears a dark colored jacket with a bit of red at the sleeves. She appears to have a patterned apron and light colored petticoat with red striping. Her daughter carries a walking stick, bottle, and wine skin or draw-string bag, and has a pink sleeveless top over her shift, a green petticoat, and blue apron. Her son wears a round felt hat, worn knee breeches, and a cream woolen waistcoat. 

A Wuertemberger Soldier's Wife

This woman carries a small child on her head, tied to a basket. She has a straw hat, a long cream-colored woolen or linen frock coat, a black waistcoat, and a white cloth around her neck. Her apron is white with blue floral patterning, and she wears a blue petticoat. She has something strapped to her back and a small keg with a strap. 

A Grenadier's Wife from Mainz, her family and equipment 

This women wears a blue jacket and petticoat, her head is tied in a scarf, and she wears no hat. Her eldest daughter cares for a smaller child on the back of a donkey, in a grey top and petticoat with a light colored neck-cloth and straw hat. The woman appears to have light brown shoes, the daughter wears red shoes. The women leads the donkey and has a walking stick, and what appears to be a linen wallet on her back. 

A French Sutleress and a Hungarian Hussar's wife

The French sutleress (left) wears a brown brunswick or long jacket, what might be a military canteen or a glass bottle, a pink cap, a blue apron and green striped petticoat. The Hungarian woman wears a sleeveless green top, no discernible shirt, a loose head covering underneath a military-style laced cocked hat, a blue hussar's jacket, and a white striped petticoat. Somewhat memorably, she carries a strand of garlic in her right hand, and a chicken or some sort of fowl in her right hand. 

The next few images come from details of the military art of Hyacinth de La Pegna, an  artist who commemorated the Hapsburg victories of the Seven Years War. 

This image shows a Prussian soldier's wife with a blue jacket, red petticoat, and white cap. Her baby, on her back, is swaddled in green cloth. 

This woman, with an orange jacket, white shawl/neck cloth, and white cap wears a red petticoat and has her shirt sleeves tucked into the arms of her jacket. She appears to have some sort of wallet/blanket around her middle, held in her right hand. 

This painting shows Prussian women in states of relative undress as a result of the early morning surprise attack at Hochkirch in 1758. The woman on the right appears to have a white/rose colored cap, and she has her sleeves rolled up, and wears her stays. On the left, a women holds a child in while wearing similar clothing, but appears to have a brown/orange blanket of some sort draped around her. 

This scene, also from the downfall at Hochkirch, appears to show a woman in matching sleeveless top and petticoat fleeing from a tent with a blanket around her middle.  She wears a white cap, and sleeves rolled to above the elbow. 

Pro-Prussian Silesian Woman, surrender of Breslau

This image, taken from a commemorative print of the surrender of Breslau, shows a pro-Prussian Silesian woman, with a dark colored petticoat, light-colored jacket with a light-colored shawl and cap. 

The Begging Soldier's Wife, Daniel Chodowiekci

This image, by Prussian painter Chodowiecki, shows a women with a jacket, two military style cocked hats, a market wallet, some type of leather or linen bag, and a light colored petticoat. As a result of her market wallet, it is difficult to definitively address some of her clothing. 

From the above sources, it is clear that some women wore old or unused cocked hats, and occasionally wore military style coats/jackets. Patterned aprons and blue aprons appear in multiple images, as do petticoats with stripes near the bottom. 

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Thanks for Reading, 

Alex Burns

Women in Kabinettskriege Warfare

A depiction of the Quasi-Mythic "Molly Pitcher" 

Dear Reader,

While so far, the majority of my blog posts have dealt with men, one of my concerned readers (looking at you, Adi Moore) reminded me, in the words of Kabinettskriege era wife and mother Abigail Adams, to "remember the ladies."

Maria Theresa of Austria

Catherine II of Russia

Female Rulers

Women often played a vital role in the various events of the Kabinettskriege period. During the 18th century, Maria Theresa of Austria and Catherine II of Russia ruled and reformed their states with great skill.

In addition to being a first class monarch, Maria Theresa of Austria raised a family, while her almost useless husband Francis Stephen of Lorraine was busy having affairs with women much his junior. Maria assisted with reforming the Austria military, which helped the Austrians perform much better in the Seven Years' War. Like US. President Abraham Lincoln in the 19th century, she was frequently frustrated by her military commanders.

Historian Christopher Duffy believes that if she had not been born a woman, she would have gladly gone on campaign with her soldiers. Whenever troops would return from the war, she would ride out to meet them, and was often regarded by soldiers as something of a mother figure. After the battle of Kolin, the first major Austrian victory of the Seven Years' War, she created the order of Maria Theresa to honor successful military commanders.

In 1757, Austrian forces raided Berlin, and levied large amounts of money from the captive population. In addition, they demanded a number of gloves, in order to present to Empress Maria Theresa. Upon leaving the city, they found that the wily Berliners had only given them left-handed gloves. As a mark of respect, the officers of the Austrian military only wore gloves on one hand from that day forward.

Catherine II of Russia provides us with a somewhat more controversial figure. English speaking historian often focus on the fact that she ordered her lover to murder her husband, or many of her more sultry aspects.  Dr. Sergei Zhuk, and many other Eastern European historians are trying to change that frame of mind.

They argue that Catherine's political and military accomplishments are much more interesting, and worthy of study. Like Maria Theresa, she became highly involved in military affairs, and even had her picture painted while in uniform, on horseback! These aspects of her reign tell us much more about the type of ruler, and woman, that she was.

Women and the Military in the Kabinettskriege Era

When historians examine the women and the military, they often focus on camp followers. These women and children were often soldiers wives, and traveled with the army on campaign. Don H. Hagist has a vast amount of information on these women who followed the British army in the American War for Independence. You can read his blog here.

Women also played a role in the actual combat operations of the Kabinettskriege period.  Women often disguised themselves as men, and fought on the battlefield. During the reign of Frederick William I of Prussia, a woman was actually executed for this! Other women, such as Mary McCauley (the "molly pitcher" of legend) assisted with battlefield tasks, such as loading and firing cannons.

During the Seven Years' War, Rafaela Herrera, the nineteen year old daughter of a Spanish garrison commander, took command of the Castillo de Immaculate Concepcion in present day Nicaragua. Her father died just prior to an English attack, and the second in command of the fortress was preparing to surrender, when Rafaela took the keys of the fortress from him, and begin firing one of the cannons at the English. The Spanish soldiers, emboldened by the young woman, resisted the English for in a week long siege. The Spanish eventually drove the English away, and Rafaela recieved a pension from the king of Spain for her actions!

So, as you can see, women played a vital role in this period, as monarchs, wives, mothers, soldiers, and even commanders!

Thanks for reading,

Alex Burns

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