The anxious fears of the company at the dinner table in the previous chapter sadly came true when news of the Battle of Prague on 6 May reached Vienna: the Austrians had been forced to retreat into the city, which was then placed under siege by King Friedrich’s troops. The course of the battle and its casualties, as described by Count Colloredo, are authentic.
The message of the battle deeply impressed all of Europe and made King Friedrich something of a hero – feared and cursed in Catholic southern and western Germany, but praised and adored in Protestant regions. Alongside the general admiration for the King’s military success, much talk was provoked by his spartan appearance in camp: a dark blue buttoned coat over a plain white infantry shirtfront, black velvet breeches and brown leather boots, topped with a plain triangular black felt hat devoid of feather or ornament. In the age of generals in embroidered coats and powdered wigs, he looked more like a clerk in the service of some bourgeois placeman than a champion of war.
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