The proclamation ''An Mein Volk'' ("To my People") was issued by King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

on 17 March 1813 in Breslau (present-day Wrocław, Poland). Addressed to his subjects, ''Preußen und Deutsche'' ("Prussians and Germans" — the former term embracing several ethnic groups in Prussia), it appealed for their support in the struggle against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Hostilities had been declared the day before. The document is the first instance of a Prussian monarch directly addressing the public in order to justify his policies. While the Prussian capital

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

was still occupied by French forces, the proclamation was drafted by the Prussian councillor Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel, and published in the '' Schlesische privilegirte Zeitung'' on 20 March 1813. The proclamation, which affirmed the unity of crown, state and nation, led to the massive expansion of the Prussian Army, and to the creation of

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

s, '' Jäger'' volunteers, and ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

'' units (such as that commanded by Major Adolf von Lützow) fighting in the

German Campaign of 1813 The German campaign () was fought in 1813. Members of the Sixth Coalition, including the German states of Austria and Prussia, plus Russia and Sweden, fought a series of battles in Germany against the French Emperor Napoleon, his marshals, and th ...

References

External links

Text
at www.documentarchiv.de
Translation
at GHDI {{Authority control 1813 in Prussia 1813 documents March 1813 Military history of Wrocław Military of Prussia German campaign of 1813 Frederick William III of Prussia

See also

References

External links