[1] During the War of the Austrian Succession, Charles invaded Upper Austria in 1741 and planned to conquer Vienna, but his allied French troops under the Duc de Belle-Isle were instead redirected to Bohemia.

Maurice de Saxe, an experienced commander renowned for his intellectual grasp of the principles of war, discreetly went forward to reconnoiter the walled city's defenses in person and launched a surprise operation.

In order to avoid alerting the small Prague garrison, the assault would be made without firing muskets; only bayonets were used to dispatch the soldiers on guard duty.

On the night of 25 to 26 November, the Franco-Bavarian-Saxon troops climbed onto the parapet of a poorly defended section of the walls and had taken possession before the garrison realized what was afoot.

However, Prague's capture did not significantly alter the course of the war, since the following month Austrian general Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller launched a winter counter-offensive, reversing most of the enemy's gains.