The Battle of Oudenarde (or Audenaarde) was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession. Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... // Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth July 1 - Tewoflos becomes Emperor of Ethiopia September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J... Oudenaarde is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders. ... The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German: Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation ▶(?), Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae, see names and designations of the empire) was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in his Garter robes The Most Noble John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (May 26, 1650 – June 16, 1722), in full The Most Noble Captain-General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Churchill of Sandridge, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, KG... The Duchy of Burgundy, today Bourgogne, has its origin in the small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saone which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Balds kingdom of West Franks. ... Louis Joseph, Duc de Vendôme on campaign, 1706. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... The Battle of Cremona was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession that took place on February 1, 1702 between France and Austria. ... The Battle of Vigo Bay, 23 October 1702 by Ludolf Bakhuizen, painted c. ... The Battle of Blenheim was a major battle in the War of the Spanish Succession, August 13, 1704. ... The Battle of Ramillies was a major battle in the War of Spanish Succession, May 23, 1706. ... The Battle of Turin took place on 7 September 1706 west of the city of Turin during the War of the Spanish Succession. ... The Battle of Almansa, part of the War of the Spanish Succession, took place in 1707. ... The Battle of Malplaquet was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession that took place on September 11, 1709 between France and a British–Austrian alliance (known as the Allies). ... The Battle of Denain was fought on July 24, French victory under General Villars against Austrian and Dutch forces under Prince Eugene. ... Oudenaarde is a municipality in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ...

Prelude

Britain, the Netherlands, and the Holy Roman Empire were horrified at the thought of a union between Spain and France, causing them to ally against France, beginning the War of the Spanish Succession. The commander of the allied armies was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, whose chief deputy was the commander of the Empire's army Prince Eugène of Savoy, who was his close friend. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (German: Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation â–¶(?), Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae, see names and designations of the empire) was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in his Garter robes The Most Noble John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (May 26, 1650 – June 16, 1722), in full The Most Noble Captain-General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Churchill of Sandridge, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, KG... Prince Eugen von Savoyen in a contemporary painting François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan, known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German (October 16, 1663 – April 24, 1736) was a noted general. ...

Meanwhile, the two French army commanders were very quarrelsome. The Duc de Vendôme was a seasoned, experienced soldier. However, for unknown reasons, King Louis XIV of France put his grandson, the Duke of Burgundy, in joint command. These two military officers quarreled frequently. Louis Joseph, Duc de Vendôme on campaign, 1706. ... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... The Duchy of Burgundy, today Bourgogne, has its origin in the small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saone which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Balds kingdom of West Franks. ...

Marlborough's army consisted of about 90,000 men (112 infantry battalions and 197 cavalry squadrons) just south of Brussels. Eugène's forces were assembled at Coblenz, in modern Germany. However, these two areas were somewhat far apart, while the French army's 100,000 soldiers (130 battalions and 216 squadrons) were concentrated near Mons, in modern Belgium. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO code In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the French community of Belgium, the Flemish community and of the European Union. ... This article is about the German city Koblenz. ... The central square and town hall of Mons This article is about the city in Belgium. ...

However, the French commanders began quarreling. Vendôme wanted to attack the city of Huy, which could draw Marlborough in pursuit. However, the eventual plan adopted (under orders from Louis XIV) was to attack Flanders. The army moved eastward, until they reached the city of Braine l'Alleud, which was about 25 km south of Brussels, and also threatened the nearby city of Leuven. Marlborough placed his forces a few miles south of Leuven, in order to cover both threatened cities. Huy (Walloon: Hu; French: Huy, Dutch: Hoei) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... // Location The Gothic Leuven Town Hall Leuven listen â–¶(?) is the capital of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. ...

The French army, however, was inactive for more than a month. This apparently allowed the extremely behind schedule Eugène to bring his army from the Rhine. However, on July 5, the French unexpectedly moved west, taking the cities of Bruges and Ghent (although about 300 British soldiers held out in Ghent for a few days). This extremely demoralized Marlborough and his army, and he did not recover until Eugène was at his side. The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... Ghent (once Gaunt in English, Gent in Dutch, Gand in French) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders, of which it is the capital. ...

The French army had the entire length of the Scheldt from the French border to the newly taken city of Ghent. However, one British fortress remained: Oudenaarde. If they took that city, Marlborough's army would be cut off from the coast, causing them to lose communications with England. The Scheldt in Antwerp Length 350 km Elevation of the source 95 m Average discharge 120 m³/s Area watershed 21860 km² Origin France Mouth Westerschelde Basin countries France, Belgium, Netherlands The Scheldt (Dutch: Schelde, French lEscaut) is a 350 km[1] (217 mile) long river that finds its... Oudenaarde is a municipality in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of East Flanders. ...

Marlborough detected this objective, and also correctly guessed the method by which the French troops would attempt to take it. They would march down the east bank of the Scheldt (closer to Marlborough's troops), while leaving a large covering force between the two opposing armies. The French army marched on July 8, toward the city of Lessines. However, Marlborough made one of the most inspired forced marches in history, taking the city on July 10. This forced the French commanders to attempt simply to march across the Scheldt and thereby take the city of Oudenarde. July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... Lessines is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ...

Again Marlborough ordered a forced march. This time, though, he ordered 11,000 troops to hold the main crossing point across the Scheldt, under the command of his Quartermaster General, William Cadogan. Cadogan's force was easily able to hold off the French, while Marlborough got his 100,000-strong army across the river. A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army. ... William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan (1672 - 1726) was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession. ...

Battle

Map of the Battle of Oudenarde

Cadogan, a superb Irish cavalry commander, ordered some dragoons, under Danish General Rantzau, to take prisoners from the French advance guard. However, many of those troops escaped, telling Lieutenant General the Marquis de Biron, who commanded the vanguard, of the presence of Allied troops on the west bank. Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution Statue of a dragoon on the Triumph Arc of the Louvres in Paris During the late 17th and early 18th centuries a dragoon was traditionally a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transported himself on horseback. ...

However, when Biron advanced, he was disagreeably surprised by the large number of Allied cavalry across the river, along with the approaching Allied infantry. He was ordered to attack by Vendôme; however, he hesitated when seeing the reinforced line of 20 battalions (including the four that had been left to guard the pontoon bridges). Having only 7 battalions and 20 squadrons, Biron hesitated. He had been given reliable advice that cavalry could not negotiate the marshy terrain in the area, and therefore decided not to attempt a crossing. At this time, Eugène, along with 20 squadrons of Prussian cavalry, marched across the river, and were placed in crucial positions. The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and...

While Biron's troops were maneuvering, the leading British infantry brigade had arrived, under the inexperienced but gifted 2nd Duke of Argyll. Cadogan, with authority from Marlborough, attacked Biron's 7 battalions (of Swiss mercenaries) with his soldiers (mainly cavalry). The forgotten Swiss mercenaries were immediately pushed back, and the Allied force destroyed Biron's squadrons, until they reached a large mass of French cavalry, at which they were forced to retire, outnumbered. Ironically, the main force was Rantzau's cavalry, the future King George II among them. Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll and 1st Duke of Greenwich (October 10, 1678 - October 4, 1743) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman. ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... George II King of Great Britain and Ireland George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683–25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ...

Burgundy, making another critical mistake, decided to attack (over protests by Vendôme). The French right wing began to attack the Allied positions near Eyne, while the left wing (for an unknown reason) remained stationary near Huysse. Meanwhile, a very strong position was held by the Allied left wing. 28 cavalry squadrons protected the right flank of Cadogan's infantry, which would receive the attack (which proceeded at about 1600).

Burgundy ordered the assault, which landed on Prussian cavalry squadrons. Although hard fighting ensued, the attack was dispersed. Then, Vendôme made a dubious decision. He personally led an attack of twelve regiments, fighting hand-to-hand with a half-pike. This meant that while one commander (Burgundy) was in his headquarters, with no view of the battle, the other was fighting personally, with no possibility of control. A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ...

Most historians agree that the weakened Allied right flank would have been destroyed, had the French left wing attacked. Vendôme realized this, asking Burgundy for permission to attack with the left wing. Burgundy sent a messenger with a negative reply; however, this messenger failed to deliver the message. Therefore, the situation worsened with Vendôme believing that an attack would support his hard-fighting troops. His troops were lengthening, threatening to envelop the Allied left flank. As Argyll's regiments approached, they lengthened the Allied line; however, this was not quick enough to prevent the French from threatening.

Allied flanking maneuver

Marlborough moved his headquarters to the left flank, giving Eugène command of the right flank (which still opposed the left wing of the French army). However, when the right was under pressure, Marlborough made a brilliant command decision. He placed 18 newly arrived Hessian and Hanoverian battalions in the left flank, while removing 20 of Prussian General von Lottum's battalions, moving them to Eugène's support. This moved fresh troops to the critical left, while reinforcing the right flank (and resting Lottum's troops). Hessians are the members of a northern German tribe settled in modern-day Hessen. ... The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe British monarchs of the House of Hanover things relating to the Duchy of Hanover things relating to Hanover, Germany and it is a horse breed, see Hanoverian (horse) ...

Marlborough then began formulating a new plan of double encirclement. He had the entire Dutch Army, under Field Marshal Count Overkirk, an experienced military officer. However, that force was unable to cross the collapsed pontoon bridges near Oudenarde, forcing him to use the stone bridges, delaying him for an hour. Marlborough went ahead with his plan, having Eugène's cavalry charge. It made for Burgundy's headquarters. However, the French Household Cavalry, the Maison du Roi, drove them back. Marlborough, with only the 18 Hessian and Hanoverian battalions, was unable to do much other than keep the French right in check. The Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land forces element of the Military of the Netherlands. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... La Maison du Roi (House of the King) is a French Army Household Cavalry regiment. ...

At about 20:30, Overkirk's troops, who had finally arrived, flanked the French right wing. This was in conjunction with a dual attack by Marlborough and Eugène. Overkirk's maneuver was completely successful, with much of the French army routing and/or being captured. However, there was not enough daylight to complete the maneuver.

Aftermath

The French army retired to Ghent, with its commanders furiously quarreling. It can be said that a few broken pontoon bridges saved the army from total destruction. A pontoon bridge Pontoon bridges are floating bridges supported by floating pontoons with sufficient buoyancy to support the bridge and dynamic loads. ...

For unknown reasons, about half of the French army was kept in reserve, without participating at all. There was a great mass of French cavalry and infantry in some raised ground north of the Norken River, and many of Burgundy's troops remained inactive. There were many bad decisions in the French army. The cavalry had remained in reserve, mainly because of the advice that the ground was impassable. The entire left wing (the troops under Burgundy and the large mass north of the Norken) was kept in reserve. They could easily have destroyed the rather weak right wing of the Allied army. Had a concerted attack been carried out, with Vendôme attacking with his main body to envelop the Allied right, while Burgundy attacked with the left (before Overkirk and the rest of Argyll's troops arrived), the French army could have easily won.

The French army lost about 15,000 soldiers (about 8,000 of whom were prisoners) and 25 guns, while the Allies lost less than 3,000, and only 175 British infantry casualties were attained.

Further reading

• Anthony Livesey: Great commanders and their battles. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1993. ISBN 0025734105