The Battle of Oudenarde (or Oudenaarde) 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. ... Map of Dutch Republic by Joannes Janssonius United Netherlands redirects here. ... The extent of the Holy Roman Empire in c. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries. ... Prince Eugen von Savoyen in a contemporary painting François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan, known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German and Eugenio, Principe di Savoia in Italian (October 18, 1663 – April 24, 1736) was arguable the greatest general to serve the Habsburgs. ... Louis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Burgundy (August 16, 1682 - February 18, 1712) was the son of Louis, le Grand Dauphin, and Maria Anna of Bavaria. ... Louis Joseph, Duc de Vendôme on campaign, 1706. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... Combatants Austria France Commanders Prince Eugene of Savoy Nicolas Catinat Strength 30,000 25,000 Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Carpi was a serie of manoeuvres in the summer of 1701, and the first battle of the War of the Spanish Succession that took place on July 9, 1701... The Battle of Chieri was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession that took place on September 1, 1701 between France and Austria. ... 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. ... Combatants Austria France Commanders Eugene of Savoy Duc de Vendôme Strength 25,000 30,000 Casualties 2,500 4,000 {{{notes}}} Battle of Luzzara was battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Combatants Spain England United Provinces Commanders Francisco de Villadarias George Rooke James, Duke of Ormonde Strength 300 infantry 150 cavalry 50 ships 14,000 infantry Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Cádiz was a siege of the Spanish city of Cádiz in 1702 by an Anglo-Dutch fleet... Combatants France Holy Roman Empire Commanders Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars Louis, Margrave of Baden-Baden Strength Casualties The Battle of Friedlingen was fought in 1702 between France and the Holy Roman Empire. ... The Battle of Vigo Bay, 23 October 1702 by Ludolf Bakhuizen, painted c. ... Combatants Dutch Republic France Spain Commanders General Obdam General Slangenburg Duc de Boufflers Duc de Villeroi Strength 10,000 40,000 Casualties 3,400 1,750 The Battle of Ekeren, June 30, 1703 was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Combatants Austria France Bavaria Commanders Limburg Styrum Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Claude de Villars Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Strength 16,000 24,000 Casualties 5,000 dead, wounded and (mainly) prisoners. ... The Battle of Schellenberg was fought on 2 July 1704. ... Combatants England,[1] Austria, Dutch Republic, Prussia, Denmark, Hesse, Hanover France, Bavaria Commanders Duke of Marlborough, Eugene of Savoy Duc de Tallard, Maximilian II Emanuel, Ferdinand de Marsin Strength 52,000, 60 guns[2] 56,000, 90 guns Casualties 4,542 killed, 7,942 wounded 20,000 killed, drowned, or... Combatants France Spain England United Provinces Commanders Comte de Toulouse Victor-Marie dEstrées George Rooke Strength 50 warships 6 frigates (3,577 guns) 24,275 men 53 ships of the line 6 frigates 7 fireships (3,614 guns) 22,543 men Casualties no ships lost 1,600-3... Combatants France Austria Prussia Commanders Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme Eugene of Savoy Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Strength 30,000 29,000 Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Cassano, fought on August 16, 1705, was a hard fought battle in the Italian theatre of the War of... Combatants France Austria Commanders Duc de Vendôme Reventlow Strength 41,000 19,000 Casualties unknown 6,000 The Battle of Calcinato was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Combatants England Dutch Republic German states France Commanders Duke of Marlborough Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk Duc de Villeroi Strength 14,000 (initially) 3,000 - 15,000 Casualties 50 - 200 3,000 The Battle of Elixheim, 18 July 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of Brabant was a... 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. ... Combatants Philippists Kingdom of France Kingdom of Spain Austriacists Britain Portugal United Provinces Commanders Duke of Berwick Marquis de Ruvigny Marquês das Minas Strength 25,000 22,000 Casualties 3,500 dead or wounded 5,000 dead or wounded 12,000 captured The Battle of Almansa, fought on April... Combatants Britain Austria United Provinces Savoy France Spain Commanders Victor Amadeus II of Savoy Prince Eugene of Savoy René de Froulay de Tessé Strength 35,000 15,000 Casualties 10,000 dead or wounded Unknown The Battle of Toulon took place in 1707 in the War of the Spanish Succession. ... 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). ... Combatants Spain Austria Britain United Provinces Cataluña Commanders Marquis de Bay Guido Starhemberg Lord Stanhope Strength 20,000 23,000 - 30,000 Casualties 7,000 - 10,000 dead or wounded 4,000 - 5,000 captured Unknown, probably 1,500 dead or wounded The Battle of Saragossa (Spanish: Zaragoza) took... Combatants Spain Austria Britain United Provinces Commanders Francisco de Villadarias Guido Starhemberg Lord Stanhope Strength 22,000 18,000 Casualties 1,000 dead 3,000 captured 400 dead The Battle of Almenara took place on July 27, 1710 in the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Combatants France Spain Britain Commanders Louis Joseph de Vendôme James Stanhope Strength 20,000–24,000 16,000–18,000 (4,000 present) Casualties 1,000 dead 600 dead 3,400 wounded or captured The Battle of Brihuega took place on December 8, 1710 in the War of the... Combatants France Spain Austria United Provinces Portugal Commanders Louis Joseph de Vendôme Guido Starhemberg Strength 20,000 12,000–14,000 Casualties 2,000–3,000 dead or wounded 2,000–3,000 dead or wounded The Battle of Villaviciosa took place on December 10, 1710 in the War... Combatants England Dutch Republic German states France Commanders Duke of Marlborough Claude Villars de Ravignau Strength 85,000 90,000 Casualties 4,080 2,500 killed and wounded 2,500 captured The Siege of Bouchain (9 August - 12 September 1711), following the Passage of the Lines of Ne Plus Ultra... Combatants Austria United Provinces Britain France Commanders Eugene of Savoy Claude de Villars Strength 105,000 120,000 Casualties 18,000 dead or wounded 5,000 dead or wounded The Battle of Denain was fought on July 24, 1712, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession, and resulted... The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), which pitted Archduke Charles (backed by Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands), against Philip V, backed by France and Spain in a contest for Spanish lands. ... Oudenaarde (French Audenarde, English sometimes Oudenarde) 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

Great 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 extent of the Holy Roman Empire in c. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries. ... Prince Eugen von Savoyen in a contemporary painting François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan, known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German and Eugenio, Principe di Savoia in Italian (October 18, 1663 – April 24, 1736) was arguable the greatest general to serve the Habsburgs. ...

Meanwhile, the two French army commanders were very quarrelsome. Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme was a seasoned, experienced soldier. The Duke of Burgundy had considerably less experience and owed his position to the fact he was grandson of the King, Louis XIV of France. Louis Joseph, Duc de Vendôme on campaign, 1706. ... Louis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Burgundy (August 16, 1682 - February 18, 1712) was the son of Louis, le Grand Dauphin, and Maria Anna of Bavaria. ... Sun King redirects here. ...

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. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums[] Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... This article is about the German city Koblenz. ... Geography Country Belgium Region Walloon Region Community French Community Province Hainaut Arrondissement Mons Coordinates Area 146. ...

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. ... Flanders (Dutch: ) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; generally called the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians; the constituent governing institution... Braine-lAlleud (Dutch:Eigenbrakel) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. ... Leuven   (French Louvain, German Löwen) is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in Flanders, Belgium, European Union. ...

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 River. 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. ... Geography Country Belgium Region Flemish Region Community Flemish Community Province West Flanders Arrondissement Bruges Coordinates Area 138. ... Geography Country Belgium Community Flemish Community Region Flemish Region Province East Flanders Arrondissement Ghent Coordinates Area 156. ...

The French army had the entire length of the Scheldt River 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 (French Audenarde, English sometimes Oudenarde) 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 Jørgen Rantzau, to take prisoners from the French advance guard. However, many of those troops escaped, telling Lieutenant General Charles Armand de Gontout, Duc de Biron, who commanded the vanguard, of the presence of Allied troops on the west bank. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... French dragoon, 1745. ...

However, when de 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, moved across the river, and occupied crucial positions. Motto: Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Political structure Duchy, Kingdom, Republic Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I  - 1688–1701 Frederick III King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I  - 1888–1918 William II Prime Minister1,2...

While Biron's troops were maneuvering, the leading British infantry brigade had arrived, under the inexperienced but gifted John Campbell, 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 of England among them. In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... 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 person who takes part in an armed conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that... 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 4 pm).

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, consisting of a variable number of battalions - - commanded by a colonel. ...

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 Carl von Lottum 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). The term Hessian refers to the inhabitants of the German state of Hesse. ... 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 Hendrik 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. ... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is also 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 being routed and/or 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 only a few broken pontoon bridges saved the army from total destruction. Pontoon bridge across the James River at Richmond, Virginia, 1865. ...

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.

Further reading

• Anthony Livesey: Great commanders and their battles. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1993. ISBN 0-02-573410-5

External links

• Battle of Oudenarde at BritishBattles.com