Editing Battle of Denain (section)

==Background==
{{Further|Battle of Malplaquet}}
The War of Spanish Succession had raged since 1701. After over a decade of war, France was in a dark period, both financially and militarily. The early victories of [[Marshal Villars]] at the [[Battle of Friedlingen]] and the [[First Battle of Höchstädt|Battle of Höchstadt]] were followed by numerous defeats to the Allied forces, most notably the armies under [[Prince Eugene of Savoy]] and the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]]. In 1708, after the [[Battle of Oudenaarde|rout of Oudenaarde]], nearly all the strongholds of northern France were under the control of the Austro-Dutch-British coalition. There was also an economic crisis, and the winter of 1708-1709 was one of the most rigorous of the 18th century, leading to famine and high mortality.

The command of the French northern army went to Marshal Villars in 1709, who wasted no time in reorganising its demoralised forces. When the Allied campaign led by Prince Eugene and the Duke of Marlborough engaged the French at [[Battle of Malplaquet|Malplaquet]], Villars was wounded and the French retreated from the field, but the Allies suffered twice as many casualties and their campaign soon sputtered out. France's precarious position had been stabilized, the Allies were unable to achieve their goal of forcing harsh terms on the Bourbons and the war continued. In Britain the anti-war [[Tories (British political party)|Tories]] [[1710 British general election|managed to gain power]] in 1710 and were increasingly prepared to agree terms with French negotiators. Despite this the 1711 campaign saw Marlborough enjoy further success by leading his army through the lines Ne Plus Ultra and [[Siege of Bouchain (1711)|capturing Bouchain]], a key fortress in northern France.

Marlborough had fallen out of favour with [[Queen Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] and his political opponents manoeuvred to have him dismissed as [[Captain General]] in December 1711.