Editing Battle of Fleurus (1690) (section)

==Background==
[[File:Fleurus 1 July 1690.png|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The [[Spanish Netherlands]]. [[Fleurus]] sits midway between [[Namur]] and [[Charleroi]], near the river [[Sambre]]]]

In 1690, the main theatre of the [[Nine Years' War]] moved from the [[Rhineland]] to the [[Spanish Netherlands]]. Defeat at [[Battle of Walcourt|Walcourt]] in August 1689 led to [[Louis de Crevant, Duke of Humières|Humières]] being replaced as commander by [[François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], who retained the position until his death in 1695. His army consisted of around 30,000–40,000 men, while if necessary he could call upon support from [[Louis François, duc de Boufflers|Boufflers]] on the [[Moselle]].{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=205}} With [[William III of England|William III]] campaigning in [[Williamite War in Ireland|Ireland]], [[Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck|Waldeck]], the victor of Walcourt, continued as commander of Allied forces in the region.{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=205}}

Waldeck had hoped to delay the campaign to enable the [[Frederick I of Prussia|Elector of Brandenburg]] to move on the Moselle and tie down Boufflers, but Luxembourg's early manoeuvres had allowed Boufflers to move between the rivers [[Sambre]] and [[Meuse]] to support the French commander. Waldeck, meanwhile, left his assembly point at [[Tienen]] (Tirlemont) and advanced to [[Wavre]]. After dispersing his troops to live off forage, the Allied army reassembled and advanced to Genappe on 8 June.

In mid-June Luxembourg split his forces. Humières was relegated to supervise the garrison of the Lines of the [[Lys (river)|Lys]] and the [[Scheldt]], whilst the main French army left [[Deinze]] and marched south, crossing the Sambre at Jeumont on 23 June.{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=206}} Meanwhile, detachments from Boufflers force under Rubantel had augmented Luxembourg's army, which continued its march, camping at [[Boussu]] on 27 June.

As Luxembourg manoeuvred south of [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]] and [[Charleroi]], Waldeck moved his camp between Nivelles and Pieton on 28 June. That same evening, Luxembourg personally led a detachment from [[Gerpinnes]] with [[Floating dock (jetty)|pontoons]] to establish a bridge across the Sambre at Ham. A fortified position at Froidmont (garrisoned by about 100 men) was soon compelled to surrender after artillery was brought across the river; a simultaneous attack by French [[dragoons]] seized an enemy [[redoubt]] that had been abandoned at the approach of Luxembourg's army.{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=206}} With the bridgehead secure, the rest of the French army (apart from the heavy baggage that had remained on the south bank at Ham) crossed the Sambre on 30 June. (''See map'').

Waldeck decamped and moved towards the French bridgehead. French and Dutch cavalry sent out to reconnoitre the area crossed swords in an inconclusive action near [[Fleurus]], but by evening the French cavalry had withdrawn to Velaine where it was joined by the rest of their army, only {{convert|3|km|mi}} from the Allies.