Editing Scorched earth (section)

===Nine Years' War===
{{Main|Nine Years' War}}
In 1688, France attacked the German [[Electoral Palatinate]]. The German states responded by forming an alliance and assembling a sizeable armed force to push the French out of Germany. The French had not prepared for such an eventuality. Realising that the war in Germany was not going to end quickly and that the war would not be a brief and decisive parade of French glory, [[Louis XIV]] and War Minister [[François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois|Marquis de Louvois]] resolved upon a scorched-earth policy in the [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]], [[Baden]] and [[Württemberg]]. The French were intent on denying enemy troops local resources and on preventing the Germans from invading France.{{sfn|Childs|Childs|1991|p=17}} By 20 December 1688, Louvois had selected all the cities, towns, villages and châteaux intended for destruction. On 2 March 1689, the [[René de Froulay de Tessé|Count of Tessé]] torched [[Heidelberg]], and on 8 March, [[Joseph de Montclar|Montclar]] levelled [[Mannheim]]. [[Oppenheim]] and [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] were finally destroyed on 31 May, followed by [[Speyer]] on 1 June, and Bingen on 4 June. In all, French troops burnt over 20 substantial towns as well as numerous villages.{{sfn|Lynn|2013|p=198}}