Editing Battle of Denain

{{short description|1712 battle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Battle of Denain
| image       = Villars a Denain1.jpg
| image_size  = 300
| caption     = [[Claude Louis Hector de Villars|Marshal Villars]] leads the French charge at the '' '''Battle of Denain'''.'' By [[Jean Alaux]]. Oil on canvas, 1839 ([[Galerie des Batailles]], [[Palace of Versailles]]).
| partof      = the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]
| date        = 24 July 1712
| place       = [[Denain]], France
| coordinates ={{Coord|50|20|N|3|24|E|type:event_source:kolossus-cawiki|display=title,inline}}
| result      = French victory
| combatant1  = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}}
| combatant2  = {{flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} [[Habsburg monarchy]]<br>{{flag|Dutch Republic}}
| commander1  = {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars|Claude de Villars]]
| commander2  = {{flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} [[Eugene of Savoy|Prince Eugene]]<br>{{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle|Earl of Albemarle]]{{Surrendered}}
| strength1   = 24,000–26,000 men{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|pp=341}}{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|p=72}}
| strength2   = 8,500–10,500 men{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|pp=341}}{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|p=72}}
| casualties1 = 500{{sfn|Eggenberger|2012|p=120}}{{sfn|Cook|Stevenson|2016|p=166}}{{sfn|Dupuy|Dupuy|1977|p=625}}<br>2,100{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=354}}
| casualties2 = 6,500<ref>Chandler: ''Marlborough as Military Commander,'' 305</ref>{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=354}}<br>8,000{{sfn|Eggenberger|2012|p=120}}{{sfn|Cook|Stevenson|2016|p=166}}{{sfn|Dupuy|Dupuy|1977|p=625}}
}}

{{Campaignbox War of the Spanish Succession}}

The '''Battle of Denain''' was fought on 24 July 1712 as part of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. It resulted in a [[France|French]] victory, under [[Claude Louis Hector de Villars|Marshal Villars]], against [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[Austria]]n forces, under [[Prince Eugene of Savoy]].

It was the war's last battle in [[Flanders]] and one of the most consequential, breaking the [[Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)|Grand Alliance's]] ability to threaten Paris and reversing nearly two years of French territorial losses. In itself a local and tactical victory, Denain was made decisive by its relentless exploitation by Villars, who skillfully maneuvered to reclaim strategic border fortifications that would blunt any allied effort to renew their advance on Paris and dictate peace terms to [[Louis XIV]].

==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.

==Prelude==
===Disunity in the Allied leadership===
In the first months of 1712, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] was marked by disunity among the [[Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)|Grand Alliance]]. As a result of the [[1710 British general election]], the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] had been swept from power in [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and replaced by the [[Tories (British political party)|Tories]], who were opposed to further involvement in the conflict. The Tory [[Harley ministry]] accused the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]] and his fellow Whig politicians of [[war profiteering]]; as a result, Marlborough, who had led the Allied armies in the [[Low Countries]] since 1702 was removed from office by [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] under Tory pressure.{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=335}}

The Tories were also hostile towards the [[Dutch Republic]], who they did not trust. In his 1711 work ''[[The Conduct of the Allies]]'', Tory pamphleteer [[Jonathan Swift]] argued that the Dutch were ungrateful allies and a threat to Britain. Swift wrote that the Dutch were in "a condition to strike terror into us, with 50,000 veterans ready to invade us from the country which we have conquered for them". When the Tory-dominated [[House of Commons of Great Britain|British House of Commons]] passed a resolution criticising the Dutch for not fulfilling prior agreements with Britain, Dutch statesman [[Anthonie Heinsius]] and his fellow ''[[regenten]]'' were outraged. The Dutch issued a reply to the resolution wherein they refuted Tory criticisms point by point, greatly embarrassing the Harley ministry.{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=335-336}}

Such disputes did not stop the Harley ministry from continuing secret peace negotiations with [[Kingdom of France|France]]. To keep their allies in the dark and maintain a strong negotiating position with France, the Harley ministry decided to participate in a new campaign in 1712, if only superficially. The [[James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde|Duke of Ormonde]] was chosen by the Harley ministry to command British troops in the Low Countries for this campaign. Although Ormonde was a veteran commander who had served under [[William III of England]] in the [[Nine Years' War]], he was relatively inexperienced. Tory statesman [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer|Lord Oxford]] saw this as an advantage, as he could therefore control him more easily. Ormonde had been given secret instructions to frustrate the Allied war effort as much as possible, which would make the Dutch and [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrians]] more inclined to seek peace. However, the [[States General of the Netherlands|Dutch States General]] had no intention of allowing Ormonde to lead [[Dutch States Army|their army]]. They asked the Austrians to send [[Eugene of Savoy]] back to the Dutch Republic instead. The Austrians agreed to this and also sent an additional 20,000 men.{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=337}}

===Beginning of the campaign===
{{Main|Bombardment of Arras}}
The Duke of Marlborough, having conquered Bouchain in the previous year, had left most of his troops to occupy the outermost border towns, so that the French would be prevented from building up lines to cover their remaining lands during the winter. This prompted a plan in [[The Hague]] to burn down a large hay storehouse, set up by the French within Arras. This would prevent Villars from getting his armies into the field early in the year and allow Eugene to lay siege to Arras or [[Cambrai]] without the threat of a French army. On 2 and 3 March 1712 an Allied army under [[Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle|Arnold van Keppel, Earl of Albemarle]] closed in on Arras and [[Bombardment of Arras|bombarded the town]]. The action was a major success, but the advantage had to go entirely unused because the Emperor's troops arrived too late to the Allied army. Villars had by then already assembled his army in the plain between Cambrai and Arras.{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|pp=338–339}}{{Sfn|De Vryer|1737|pp=383–285}}

In June, Prince Eugene [[Siege of Le Quesnoy|besieged and captured Le Quesnoy]]. The Duke of Ormonde withdrew his forces during the siege, leading to a rift between the British and the rest of the Allies. In line with their prior agreement with the French, Ormonde removed his men towards [[Dunkirk]].<ref>Henderson pp.&nbsp;206–207</ref> However, the 25,000–30,000 German and [[Danish Auxiliary Corps in Anglo-Dutch service 1701–1714|Danish troops]] in British pay refused to leave and declared to the [[Field deputy (Dutch Republic)|Dutch field deputies]] that they would not leave the Allied army until they had received further orders from their respective sovereigns. The field deputies promised them that the Dutch Republic would pay them instead. Despite the absence of British troops, this meant that the Allies could still continue their offensive and Eugene and [[Claude Frédéric t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly|Count Tilly]] concluded the siege of Le Quesnoy successfully.{{Sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=340}}

Once the Allies were assured of the support of the auxiliary troops that had previously served under the English, they decided the fortress of [[Landrecies]] would be the next target. Ordinarily, they would have first captured [[Valenciennes]] to secure their supply lines, ensuring a more secure siege of the city. However, the political situation left the Dutch-Imperial army with limited time to break through the French line of fortresses, compelling them to take greater risks. The Allied army's supply lines were exceedingly long and ran dangerously close to the French positions. Defending these extended lines required the army to be fragmented.{{Sfn|Wijn|1964|p=180}}

[[File:Slag bij Denain, 1712 Plan der Battailje by Denain (titel op object), BI-B-FM-090-156 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Dutch map showing the order of battle of the troops at the Battle of Denain on 24 July 1712. In the bottom right corner, a crowing French rooster stands atop the legend, beside a reclining Dutch lion and a bucking English unicorn.]]

The Dutch-Imperial army comprised 122 battalions and 273 squadrons. Although Villars initially commanded a larger force with 139 battalions and 249 squadrons, the situation shifted in favour of the Allies. As the defending party, Villars had to allocate 40 battalions to garrison various fortress towns. Additionally, to safeguard the interior from raids, like [[Grovestins's cavalry raid|the one of Grovestins]], he was compelled to detach 36 squadrons. [[Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau|Prince of Anhalt-Dessau]] encircled Landrecies with 34 battalions and 30 squadrons, while the main Allied force was positioned between Fontaine au Bois and Thiant. Some troops were reserved for guarding the supply line that went from Landrecies to [[Marchiennes]].{{Sfn|Wijn|1964|p=180–181}}

A corps of 10 battalions and 23 squadrons under Albemarle was stationed at Denain, a fortified encampment, and not a fortress as was typically the case. It was only equipped with field fortifications that were no match for the overwhelming numerical superiority Albemarle would face. Due to the hard ground, it lacked high [[Rampart (fortification)|ramparts]] or a deep moat, had no outer ditch, and—perhaps most critically, despite what the painting by [[Jean Alaux]] suggest—was without a [[palisade]]. The retrenchment had been constructed to guard against [[sortie]]s from Valenciennes and against smaller enemy raids. It does not appear that Albemarle and Eugene had anticipated facing a large enemy force or an entire army. Only a single pontoon bridge connected Albemarle’s encampment to the right bank of the Scheldt. Since the English had taken their bridging equipment with them, Albemarle had to provide the materials for a second pontoon bridge to the main army. The wooden bridge he planned as a replacement was still unfinished when the French arrived.{{Sfn|Wijn|1964|p=192–193}}

==Battle sequence==
[[File:Godfrey Kneller Eugen von Savoyen 1712.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Eugene of Savoy]] in 1712.]]
After a detailed examination of the enemy dispositions, Villars decided in the greatest secrecy to attack [[Denain]]. Elements of the French cavalry were sent to seize the various bridges crossing the river Selle,<ref>not the Selle already in the English Wikipedia but this one: [[:fr:Selle (affluent de l'Escaut)]]</ref> which ran through le Cateau to join the [[Scheldt]] opposite Denain. During the evening, a French detachment also took up positions around a mill at Haspres, blocking the river that crossed there. That night, the French infantry began to march towards Prince Eugene's forces at [[Landrecies]]. In response to the threat, Prince Eugene reinforced Landrecies, weakening the Allied right wing, under the Earl of Albemarle, which held Denain.

At dawn, however, Villars swung the line of advance of his army and aimed it behind the cover of the Selle in three columns at Denain. At five o'clock in the morning, Villars and his principal lieutenants drew up their plan of attack at [[Avesnes-le-Sec]]. They chose the windmill there<ref>still standing today, with in one of its arches, a stone dated 1690.</ref> as a vantage point for observation of the surrounding lowland. 24,000 French infantry would attack the 8,500 strong Dutch garrison of Denain.{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|p=72}} At seven o’clock, the French infantrymen reached [[Neuville-sur-Escaut]] and were immediately ordered to seize the bridges across the Scheldt. At eight o’clock, the Allies were surprised to discover the large French presence in the area. The Earl of Albemarle, at the head of the Dutch garrison in and around Denain, warned Prince Eugene, but the Prince of Savoy was then not greatly concerned. By one o'clock in the afternoon, the attack had already been started. The French sappers led the infantry against heavy fire and took Denain at the point of the [[bayonet]]. Many defenders were killed, and the remaining Dutch infantry attempted to escape across the mill bridge. However, it collapsed during the retreat, and hundreds of Allied troops drowned.

Realising the gravity of the situation, Prince Eugene attempted to force his way across the Scheldt at [[Prouvy]] to help Albemarle. Under the command of the [[Christian Louis de Montmorency-Luxembourg|Prince de Tingry]], French regiments held the bridge at Prouvy against repeated Austrian attacks. Finally, as the day drew to a close, the French destroyed the bridge to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy. That left the Prince of Savoy's army blocked on the left flank by the Scheldt, and the Allies could not counterattack to retake Denain. There, Albemarle and his staff were taken prisoner, together with some 4,100 troops. The Allies suffered 6,500 to 8,000 losses, mostly borne by the Dutch, while French casualties were 500 to 2,100.<ref>Chandler: ''Marlborough as Military Commander,'' 305</ref>{{sfn|Lynn|1999|p=354}}{{sfn|Eggenberger|2012|p=120}}

==Aftermath==
The battle was not immediately recognised to be as decisive as it turned out to be; most of Prince Eugene's army was relatively unscathed. However, with the loss of Denain, the Allied position began to unravel, and over the next few months, the French recovered Le Quesnoy, Marchines, Douai, and Bouchain.

Almost immediately, Villars began a siege of the key allied supply base at [[Marchiennes]], whose 100 cannon fell into French hands along with up to 9,000 prisoners and large volumes of stores and equipment. This movement threatened Eugene's line of communications, compelling the Austrians to lift the siege of [[Landrecies]] and retire north. Villars responded by seizing [[Douai]] (31 July) and [[Le Quesnoy]] (8 October) after short sieges. The loss of Le Quesnoy alone cost the Allies 3,000 killed or wounded.{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|p=70}} Villars next moved against [[Bouchain]], the site of Marlborough's [[Siege of Bouchain (1711)|last triumph]], taking the city 19 October. This had the effect of reestablishing the ''{{ill|pré carré|fr}}'', the vital double-line of fortifications protecting Paris, dashing any remaining allied hopes of bringing Louis XIV to terms by a march on the French capital.

When news of the victory reached [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] the court erupted in an outpouring of joy; Louis XIV was reportedly so moved that, for the first time in his sixty-year reign, the monarch thanked his courtiers for their support.

With Louis XIV's realm secure, the decade-long war in Flanders came to a close. Few other [[theater (warfare)|theatres]] held comparable promise for advancing the Allied war aims: in the Alps, Marshal Berwick with some 35,000 men safely contained the opposing 50,000 Austrians and Savoyards; in Catalonia the Allies under [[Guido Starhemberg|Starhemberg]] were reeling after defeats at [[Battle of Brihuega|Brihuega]] and [[Battle of Villaviciosa|Villaviciosa]]; on the Portuguese frontier, the remaining Anglo-Portuguese army was falling back before a Spanish army under the [[Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay|Marquis de Bay]], removing the last serious threat to Philip V's succession; on the Rhine, the [[Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg|Duke of Württemberg]] could only bombard French lines, to which the French responded with cavalry raids into Germany before both sides settled into winter quarters.

Against this backdrop, the Dutch Estates General joined the British in [[Peace of Utrecht|negotiating]] a separate peace with Louis XIV, forcing Eugene to march the Imperial army back to Germany to continue the war in the [[Rhineland]]. When Villars and Eugene renewed operations in this new theatre the following season, the Frenchman again emerged victorious, taking the strongpoints of [[Rhine campaign (1713)|Freiburg and Landau]] and compelling the Emperor to sue for peace. The two men were then given power to negotiate a peace agreement and eventually drew up the terms of the [[Treaty of Rastatt]] which finally brought the last of the fighting to an end.<ref>Henderson pp.&nbsp;215–218</ref> Eugene's reputation soon recovered when he won a major victory by defeating the Turks at the 1717 [[Siege of Belgrade (1717)|Siege of Belgrade]].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Chris |last2= Stevenson|first2= John|title=British Historical Facts: 1688-1760|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|location=|year=2016 |edition= |isbn=978-1349023691 }}
* [[Chandler, David G.]] ''Marlborough as Military Commander.'' Spellmount Ltd, (2003). {{ISBN|1-86227-195-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Clodfelter |first=M. |title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |year=2017 |edition=4th |isbn=978-0786474707 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Dupuy |first1=Richard Ernest |last2=Dupuy |first2= Trevor Nevitt |title=The Encyclopedia of Military History From 3500 B.C. to the Present|publisher=Harper & Row|location=|year=1977 |edition= |isbn=978-0060111397 }}
* {{cite book |last=Eggenberger |first=David |title=An Encyclopedia of Battles Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present |publisher=Dover Publications|location=|year=2012 |edition= |isbn=978-0486142012 }}
* {{Cite book |title=The Wars of Louis XIV: 1667–1714 |last=Lynn |first=John A. |author-link=John A. Lynn |year=1999 |publisher=Longman |location=London |isbn=0-582-05629-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/warsoflouisxiv1600lynn }}
* Henderson, Nicholas. ''Prince Eugen of Savoy''. Weifenfeld and Nicolson, 1964.
* Chase Maenius. ''The Art of War[s]: Paintings of Heroes, Horrors and History''. 2014. {{ISBN|978-1320309554}}
* {{cite book |last=Van Nimwegen |first=Olaf |title=De Veertigjarige Oorlog 1672–1712: de strijd van de Nederlanders tegen de Zonnekoning (The 40 Years War 1672–1712: the Dutch struggle against the Sun King)|publisher=Prometheus |year=2020 |isbn=978-90-446-3871-4|lang=Dutch}}
* {{cite book |last=De Vryer |first=Abraham |title=Histori van François Eugenius, prins van Savoije-Soissons |publisher=Loveringh en De Jonge |year=	1737 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IvZWAAAAcAAJ|language=Dutch}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wijn |first=J.W. |title=Het Staatsche Leger: Deel VIII-3 Het tijdperk van de Spaanse Successieoorlog 1711–1715 (The Dutch States Army: Part VIII-3 The era of the War of the Spanish Succession 1711–1715) |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff |date=1964|language=Dutch}}

==External links==
* [http://www.batailles-denain.fr/index.php/le-spectacle/le-tricentenaire/18-la-bataille-de-denain.html Celebration of the tricentenary in Denain, July 2012]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denain 1712}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1712|Denain]]
[[Category:Battles of the War of the Spanish Succession]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Kingdom of France (987–1792)]]
[[Category:Battles involving Austria]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Military history of Nord (French department)]]
[[Category:History of Hanover (city)]]
[[Category:18th-century military history of France]]
[[Category:1712 in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1712 in France]]