Battle of Leuze

Last updated
Battle of Leuze
Part of the Nine Years' War
Combat de Leuze, 18 September 1691.jpg
Combat de Leuze by Joseph Parrocel
Date18 September 1691
Location
Leuze-en-Hainaut, present-day Belgium
Result French victory [1] [2] [3]
Belligerents
Royal Standard of the King of France.svg  France Statenvlag.svg  Dutch Republic
Flag of England.svg  England
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Commanders and leaders
Royal Standard of the King of France.svg Duke of Luxembourg
Royal Standard of the King of France.svg Villars
Statenvlag.svg Count of Waldeck
Statenvlag.svg Count of Tilly
Statenvlag.svg Prince of Nassau-Usingen
Statenvlag.svg Lord Overkirk
Strength
28 squadrons (about 4,000 men) 72 squadrons (about 12,000 men)
Casualties and losses
400 [4] -700 [5] killed or wounded 1,500-2,000 killed, wounded or missing [6] [1]

The Battle of Leuze was a minor Cavalry engagement of the Nine Years' War that took place on 18 September 1691 between a detachment of French and a superior Allied force.

Contents

Marshal Luxembourg had been informed that William III of Orange had left for England, in the supposition that the campaign of 1691 was at its end. He was also informed that Marshal Waldeck, who was left in charge, was preparing to retire into winter quarters.

Luxembourg was near Tournai and sent out a reconnaissance under Marsilly, from whom he learned that the main body of the Allied army was retreating, leaving a rear-guard of cavalry, consisting of just 3,000 men, under the Count of Tilly at Leuze. Luxembourg acted immediately. He sent a detachment to follow the movements of the main body, and with the squadrons of Villars and Marsilly he attacked the smaller party without warning. The French cavalry charged, only using their swords.

As soon as Field Marshal Nassau-Saarbrücken-Usingen became aware of the French attack, he turned around with the entire left wing and tried to turn the tide. This further increased Allied losses, because the squadrons which rushed to the rescue did not all arrive on the battlefield at the same time, allowing the elite French troops to defeat them one by one. [7] Troops under Overkirk, however, were finally able to chase off the French cavalry. [8] Waldeck, meanwhile, rushed with the infantry to Leuze, but blew off the attack when Luxembourg saw him approaching. [7]

The Allied infantry, including Mackay's Regiment [9] also took part in the battle but did not see much action.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fleurus (1690)</span> Battle in the Nine Years War between France and the Grand Alliance (1690)

The Battle of Fleurus, fought on 1 July 1690 near Fleurus, then part of the Spanish Netherlands, now in modern Belgium, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. A French army led by Luxembourg defeated an Allied force under Waldeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Denain</span> 1712 battle

The Battle of Denain was fought on 24 July 1712 as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. It resulted in a French victory, under Marshal Villars, against Dutch and Austrian forces, under Prince Eugene of Savoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Seneffe</span> 1674 battle during the Franco-Dutch War

The Battle of Seneffe took place on 11 August 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Seneffe, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now present-day Belgium. It was fought between a French force commanded by the Prince de Condé and a combined Dutch, Imperial, and Spanish force under William of Orange. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, over 20% of those engaged on both sides became casualties, and the result is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Steenkerque</span> 1692 conflict in the Nine Years War

The Battle of Steenkerque, also known as Steenkerke, Steenkirk, Steynkirk or Steinkirk was fought on 3 August 1692, during the Nine Years' War, near Steenkerque, then part of the Spanish Netherlands but now in modern Belgium A French force under Marshal François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, repulsed a surprise attack by an Allied army led by William of Orange. The Allies were forced to retreat after several hours of heavy fighting, although the French were too exhausted to follow up their victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg</span> French general (1628–1695)

François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg, commonly known as Luxembourg, and nicknamed "The Upholsterer of Notre-Dame", was a French general and Marshal of France. A comrade and successor of the Great Condé, he was one of the most accomplished military commanders of the early modern period and is particularly noted for his exploits in the Franco-Dutch War and War of the Grand Alliance. Not imposing physically, as he was a slight man and hunchbacked, Luxembourg was nonetheless one of France's greatest generals. He never lost a battle in which he held command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Landen</span> 1693 battle of the Nine Years War

The Battle of Landen, also known as Neerwinden, took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen in modern Belgium. A French army under Marshal Luxembourg defeated an Allied force led by William III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cassel (1677)</span> 1677 battle during the Franco-Dutch War

The Battle of Cassel, also known as the Battle of Peene, took place on 11 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Cassel, 15 km (9 mi) west of Saint-Omer. A French army commanded by the duc de Luxembourg defeated a combined Dutch–Spanish force under William of Orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Saint-Denis (1678)</span>

The Battle of Saint-Denis was the last major action of the Franco-Dutch War (1672-78). It took place on 14 August 1678, four days after Louis XIV of France had agreed the Treaty of Nijmegen with the Dutch Republic, but before he finalised terms with Spain. The battle was initiated by the Dutch and Spanish forces to prevent the French capturing the Spanish-held town of Mons, then on the border between France and the Spanish Netherlands. The result was disputed, as both sides claimed victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Almenar</span> 1710 battle

The Battle of Almenar also referred to as Almenara was a battle in the Iberian theatre of the War of the Spanish Succession.

The Battle of Walcourt was fought on 25 August 1689 during the Nine Years' War. The action took place near the ancient walled town of Walcourt near Charleroi in the Spanish Netherlands, and brought to a close a summer of uneventful marching, manoeuvring, and foraging. The battle was a success for the Grand Alliance – the only significant engagement in the theatre during the campaign of 1689.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Namur (1692)</span> 1692 battle of the Nine Years War

The siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and was part of the French grand plan to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the war. Namur, sitting on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, was a considerable fortress, and was a significant political and military asset. French forces, guided by Vauban, forced the town's surrender on 5 June, but the citadel, staunchly defended by Menno van Coehoorn, managed to hold on until 30 June before capitulating, bringing an end to the 36-day siege. Concerned that King William III planned to recapture the stronghold, King Louis XIV subsequently ordered his commander-in-chief, the duc de Luxembourg, to join battle with the Allies in the field, resulting in the bloody Battle of Steenkerque on 3 August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Elixheim</span> 1705 conflict in the War of the Spanish Succession

The Battle of Elixheim, 18 July 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of Brabant was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The Duke of Marlborough successfully broke through the French Lines of Brabant, an arc of defensive fieldworks stretching in a seventy-mile arc from Antwerp to Namur. Although he was unable to bring about a decisive battle, the breaking and subsequent razing of the lines would prove critical to the allied victory at Ramillies the next year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Mons (1691)</span> 1691 battle of the Nine Years War

The siege of Mons, 15 March–10 April 1691, was a major operation fought during the Nine Years' War, and was the main French objective for the 1691 campaign in the Spanish Netherlands. The city was besieged and captured before the normal commencement of the campaigning season with minimal losses. The outcome was not in doubt, but in a conflict dominated by siege warfare, neither the French army of King Louis XIV, nor the forces of the Grand Alliance under King William III, could bring about a decisive battle. After the siege the duc de Boufflers bombarded the neutral city of Liège, whilst the duc de Luxembourg captured Halle, and scored a minor victory against the Prince of Waldeck at the Battle of Leuze in September. Strategically, however, little had changed in the war, and both combatants returned to winter quarters at the end of the campaigning season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Valenciennes (1676–1677)</span> French victory in the Franco-Dutch War

The siege of Valenciennes took place from 28 February to 17 March 1677, during the Franco-Dutch War, when Valenciennes, then in the Spanish Netherlands, was attacked by a French army under the duc de Luxembourg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch States Army</span> Army of the Dutch Republic (1575–1795)

The Dutch States Army was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic. This army was brought to such a size and state of readiness that it was able to hold its own against the armies of the major European powers of the extended 17th century, Habsburg Spain and the France of Louis XIV, despite the fact that these powers possessed far larger military resources than the Republic. It played a major role in the Eighty Years' War and in the wars of the Grand Alliance with France after 1672.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Cambrai (1677)</span> Battle of the Franco-Dutch War

The siege of Cambrai took place from 20 March to 19 April 1677 during the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War; then part of the Spanish Netherlands, it was invested by a French army under the duc de Luxembourg. Siege operations were supervised by the military engineer Vauban; Louis XIV was nominally in command but played little part in operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Willem van Aylva</span> Dutch soldier

Hans Willem van Aylva was a Dutch soldier and lieutenant general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Frédéric t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly</span> Dutch General

Claude Frederic t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly, was a soldier and later general in the Dutch States Army. In the Dutch army he took part in the Franco-Dutch War, Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Frederik Sirtema van Grovestins was a Frisian officer in the Dutch States Army. He advanced through the various ranks in the army, from captain and cavalry captain (Ritmeester) to lieutenant-general of cavalry. Furthermore, he became general-quarter-master of the army and colonel of a regiment on foot at the repartition of Zeeland. In 1712 he became governor of Bouchain, in 1718 of Bergen-op-Zoom. He was an outstanding cavalry commander who played an important role in various campaigns and battles. He also was an excellent military theorist, who stressed to the cavalry of the Allies to seek their strength in combat with the bladed weapon, something that possibly influenced Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz when he developed the Prussian cavalry later in the 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniël van Dopff</span>

Daniël Wolf baron van Dopff was a prominent soldier in the Dutch Republic. He was, among other things, general of the cavalry of the Dutch States Army in the War of the Spanish Succession, Quartermaster general of that army, and later commander and governor of the fortress of Maastricht.

References

  1. 1 2 Gillespie 2021, p. 61.
  2. Zabecki 2014, p. 476.
  3. Tucker 2014, p. 461.
  4. DK 2009, p. 412.
  5. Lynn 1999, p. 219.
  6. Van Nimwegen 2020, pp. 221.
  7. 1 2 Van Nimwegen 2020, pp. 220.
  8. Ten Raa 1950, p. 46.
  9. "Mackay Murray regiment of foot". www.spanishsuccession.nl.

Sources

Deschard B. Le combat de Leuze. // Histoire, économie et société, 1996, № 1. Louvois. pp. 147–154

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Battle of Leuze at Wikimedia Commons