| Battle of Friedlingen | |||||||
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| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 [1] Kingdom of France |
 Holy Roman Empire |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Claude Louis Hector de Villars | Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 17,000 men,[2]33 cannons | 14,000 men[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1703 killed, 2601 wounded | 355 killed, 742 wounded | ||||||
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The Battle of Friedlingen was fought in 1702 between France and the Holy Roman Empire. The Imperial forces were led by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, while the French were led by Claude Louis Hector de Villars. The French were victorious.
Contents |
Prelude
The French were seeking to expand their influence on the eastern bank of the river Rhine. In the autumn of 1702, Villars received orders from Louis XIV to attack Swabia. The French forces needed to join their Bavarian allies and defeat the Imperial troops that stood between them.
Battle
The French crossed the Rhine at Weil am Rhein, just north of Basle on 14 October 1702. Villars attacked the Imperial army at Friedlingen. The future field marshal Louis William entrenched his army and managed to hold the French for some time. He then retreated in good order to the North.
Aftermath
It was a Pyrrhic victory for Villars. French losses were high: 1,703 dead and 2,601 wounded, whereas the Imperial forces lost 355 dead and 742 wounded. Villars was also prevented from joining the Bavarians.[3]
The villages on the eastern bank of the Rhine suffered much damage, especially Weil am Rhein.
Notes
- ^ George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana, The American Cyclopaedia, New York, 1874, p. 250, "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis...". *[1]The original Banner of France was strewn with fleurs-de-lis. *[2]:on the reverse of this plate it says: "Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix-huitième siecle...Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal (blanc, avec les armes de France)."[3] from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs-de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour."
- ^ a b Lynn (1999), p. 276.
- ^ The Spanish Succession 1702
References
- Lynn, John A. (1999), The Wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714, Longman, ISBN 978-0-582-05629-9
External links
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