On September 11, 1709, the largest battle of the 18th century took place - the Battle of Malplac between the Franco-Bavarian army under the command of the Duke de Villard and the anti-French coalition troops led by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, which was one of the culminating episodes of the War of the Spanish Succession.
Battle of Malplac
The morning of September 11, 1709, was chilly. A thick fog, common in autumn Flanders, spread over the ground. The light gray uniforms of the soldiers of the French army seemed to merge with the predawn twilight, the wind fluttered the dandy plumes of the officer's hats, fanned the gunners' wicks, fluttered the banners with golden lilies. From the side of the enemy, who had set up a defile between the Sarsky and Lanier forests behind a wide, overgrown dense bush, drums rumbled, thousands of feet, shod in soldier's shoes, trampled grass soaked with dew into the mud. A gun shot rang out loudly, the second, the tenth. Duke Claude Louis de Villard, Marshal of France, looked at the dial of an expensive pocket watch, then raised his eyes to the officers of his headquarters: "It has begun, gentlemen." The hands showed 7 hours and 15 minutes.
The eighteenth century, with the light hand of writers and philosophers, is often called "frivolous" and "enlightened." An amazing time, when the spirit of the gloomy Middle Ages has not yet disappeared in the palaces of kings and knightly armor coexisted in the portraits of nobles along with magnificent wigs. Humanity also frivolously and naturally exterminated each other in wars, willingly using the gifts of enlightenment for the effectiveness of the process. Starting with the European War of the Spanish Succession, the age of absolutism strainedly ended with the guillotine of Robespierre and the beginning of the wars of the Napoleonic era.
The age of enlightened monarchs began with the death of an unenlightened, disabled monarch, the owner of a whole bunch of all kinds of chronic diseases, the fruit of the close-blooded ties of Charles II of Habsburg, who left his seat on the throne of Spain empty. However, in the intervals between his favorite game of spillikins, epileptic seizures and throwing improvised objects at his subjects under pressure from "the right people" in 1669 he made a will, according to which he left the entire Spanish Empire to Philip II, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. The duke was Charles's great-nephew, since the king of France was married to his older sister.
Charles II of Spain, whose death "actually created the plot"
Closely related to the extinct Spanish Habsburgs, the Austrian Habsburgs had every reason to challenge the will, appealing to the state of health of the late king and family ties. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I expressed deep concern over the ambitions of his brother Louis XIV. After all, if the combination of the sun king was successful, France would become the owner of colossal territorial possessions in both the Americas and Europe. After weighing the pros and cons, jealously following the appetites of its longtime rival, Queen Anne's English government also indicated extreme concern. Since these were times in which knightly honor was still remembered, ignoring such diplomatic demarches was literally mauvais ton. The official Louvre responded to all calls to "moderate imperial ambitions" with notes full of sophistication, the essence of which, upon closer examination, boiled down to "Why, gentlemen, wouldn’t go looking for truffles in the Bois de Boulogne!"
And then the word was given to the cast-iron and copper diplomats, whose eloquence was measured in pounds of gunpowder and cannonballs.
Long road to the throne
Two coalitions were quickly identified. The ambitions of Louis XIV were disputed by Austria and England. Soon the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, the Duchy of Savoy and a number of small "partners" decided to try their luck on the side of the offended. On the side of the "golden lilies", the coat of arms of the French Bourbons, fought Spain proper, Paris-friendly Bavaria and several less significant allies. The fighting took place in several theaters: in Flanders, Spain and Italy. The struggle was fought in the colonies and at sea. Possessing the most powerful army in Europe at that time, a strong fleet, France at first rather successfully fought off the advancing opponents. The problem was that it was the French troops that bore the brunt of the war in almost all directions. Exhausted by the rule of temporary workers under the feeble-minded Charles II, Spain was in an extremely difficult situation. It did not have an efficient army - there was no money for it, the once mighty fleet was dilapidated at the berths, the treasury was practically empty. The real military aid is huge on the map, but the essentially exhausted Spanish Empire could not provide its ally. The forces of the rest of the members of the French coalition were limited.
Gradually, military happiness began to leave Louis XIV. Diffusion of forces affected, internal tension grew. And most importantly, there was less and less the main resource for waging war, about which another famous French of Corsican origin spoke about it almost a hundred years later - money. The Sun King led a very active foreign policy, and many resources were spent on various strategic adventures and projects. In the midst of the last in the reign of Louis and the biggest war, the French economy began to choke.
In Paris, they decided that the moment had come to search for "ways out of the impasse" and began to probe the possibility of a "peaceful settlement". However, the appetites of the opposite side were in no way inferior to the "kingdom of golden lilies". Opponents of Louis demanded not only to clear all the territories occupied by his troops, to abandon the colonies in the West Indies, but also to send an army to Spain in order to expel his grandson from there. It was too much. The old king rejected such humiliating conditions and decided to fight to the end. He made an appeal to the people, urging them to stand under the royal banners for the "honor of France". Thousands of volunteers went to the army. Additional recruitment kits were organized. By the beginning of the company in 1709, France was able to concentrate more than 100 thousand people in Flanders, the main military theater. Initially, it was decided to entrust the command of the army to the elderly Marshal Buffler, but he refused in favor of the junior in rank (that is, who received the title of Marshal of France after him) Duke Claude Louis Hector de Villard, the best commander of the king at that time.
Duke de Villars
Preparation
The son of his time, Villard possessed many of the advantages and disadvantages of that era. Desperately brave, who repeatedly personally led the attacking troops, a talented strategist and tactician, the duke could, without a twinge of conscience, multiply the enemy's losses in reporting, he loved to boast about and without. But who is not without sin? One way or another, the appointment of Villard as commander after his successful operations in the Duchy of Savoy was received by the army with enthusiasm. Having put things in order, tightening up discipline, often by harsh methods, the duke began active actions.
He was opposed by the allied army under the command of no less famous generals - Sir John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugene of Savoy. These were the best military leaders of the anti-French coalition. The allies laid siege to the strategically important fortress of Mons, the fall of which would open the way into the interior of France. The French command could not afford the fall of this key position. Villars began advancing his troops towards Mons.
However, on September 9, passing the town of Malplaquet, at the exit from the defile between the Sarsky and Lanier forests, the French stumbled upon enemy positions. The reconnaissance informed the allies about the approach of Villard, so they occupied several villages on the possible route of his route and reinforced them with artillery. In addition, the combined Anglo-Austrian army, reinforced by Dutch and Prussian contingents, outnumbered the French. Villard was eager to fight and therefore decided to stand in close proximity to the allies besieging Mons, threatening with his presence. Thus, he forced Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy to take battle. There is a discrepancy in various sources as to why Villard was not attacked immediately. British historians claim that Marlborough was eager to fight, but representatives of the Republic of the United Provinces (or the Netherlands) begged him to wait for the additional forces to approach. Another version points to Prince Eugene of Savoy, who called to wait for the Prussian detachment of General Lottum (23rd Infantry Battalion).
Scheme of the battle at Malplac
An important factor was the sortie of the garrison of Mons proper, encouraged by Villard's approach. One way or another, the allies, bogged down in “briefings and discussions, gave Villard two whole days to set up their positions. What the talented French marshal did not fail to take advantage of. The French army consisted of 120 infantry battalions, 260 cavalry squadrons and 80 guns with a total strength of up to 90 thousand people. During a pause, kindly given to Villard by the Allies, the French set up three lines of earthen ramparts, reinforced with redoubts and notches. Artillery shot through the entire space in front of the positions. Part of it was withdrawn to the reserve. The fortifications occupied three lines of infantry located one after the other, behind which two lines were located cavalry.
On the eve of the battle, the aged Marshal Buffler arrived at the camp, whose appearance further encouraged the troops. The old man did not grumble and lecture Villard, but simply asked to take part in the case. The Duke kindly assigned Buffler to command the troops on the right flank. Its core was 18 battalions of the elite Bourbon, Piedmont and Royal brigades under the general command of 68-year-old Lieutenant General Pierre d'Artagnan-Montesquieu (cousin of the lieutenant commander of the "gray" royal musketeers, the same d'Artagnan). The center was commanded by the duke's brother, Lieutenant General Armand de Villars. The Guard was also there. The left flank was given to the Marquis de Guessbriant. In the reserve, enough infantry was left, whose combat effectiveness was beyond doubt: the Bavarian and Cologne Guards, the Irish Green (by the color of their uniforms) brigade, whose personnel was overwhelmed with hatred of the British, as well as other units. The cavalry was supposed to play the role of a mobile fire brigade. The best regiments - the Bavarian Carabinieri, the Rottenburg regiment, the French "Maison du Roy" - the Duke decided to save for that very emergency. Subsequently, this helped the French to avoid a complete defeat.
Allied commanders circling the formation
French army soldiers
Various sources indicate the number of Allied troops in different ways, but in any case, they outnumbered the French. The most frequently mentioned figure is 117 thousand people: 162 infantry battalions, 300 cavalry squadrons and 120 guns. The ethnic composition was even more variegated than that of the French. This included British, Imperial (Austrian), Dutch, Prussian, Danish, Hanoverian battalions and squadrons. Plus the contingents of small German states, which cannot be seen even on a map.
General command was exercised by the Duke of Marlborough, "Corporal John," as the soldiers called him. He led the left flank, where it was planned to deliver the decisive blow. The left flank, whose function was to get on the French nerves, diverting their attention from the mainstream, was commanded by the no less famous Eugene of Savoy.
The Allies realized that they were facing a well-equipped, tough position. It was decided, inflicting distracting blows on the center and right flank, in the meantime, bypass and crush the left flank, overturn the French. Villars hoped that, relying on his redoubts with guns, he would be able to bleed and exhaust the enemy, so that later he could try to counterattack.
Battle
British attack
Both sides were preparing for battle. Both sides were waiting for him. At 3 o'clock on September 11, 1709, under cover of thick fog, the troops of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy began to deploy for the attack. The starting positions were taken. At 7:15, when the fog finally cleared, the Allied artillery opened fire. The aiming was carried out approximately, so the effectiveness of shelling the protected French positions was insignificant. After half an hour of burning gunpowder, a column of allies, consisting of 36 battalions under the command of the Saxon General Schulenburg, launched an attack bypassing the enemy's left flank. This first, trial, attack was repulsed by concentrated fire from the French artillery, which intensively used buckshot. Several repeated attacks did not bring progress.
Seeing the futility of attempts, Prince Eugene of Savoy gives the order to put forward additional batteries for direct fire, since the number of allied artillery allowed. The guns were supposed to clear the way for the attacking infantry. Villars also responds to requests for help by reinforcing the left flank with units from the reserve. The intensity of the cannonade is increasing. Frustrated by unsuccessful attempts to bypass the French flank, Prince Eugene is already concentrating more than 70 infantry battalions, and by noon Schulenburg and Lotum finally manage to bypass the enemy's left flank. Great concentration of forces played a role. Four French brigades, already drained of blood by a long defense, were forced to abandon their positions and retreat.
Willard, who received a report of pressure on the left flank, reacted dynamically and quickly. It was clear that we were talking about the integrity of the entire defensive line. Infantry from the reserve moved to the threatening sector, battalions were removed from less dangerous directions. The duke himself came here to personally lead the battle. The Irish Brigade led the counterattack, whose fighting impulse increased from the realization that it was the British who were in front of them. The infantry attack on the attacking columns of the allies was supplemented by a swift onslaught of the Guards cavalry, and the positions were returned, the British were overturned. This was one of the key moments of the battle. Orderlies hurried to Marlborough and Prince Eugene with requests for help, that the French fire was too sharp and strong, and the positions were fortified.
However, as has happened more than once in world history, both before and after that, a stray shard of the nucleus made adjustments to historical reality. The Duke of Villars was wounded in the leg, and they had to carry him into the depths of the ranks. The French attack was drowned out and did not receive a continuation. The command was assumed by Marshal Buffler, who began to promptly return the troops participating in the counterattack to their former positions - whatever one may say, but the superiority of the allies in numbers affected. Evgeny Savoisky, seeing that the center of the enemy was weakened, transferred the pressure to him. No less than 15 battalions of British infantry became the spade that was driven into the gap between the center and the left flank of the French. The gap widened under the influence of artillery. The units holding the defenses here were overturned and forced to retreat. Prince Eugene immediately took advantage of this and placed an artillery battery in this place, which began to smash the positions of the French army with longitudinal fire.
The Duke of Marlborough, meanwhile, was tirelessly attacking the right flank. General d'Artagnan-Montesquieu, under whom three horses were killed, with true Gascon courage and bravery fought with almost three times the superior forces of the enemy. The old general dismissed the insistent requests of the staff officers to take care of themselves and move away from the first line and joke about "the new fashion for wigs, ruffled by bullets." Columns of the Dutch, attacking under the command of the Prince of Orange, the French swept away with volleys of buckshot almost point-blank. Mountains of corpses piled up in front of the redoubts of the captain's cousin's brigades. But the general situation began to lean in favor of the Allies. The French line trembled. Evgeny Savoysky was preparing his forces for the final attack, which, according to his plan, was to decide the outcome of the battle. Concentrating fresh squadrons of heavy cavalry like a spearhead, the prince commanded the attack.
Column of the Earl of Orkney under fire
The most dramatic moment of the battle has arrived. At first, the French managed to somehow restrain the onslaught of such a mass of cavalry, but the outcome of the case was decided by the column of Major General George Douglas-Hamilton, Earl of Orkney 1st, consisting of 15 infantry battalions transferred to Marlborough at the request of Eugene of Savoy. Having suffered huge losses, she was the first to break into the depths of the French center, already weakened by continuous attacks and artillery fire. The allied cavalry rushed into the resulting breakthrough. In this situation, Marshal Buffler was forced to give the order to retreat. Covering themselves with counterattacks by the heavy guards cavalry, prudently reserved by Villars in the most extreme case, the French army withdrew in relative order, snapping and without panic. Suffering heavy losses, the Allies pursued them listlessly and without enthusiasm.
By evening, the massacre, which had lasted all day, was over. The battlefield was left to the allies. The Battle of Malplaque went down in history as the largest battle of the 18th century, where more than 200 thousand people participated on both sides with the support of almost 200 guns. The losses of the allies were simply enormous - numerous frontal attacks in the forehead of the French fortifications cost the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, according to various estimates, from 25 to 30 thousand people. The losses of the French are estimated half as much: 12-14 thousand.
After battle
Formally, a tactical victory went to the Allies. They managed to force the French to retreat, leaving their positions. Fortress Mons surrendered a month later, without waiting for the assault. However, a closer look at the results of the battle reveals a slightly different situation. The French army was not defeated. She retained all her artillery - only 16 guns were lost. The enemy was drained of blood and crushed by losses and refused to advance deep into France. The wounded Villard was filled with optimism. In a letter to Louis XIV, he cheerfully rapped out: "Don't worry, sire, a few more such defeats, and your enemies will be destroyed."
Sarah Churchill
The Battle of Malplac was the last battle of the Duke of Marlborough. "Brave Corporal John" was recalled to England. This happened under very curious circumstances. Sarah Churchill, the Duke's wife, was Queen Anne's confidante. She was also the spokesman for the Tory party, which advocated war to a victorious end. It so happened that the queen ordered fashionable gloves from a famous milliner. Her friend, Duchess Churchill, not wanting to give in, ordered exactly the same. In an effort to be the first to get the coveted detail of the dress, the duchess constantly urged the milliner, who was forced to complain through the mediation of the lady-in-waiting to the queen. She, having learned about the tricks of her friend, flew into a rage. Sarah Churchill remained Anna's confidante, but from that moment on, the Duchess's star began to fade steadily. The Duke of Marlborough was recalled from the continent, and the Whig party, championing the idea of "constructive dialogue with France," took over at court.
Marshal d'Artanyan
Valor under Malplac brought the long-awaited marshal's baton to Pierre d'Artagnan, who has since referred to himself only as Montesquieu, in order to avoid confusion with his illustrious cousin. Recovered after being wounded, the Duke of Villars again stood at the head of the French army, so that in 1712, personally leading the attacking troops, utterly defeat Eugene of Savoy at the Battle of Denene.
Villars under Denin
This earned Louis XIV additional points during the peace negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Utrecht Peace Treaty, which ended this long and bloody war. The grandson of Louis XIV remained on the Spanish throne, but renounced claims to the French throne. This is how a new royal dynasty of the Spanish Bourbons appeared. Centuries passed, the winds of revolution swept away the French monarchy, became the history of the 1st and 2nd Empires, a series of republics passed, and King Philip VI of the Bourbon dynasty, whose ancestors received the right to the throne largely on the fields drenched with blood, still rules in Madrid. small town Malplake.
