Disaster at Denain, the night mare of Louis XIV

To understand the importance of this victory, it is necessary to imagine the situation of France at the beginning of the year 1712. The kingdom seems on the edge of the military and political catastrophe. To the north, his main army, that of Marshal Villars, barely aligns 70,000 combatants, against 130,000 English, Dutch, German or Austrian soldiers. The border, consisting of two lines of fortifications (pré carré) and fortified cities and villages, erected by Vauban has been patiently nibbled. The last act of Marlborrough, as commander of the Allied forces, before he was sacked by the new Torry government, was the breach of the first line of fortifications . Now under Prince Eugene the second and last line of defense was threatened. If one of the fortifications or cities of this falls, there remains only the Somme to protect Paris.
At Versailles already many courtiers urge Louis XIV to retire to Blois. Louis, however, command his marshal Villars, to attempt a last battle, to save his kingdom at any cost.

The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the last of Louis XIV, was indeed marked by a series of decays. The Allies, who dispute the attribution of the Spanish crown to Philip V, the grandson of Louis XIV, successively crushed French and Spanish in Blenheim in 1704, Ramillies and Turin in 1706, Oudenaarde in 1708.
From then on, king Louis XIV seeks at all costs to make peace. He even proposes to the Allies to give them all the conquests made during his reign: the North (part of Flandres, Hainout and Chambrai), the Eastern squares, a part of Alsace. The Austrians, British, Savoy and Dutch, sure of their victories, reject these proposals.
Certainly, in 1712, there is a diplomatic thinning. The British, now ruled by the Torries, secretly negotiate a cessation of hostilities, and leave the army on July 17. The British made this separate peace without informing the other coalition memebrs. In matter of fact the peace deal was only revealed when the Prince Eugene, now supreme commander of the Allied troops, after Marlborough dismissal, forced the commander of the British troops, Duke of Ormonde, to attack the French in the siege of Le Quesnoy, which he refused.
Unfortunatly for the French their numbers are too small to change the balance of power.
The allied army, in total around 130000 led by Prince Eugene can continue its operations of taking Landrecies, last place before the Oise Valley. For this, he must install his supplies in the entrenched camp of Denain. Other supplies were stored at Marchiennes.
Through a series of movements and diversionary maneuvers, Marshal Villars manages to deceive Eugene on its true destination. While Prince Eugene believes Villars is attacking his forces who besiege Landrecies. Villars marches all his forces in the night of the 23rd to the 24 th of July to the Camp of Denain. Marshal Count Pierre de Montesquiou will lead the operation with 30 battalions (more than 24,000 men).

The entrenched camp of Denain, defended by only 16 battalions and 23 squadrons, nearly all Dutch under the command of Johan Willem Friso of Nassau Dietz (1). The Camp also secured two pontoon bridges and a newly build wooden bridge, which was finished at the end of the 23rd of July, just the day before the French attack (2).

1) Johan Willem Friso of Nassau Dietz died by drowning the 14th of July 1711 at a bizarre accident after crossing the Hollandsdiep estuary on his way to The Hague for a meeting with the King of Prussiaand the State General concerning the will of the late King William III.
2) The Wooden bridge should be complete at the day of the attack, at the attack the bridge was not complete which caused the collapse when large number of men tried to escape from the advancing french who broke though he lines.


Now all military plans will not survive the first shot as they say. And in all plans there is always a matter of surprise needed and sometimes luck...or unlucky.

The French were unlucky to be discovered when the French troops were finishing the constructing the pontoon bridges crossing the Schelde just before 7:00 hours at 24th. The presence of French troops made Johan Frisso to raise the alarm. Arnould Joost van Keppel, Count of Albemalre, commander of the Dutch cavalry, with 20 squadrons, was ordered to deny and harass the French, who started to cross the river.
Mean while the infantry battalions, including the battalions at the other side of the river were positioned along the West defense earth works of Denain and the line of communication between Denain and Marchiennes, although not further than the 2nd redoubt. Two battalions were also posted at the East line of the defense works. Further the only battery, six guns, was split up in three part. One pair was moved to the redoubt of Denain close to the river the other pair was moved to the North-West redoubt. The remaining cavalry squadrons were between the two lines.
He also sent message to Prince Eugene who was with the main body at the Siege of Landrecies.
Eugene saw the importance after an hour when a scouting party returned and confirmed the disappearance of the French army which was threatening his flank the day before. Around 10 o'clock he marched with 12 battalions and 15 squadrons from the command of the Prince of Anhalt along the lines of communication towards Denain. He order the Prince of Anhalt to follow with his remaining 30 battalions and 18 squadrons. At the same time Villars, convinced by scouts that Eugene was with the bulk of the Allied army still at Landrechies, move the rest of his attack force over the river Scheld.
Count of Albemarle could not prevent the crossing of the French.He retreated with his horse behind the fortified North line of communication towards Marchienne, to guard the Dutch left flank. With this he bought time for the Dutch to make ready for the defense.
Further it forced the French to deploy in battle lines before the fortified communication line in the direction of the West side of Denain and the line of communication. The Dutch troops on the line of communication needed to be defeated in order to secure the French flank. Although the Dutch holding a thin line, the French were under cross fire and when breaking the line of communication they were attacked by Dutch troopers and cross fire of the Dutch infantry holding the redoubts of the Eastern line of communication.
At noon the Dutch are forced to evacuate the lines of communication. The garrison of Valencienne marches towards Denain. At the same time Eugene and his 12 battalions and 15 squadrons arriving, crossing the new wooden bridge and the pontoon bridges. Battalions of the garrison of Vallencienne blocking the bridge at Prouvy.
French,dismounted, dragoons will attack at the West side of Denain at the river side.
At 14:00 the French position them for the final attack, in two columns of 20 companies backed by 30 battalions in line, in front of the French horse, at the west side and the North side. A human wave of French infantry is storming at the defense lines of the Dutch. Under heavy fire, at several places the French breach the reinforced line, however immediately encountered by fire of the hastily build second line of defense by the reinforcements inside Denain. The attack loose it momentum, the defenders hold ground in the redoubts at the flanks and at the second line. The momentum of the attack stalls and the French retreat, the first attack is over. Again this bought time. At 14:30 Prince Anhalt arrives with the bulk of reinforcements. The garrison of Vallencienne at the East side of the fortifications of Denain and defending the bridge at Prouvy is attacked, from within Denain, at the same shortly after followed by an assault on the bridge by infantry of Prince of Anhalt. The troops from Vallencienne give way and a bridge head at Prouvy is formed, which is rapidly extended. Despite cavalry support from Villlars. Shortly after the Eugene is ordering his reinforcements and the Dutch Garrisson a counter attack at the West side of Denain.
Villars aware of the danger of being enveloped order to retreat back to the pontoon bridges at Neuville. French cavalry try to cover the retread of the French infantry. Even the Allies can not conquer the ponton bridges they manage to form a firm line close enough to give fire to any one who crosses the ponton bbridges. Dissaster struck for the French when two of the four bridges collapsed. Only a part of the French army manage to cross the river Scheld. The garrison of Vallencienne is soundly defeated, attacked by two sides at Pouvry. Resulting in a coupe de main by the Allies of Vallencienne.

The Allied lost lost around 2100 dead and 1300 wounded, mainly the Dutch defenders.
The French lost around 9800 dead, 2800 wounded and 7100 captured.

The Allied captured Vallenciene by coupe de main and were able to continue the siege of Landrecies which capitulated at the 28th of July.

The disaster of Denain was met with despair and panic at Versailles.
It was the last change for Louis XIV to enter at the conference of Utrecht with more leverage, now France had to nothing. Austria's and Dutch ability to impose a military solution in the Southern Netherlands had weakened the French and British negotiating positions at Utrecht. Even the war turned favorable on the Iberian Peninsula for the French.
A Bourbon will hold the throne of Spain, this goal was met, but nearly all territorial gains Louis XIV made during his reign at the expense of the Spanish Netherlands was lost.

The victory for the Allied, the Austrians, Savoyard and the Dutch allowed to press their demands at the conference of Utrecht. It moved the British in an awkward position, since they already made peace and reduced their influence at the conference and their aim to limit the earlier agreed '''barrier cities''. In that way the victory at Denain was especially important for the Dutch. They could press their demands and claimed all barrier cities and complete Upper Guelre as agreed between them and the British at he conference of the Hague in 1709 including the clause that there could be more cities and fort s be added to. Much of the chagrin of the Torries who wanted to water down the number of barrier cities.
The Dutch demands came down nearly all cities and fortification of the first and second pre care. This mean a return of all annexations by France of Flandres, Hainout, Chambrai and even Arras. Official this would become the Austrian Netherlands but in practice they would be annexed by the Dutch republic. The defenses of Dunkirk would not be dismantled but remained in tacked and the port would become an important naval strong point.
In adition the Dutch demanded the county of Loon, part of the prince bishopric of Liege, as compensation for the loss of the county of Lingen for Prince Johan Friso. Lingen and Meurs was occupied by force by Prussia as part over the conflict over the will of William III of Orange Nassau. Meurs was taken back by the Dutch after the heritage meeting at the Hague at August 1711. The Prince Bishop of Liege sided since the beginning of the conflict with France and moved to France when the war favored the Allies.
Further the positive outcome of this ten years conflict enabled the State Pensioner of the Dutch Republic, Anthony Hensius to made necessary reform in order to increase the efficiency on tax collection, which was needed since the war exploded the state debt. he made also a start with state reforms which moved the Dutch Republic form a con-federation to a federation, a process which would be continued by the next state pensione Simon van Slinegelandt.
The courage and leader ship of Johan Willem Frisso forced the State General to recognize him as Stadholder, of Holland, Zeeland, Overijssel, Gelre and Utrecht. He was already Stadholder of Groningen and Friesland. During the next decades his pursuit of power resulted in the elevation of State Brabant in to a full member of the State General and the County of Loon as well. Rivalry between him and the King in Prussia resulted in the occupation and finally incorporation of East Frissia in the United Provinces. Using the great flood of 1717 and the civil unrest after this in East Frissia. Strategic marriages of his sisters and daughter resulted in the unification of the County of Bentheim.

The recovering of the financial situation of the Dutch Republic enabled the next decade to buy the Ambt Meppen and Bocholt as compensation of the loans made by the Prince Bishop of Munster.

During the War of the Polish Succession Simon van Sligneland, the State Pensioner at that time manage to stay neutral. How ever in the Austrian Netherlands, that is Brabant and Flanders a coup detad took place, which mean defacto independence from Austria. Willem Buys the man who followed Simon van Slingelandt as State Pensioner made several arrangements with the states of Brabant and Flanders which resulted in a confederation between the two provinces and the Republic.
Despite the large differences between the Republic, and the official still Austrian Netherlands, the bond was tested at the war of the Austrian Succession when the battle fields shifted in 1744 to the Austrian Netherlands. Initial French success after the the capture of several fortifications of the Southern line of the pre carre the French under Marchal de Saxe was defeated in two consecutive battles by an army from the Dutch Republic, Battalions of Flanders and Brabant under command of the by now 57 year old Prince Johan Willem Friso. Resulting of the peace of Arras, ending the hostilities at status quo ante bellum and formal ending the Austrian overlord ship of Brabant and Flanders, and starting an new process of integrating the Southern Netherlands with the other Low Countries
During the inter-bellum between the war of the Austrian Succession and the next conflict later called the Seven years war the confederation was extended. during the Seven years war the Republic, now including the Southern Netherlands remained neutral. It was enlarged with Cleve after a loan agreement with Frederick II of Prussia in 1759.
 
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To understand the importance of this victory, it is necessary to imagine the situation of France at the beginning of the year 1712. The kingdom seems on the edge of the military and political catastrophe. To the north, his main army, that of Marshal Villars, barely aligns 70,000 combatants, against 130,000 English, Dutch, German or Austrian soldiers. The border, consisting of two lines of fortifications (pré carré) and fortified cities and villages, erected by Vauban has been patiently nibbled. The last act of Marlborrough, as commander of the Allied forces, before he was sacked by the new Torry gouvement, was the breach of the first line of fortifications . Now under Prince Eugene the second and last line of defence was threatened. If one of the fortifications or cities of this falls, there remains only the Somme to protect Paris.
At versaille already many courtiers urge Louis XIV to retire to Blois. Louis, however, command his marshal Villars, to attempt a last battle, to save his kingdom at any cost.

The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the last of Louis XIV, was indeed marked by a series of decays. The Allies, who dispute the attribution of the Spanish crown to Philip V, the grandson of Louis XIV, successively crushed French and Spanish in Blenheim in 1704, Ramillies and Turin in 1706, Oudenaarde in 1708.
From then on, king Louis XIV seeks at all costs to make peace. He even proposes to the Allies to give them all the conquests made during his reign: the North (part of Flandres, Hainout and Chambrai), the Eastern squares, a part of Alsace. The Austrians, British, Savoy and Dutch, sure of their victories, reject these proposals.
Certainly, in 1712, there is a diplomatic thinning. The British, now ruled by the Torries, secretly negotiate a cessation of hostilities, and leave the army on July 17. The British made this separate peace without informing the other coalition memebrs. In matter of fact the peace deal was only revealed when the Prince Eugene, now supreme commander of the Allied troops, after Marlborough dismissal, forced the commander of the British troops, Duke of Ormonde, to attack the French in the siege of Le Quesnoy, which he refused.
Unfortunatly for the French their numbers are too small to change the balance of power.
The allied army led by Prince Eugene can continue its operations of taking Landrecies, last place before the Oise Valley. For this, he must install his supplies in the entrenched camp of Denain. Other supplies were stored at Merchienne.
Through a series of movements and diversionary maneuvers, Marshal Villars manages to deceive Eugene on its true destination. While Prince Eugene believes Villars is attacking his forces who besiege Landrecies. Villars marches all his forces in the night of the 23rd to the 24 th of July to the Camp of Denain.

The French quickly made themselves masters of the camp; they lose about 1,500 men, three times less than their opponents. And the essential is not there: deprived of ammunition and provisions, the allied army is forced to abandon the siege; then, in the wake, to abandon many fortresses to the French.
This victory allows the French not to sit as a vanquished at the negotiating tables of Utrecht (1713) and Rastadt (1714). It was widely celebrated in its time; Villars, colorful marshal, is the subject in the eighteenth century of songs, and plays in the nineteenth. A few years before the First World War, the bicentenary of the Battle of Denain is an opportunity for major events in the streets of the city of the same name. Its tercentenary is now inscribed as a national commemoration.

Eugène has a very short window of opportunity : with the English keeping out of the war, it is just a matter of time before France fields a larger army than Eugene's. He needs to act very fast to strike Paris, after taking Landrecies. Denain was not a crushing defeat for the Allied army, but it was the end of their momentum. Eugene could lose it as well by being slowed down in northern France.
 
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