Battle of Malplaquet
War of the Spanish Succession · Malplaquet, Franco-Belgian border
Summary
On 11 September 1709 at Malplaquet in the Netherlands, Villars and Boufflers inflicted on Marlborough's and Prince Eugene's Allies the heaviest losses of the War of the Spanish Succession: about 22,000 killed and wounded against 12,000 French. Allies gained tactical success by holding the field, but fierce French resistance broke their offensive toward France and forced Marlborough to negotiate.
Historical context
After Oudenaarde (1708) and the fall of Lille, Allies controlled Flanders and directly threatened French territory. Louis XIV, at his lowest military fortune, entrusted Villars with a reconstituted army of young recruits. Malplaquet, near Mons, was chosen for a defensive battle on ground fortified with abatis and entrenchments.
Tactics
Villars established a deep defensive line with redoubts and abatis. Marlborough and Eugene launched repeated frontal assaults on center and wings; each breach was contained by French counterattacks. Villars was gravely wounded but refused to leave the field; Boufflers took command and organized an orderly withdrawal after inflicting massive Allied losses.
Consequences
Despite Allied victory on the ground, losses discouraged Marlborough from invading France. French morale recovered; Louis XIV could continue the war. The battle is sometimes called a 'victory of the defeated': it saved France from decisive defeat and prepared the diplomatic reversal of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).