Battle of Fontenoy (1745)

Battle of Fontenoy
Part of the War of the Austrian Succession
The French Commander Maurice de Saxe, presenting a captured British colour to Louis XV and the Dauphin The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745 by Horace Vernet. (Galerie des Batailles, Palace of Versailles)
Date 11 May 1745 Location near Tournai, present-day Belgium 50°34′10″N 3°28′30″E / 50.5694°N 3.4750°E / 50.5694; 3.4750 Result Decisive French victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic  Great Britain Hanover  Holy Roman Empire	France
Commanders and leaders
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Dominik von Königsegg-Rothenfels Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont	Louis XV Maurice de Saxe
Strength
52,000 101 guns	50,000 110 guns
Casualties and losses
10,000 to 12,000: ~2,500 killed ~5,000 wounded ~3,500 captured ~40 cannon	7,000 to 7,500: ~2,500 killed ~5,000 wounded

The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de Saxe, commander of King Louis XV's forces in the Low Countries. The battle was one of the most important in the war and considered the masterpiece of Saxe, serving France; Louis XV, and his son, the Dauphin, were present at the battle.

Saxe went on the offensive in April 1745 with a large French army, looking to build on the previous year's gains. His initial aim was to take control of the upper Scheldt basin and thereby gain access to the heart of the Austrian Netherlands. To these ends, he first besieged the fortress of Tournai, protecting the siege with his main force about 5 miles (~9 km) southeast of the town. In order to relieve Tournai, the allies first decided to attack Saxe's position – a naturally strong feature, hinged on the village of Fontenoy and further strengthened by defensive works.

After failing to make progress on the flanks – the Dutch on the left, Brigadier Ingolsby's brigade on the right – Cumberland decided to smash his way through the centre without securing the flanks of his main attack. Despite devastating flanking fire the allied column, made up of British and Hanoverian infantry, burst through the French lines to the point of victory. Only when Saxe concentrated all available infantry, cavalry, and artillery was the column forced to yield. The allies retreated in good order, conducting a fighting withdrawal. The battle had shown, however, the strength of a defensive force relying on firepower and a strong reserve.

Casualties were high on both sides, but the French had gained the field, and Tournai fell shortly after the battle. This success was followed by a rapid advance against the less organised and outnumbered allied army: Ghent, Oudenarde, Bruges, and Dendermonde soon fell to French forces. The British army's withdrawal to England to deal with the Jacobite Rising facilitated the French capture of the strategically important ports of Ostend and Nieuwpoort, threatening Britain's links to the Low Countries. By the year's end, the Saxon-born Saxe had completed the conquest of much of the Austrian Netherlands, and with his successes he became a national hero in his adopted country. The battle had established French superiority in force and high command.

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