Siege of Landau (1702)

Parts of Landau's defenses from the 1680s still exist.

Date	16 June – 12 September 1702
Location	Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Result	Imperial victory

Belligerents

Holy Roman Empire

Kingdom of France

Commanders and leaders

Strength

46,000

4,335

Casualties and losses

2,865

at least 1,700

The Siege of Landau (16 June – 12 September 1702) saw an army from the Holy Roman Empire led by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden lay siege to the fortress city of Landau which was held for the Kingdom of France. The French defenders led by Ezéchiel du Mas, Comte de Mélac resisted vigorously but were forced to surrender after a three-month leaguer. This action of the War of the Spanish Succession occurred at Landau in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located 49 kilometres (30 mi) southwest of Mannheim.

The earliest actions from the war were focused in northern Italy in 1701, but military activity began in the Electoral Palatinate the following year. In the Palatinate, Louis of Baden and an Imperial army crossed the Rhine River at Speyer and moved south to invest Landau. Unwilling to challenge his stronger foes, Nicolas Catinat with his French army watched from a distance as the Landau defenses were methodically reduced by siege artillery, mining and infantry attacks. After losing a key defensive position, Mélac and his garrison were forced to capitulate. At this time, the Electorate of Bavaria became a French ally, tipping the balance of power and causing Louis of Baden to withdraw. The next clash was the Battle of Friedlingen on 14 October 1702.

Once an Imperial city, Landau was awarded to the Kingdom of France by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Under the direction of the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the city's fortifications were completely reconstructed starting in the spring of 1688 and continuing for three years. In 1689 a fire burned down three-quarters of the city, allowing the French to redesign the streets under the direction of another engineer officer Jacques Tarade. In 1700 Tarade added the Crownwork on a hill on the northwest side of the city as additional protection. The Queich River split Landau into northern and southern parts. The eight-sided fortress was protected by a bastion at each corner and surrounded by a moat. A clever system of locks allowed the defenders to control the depth of water in the ditches. A fast-flowing waterway called the Flaque made assault impossible on two-thirds of the fortress. A single bridge over the Flaque linked Landau with the Crownwork.

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