Battle of Fontenoy

The Battle of Fontenoy was a military engagement that took place during the War of Austrian Succession, which was a conflict between the Bourbon and Habsburg dynasty. It was fought between the French Army, under the command of Marshal Saxe, and a coalition of 50,000 British, Dutch and Austrian forces, led by the Duke of Cumberland. It took place on May 11, 1745, near the city of Tournai, Belgium. The result of this armed encounter was a French victory.

The Battle of Fontenoy began when the British commander attempted to relieve Tournai, which was being besieged by the French. Although the British troops captured the heights on which the French were posted, the Prince of Waldeck, who commanded the Dutch, failed to support the Duke, and the French, which had been reinforced, retook the trenches. As a result, the British were beaten back. Afterwards, Tournai fell in French hands.

The casualty figures were high for both sides: the French amounting to at least 7,000 killed and wounded; the Allies are estimated as high as 10,000 or 12,000. Louis XV lavished well-deserved gifts on Saxe, including the royal Château de Chambord, for Saxe had been present where needed, in spite of his debilitating illness, to deal with every crisis of the battle from rallying troops, to directing and leading reserves, encouraging the king and counseling with his officers. This French victory was followed by a rapid advance against the less organized and outnumbered Allied army: Ghent, Oudenarde, Bruges, Dendermonde soon fell to French forces.