Battle of Blenheim
By 1704, Louis XIV's armies appeared close to winning the War of the Spanish Succession outright: French and Bavarian forces threatened to march on Vienna and knock Austria out of the war. The Duke of Marlborough secretly marched the British and Dutch armies from Flanders to the Danube — one of the greatest strategic marches in history — to join Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian forces. On 13 August 1704, at the village of Blenheim on the Danube, the Allied army attacked. Marlborough pinned the main French forces at Blenheim village while Eugene assaulted the flank. The battle resulted in the complete destruction of the Franco-Bavarian army: some 14,000 French soldiers were killed or wounded, 14,000 taken prisoner (including Marshal Tallard himself), and French military prestige was shattered. It was the first major French defeat in living memory — a profound shock to the Sun King and to European confidence in French military supremacy. The victory saved Vienna, knocked Bavaria out of the war, and established Britain as a continental military power. Marlborough received Blenheim Palace — built by the state as a gift — as his reward.
- Year: 1704 CE
- Category: Military
