The Battle of Friedlingen was fought in 1702 between
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
. The
Imperial forces
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas ...
were led by
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden (german: links=no, Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden; 8 April 1655 – 4 January 1707) was the ruling Margrave of Baden-Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as ''Türken ...
, while the French were led by
Claude Louis Hector de Villars. The French were victorious.
Prelude
The French were seeking to expand their influence on the eastern bank of the river
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
. In the autumn of 1702, Villars received orders from
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
to attack
Swabia.
The French forces needed to join their
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n allies and defeat the Imperial troops that stood between them.
Battle
The French crossed the Rhine at
Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein (High Alemannic: ''Wiil am Rhii'') is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany an ...
, just north of
Basle
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...
on 14 October 1702. Villars attacked the Imperial army at Friedlingen. The future field marshal Louis William entrenched his army and managed to hold the French for some time. He then retreated in good order to the North.
Aftermath
It was a
Pyrrhic victory for Villars. French losses differ between different sources, but were certainly high: Between 1,600
and 2,700 dead and wounded, whereas the Imperial forces lost between 3,000 and 4,000 men.
Villars was also prevented from joining the Bavarians.
The Spanish Succession 1702
/ref>
The villages on the eastern bank of the Rhine suffered much damage, especially Weil am Rhein.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*{{citation , last= Lynn , first= John A. , title= The Wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714 , publisher= Longman , year= 1999 , isbn= 978-0-582-05629-9 , url-access= registration , url= https://archive.org/details/warsoflouisxiv1600lynn
External links
Friedlingen
Friedlingen
Friedlingen
Friedlingen
1702 in France
Friedlingen