The First Battle of Höchstädt (the Second Battle of Höchstädt became known in English as the Battle of Blenheim) was fought on 20 September 1703, near Höchstädt in

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 ...

, and resulted in a French-

n victory under Marshal Villars against the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

ns under General Hermann Otto of

Limburg Styrum The House of Limburg-Stirum (or Limburg-Styrum), which adopted its name in the 12th century from the immediate county of Limburg an der Lenne in what is now Germany, is one of the oldest families in Europe. It is the eldest and only surviving br ...

. The battle was part of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

(1701–1714) over who had the right to succeed Charles II as king of Spain.

Prelude

On 15 September, the main force of the Imperial Army under

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 ...

had taken the free city of

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

, threatening Bavaria from the west. A force of men under Count Styrum, which Baden had left north of the Danube river, moved east and reached Höchstädt on 19 September. Villars and

Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...

, moved their army to intercept this force, ordering another French force of 7,000 men under d'Usson near Dillingen to attack from the rear.

The battle

The French plan almost failed as d'Usson attacked too soon, and his army, inferior in numbers, was pushed back by

. However, Villars and Maximilian Emanuel arrived just in time, falling upon the Imperial army before it could adjust its positions. It was only thanks to the tremendous resistance of the rearguard under

Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (3 July 1676 – 7 April 1747) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1693 to 1747. He was also a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the Prussian army. Nickname ...

that

managed to save his army and reach

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was b ...

. The Austrians lost 11,000 men, many of them taken prisoner, 37 cannons, and the entire supply train. The French and Bavarians lost 1,000 men. A year later, the Second Battle of Höchstädt was fought, usually known in English as the Battle of Blenheim. (This should not be confused with the 1800 Battle of Höchstädt during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

, which is also known as the Second Battle of Höchstädt.)

References

External links

Maps of the battle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hochstadt 1703, Battle Of Battle of Hochstadt Battles involving France Battles involving Bavaria Battles involving Austria Battles of the War of the Spanish Succession 1703 in Europe 1703 in the Holy Roman Empire 18th century in Bavaria Battles in Bavaria