The Flanders Expedition of 1678 saw an English expeditionary army sent to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

to support the Dutch and Spanish armies against the French at the tail end of the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

. The expedition was led by

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, (9 April 1649 – 15 July 1685) was an English nobleman and military officer. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest ill ...

and was supposed to support Monmouth's cousin William of Orange and his English wife

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

in their war against France. Some of the English units fought at the Battle of Saint-Denis, the last battle of the war. The war ended with the

Treaty of Nijmegen The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sw ...

shortly later, and the expeditionary army had to return to England.

History

After the marriage of

, the daughter of the

James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

, to William of Orange, the English sent an expeditionary force (with its own services and supply chain) to Flanders in 1678 to join the Dutch against the French in the

. The expeditionary force was commanded by the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

. The English force saw little action but some English units saw action at the Battle of Saint-Denis (the last battle of the war). At Saint-Denis, a Scottish regiment under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Dougles attacked the French camp and the Anglo-Dutch Brigade fought in the vanguard of the Dutch Spanish army suffering many casualties. Shortly after this battle the

was signed by the Dutch and France on 10 August 1678 and the campaign came to an end.

Notes

References

* Conflicts in 1678 1678 in England 1678 in the Dutch Republic 17th-century military history of the Kingdom of England English Army James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth History of Flanders Franco-Dutch War William III of England Mary II {{England-battle-stub