Battles & Campaigns · 1712
Battle of Denain
Denain, Nord, France
What happened
The French army of Marshal Villars fought Dutch and Imperial troops of the army of Prince Eugene of Savoy, commanded at Denain by the Earl of Albemarle. During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Allies were threatening Paris. Villars secretly moved his army and attacked the Allied camp at Denain. French troops took it, and held a bridge so Eugene could not send help.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended the Allied threat to Paris and reversed nearly two years of French losses. Villars quickly retook several towns.
What came next
Villars and Eugene later negotiated the Treaty of Rastatt, which ended the fighting.
Did you know?
A monument on the battlefield carries lines by the writer Voltaire praising 'bold Villars'.
Timeline
- 24 July 1712Villars wins at Denain.
- 31 July 1712The French retake Douai.
- 19 October 1712The French retake Bouchain.
- 1720Coal mining begins at Denain.