Battle of Fontenoy
Fontenoy, Antoing, Hainaut, Belgium
What happened
A French army under Marshal Maurice de Saxe, with King Louis XV present, fought an allied British, Dutch and Hanoverian army under the Duke of Cumberland. During the War of the Austrian Succession, Saxe besieged the city of Tournai, and the allied army marched to rescue it. Saxe placed his troops in fortified villages and small forts around Fontenoy. A great allied column pushed into the French line but was caught by fire from several sides and pushed back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a major French victory, and France went on to conquer most of the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium). It was the bloodiest battle in Western Europe since 1709.
What came next
Tournai surrendered on 20 June 1745. In the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, France gave the conquered lands back in return for very little.
Did you know?
A famous story says British officers politely invited the French to fire first, but it first appeared decades later and historians doubt it.
Timeline
- 1740The War of the Austrian Succession begins.
- 11 May 1745The French win at Fontenoy.
- 20 June 1745Tournai surrenders.
- 1748The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the war.