Battle of Oudenarde
Oudenaarde, East Flanders, Belgium
What happened
An allied army under the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy fought a French army under the Dukes of Burgundy and Vendôme. The French marched toward Oudenaarde to cut the allies' supply line to the coast. Marlborough hurried his army there and crossed the River Scheldt, and fighting began in the morning. Much of the French army was never brought into action, and by nightfall it was retreating toward Ghent.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The victory protected a key link in the allies' supply lines. It gave the allies the upper hand again in the War of the Spanish Succession.
What came next
The allies went on to besiege and capture Lille, and drove the French out of almost all of the Spanish Netherlands.
Did you know?
Marlborough wrote that he and Eugene would 'never differ about our share of the laurels'.
Timeline
- 13 August 1704Marlborough and Eugene win together at Blenheim.
- 11 July 1708Battle of Oudenarde.
- 22 October 1708The town of Lille surrenders.
- 21 April 1736Prince Eugene dies in Vienna.