The Battle of Avesnes-le-Sec was a battle between French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 forces under General Nicolas Declaye, and Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n forces under Johann I of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

 and Count Heinrich von Bellegarde. The Austrian cavalrymen made a huge charge against the French, and defeated them in a major cavalry charge. It was the second battle of the French Revolutionary Wars

French Revolutionary Wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...

.

Background

In the year 1789, French uprisings to destroy the French Government

Early Modern France

Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...

 under Louis XVI. The rebel French stormed the Bastille in Paris

Storming of the Bastille

The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...

, starting the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

. The French Rebels besieged the Bastille, and it fell to rebel hands on the same day, July 14. Louis fled the capitol, and begged for support from other European countries. In late 1792, the First French Republic declared war on the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 and Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

.

Battle

The regent of Liechtenstein, Johann I of Liechtenstein, commanded an army of 2,000 cavalrymen and was sent south from the Austrian Netherlands. French General Declaye commanded an army of 7,000 infantrymen, and he was determined to halt the invasion of northern France. The two men and their armies met at Avesnes-le-Sec

Avesnes-le-Sec

Avesnes-le-Sec is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...

 in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Liechtenstein led 2,000 cavalry in an "outstandingly effective cavalry action" at Avesnes-le-Sec on 12 September 1793. During this battle he defeated 7,000 French troops, inflicting losses of 2,000 killed and wounded while losing only 69 men. In addition, 2,000 soldiers and 20 artillery pieces were captured.

Aftermath

The Prince of Liechtenstein also participated in many other battles. Soon after being promoted to General-Major

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 in June 1794, he fought at the Battle of Fleurus

Battle of Fleurus (1794)

In the Battle of Fleurus on 26 June 1794, the army of the First French Republic under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan faced the Coalition Army commanded by Prince Josias of Coburg in the most decisive battle of the Flanders Campaign in the Low Countries during the French Revolutionary Wars...

. He commanded a mixed cavalry-infantry brigade in Anton Sztaray's division at the Battle of Würzburg

Battle of Würzburg

The Battle of Würzburg was fought on 3 September 1796 between an army of Habsburg Austria led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and an army of the First French Republic led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The French attacked the archduke's forces, but they were resisted until the arrival of...

 on 3 September 1796. After this action he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa.