Battle of Lauffeld
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession
. Marshal Saxe
led the French forces against the Pragmatic Army
, the combined forces of the British and Hanoverians under the banner of the Duke of Cumberland
, and the Dutch Republic
, fighting under the Prince of Orange
, at Lauffeld (or Lafelt, now part of Riemst
), just west of Maastricht
. Cumberland moved to defeat a detachment of the French army commanded by the Prince of Clermont that de Saxe had sent to bait the Pragmatic Allies into moving. Then Saxe force-marched the main French force to the ground he had chosen, thus outmaneuvering them.
's advice to occupy and fortify a line of villages across the front of the allied army. Once again, as at the Battle of Rocoux
, the Austrians on the right refused to move against the open French left flank. The villages changed hands several times, until Saxe gained the upper hand. A large French column drove the 10,000 British and Hessian defenders out of the village of Lauffeld a final time.
Cumberland reorganized the Dutch and British for a counter-attack; however, the Dutch cavalry was broken by the charge of the French Carabiniers and fled from the French cavalry, throwing the infantry behind them into disorder. The French cavalry then pierced the allied center. Now, a general French advance began to turn the Allied left flank, threatening the annihilation of the British infantry. General Ligonier, on his own initiative, then led the cavalry in charges that would save the army. The greatest cavalry engagement of the war ensued with over 15,000 horsemen charging and counter-charging. Ligonier was captured along with four standards while covering the retreat of the Allies with a final charge.
north across the Low Lands, capturing the city of Bergen-op-Zoom to finish that year's campaigning season. At the opening of the spring campaigning season of 1748, the French invested Maastricht and, after a brief siege, the city fell on 7 May
. The city's siege started negotiations in April, ending the war in October 1748 with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
. Maurice de Saxe's long series of victorious campaigns, sieges, and battles in the Low Lands ensured France's position as the dominant land power in the peace negotiations, during which the sound of Saxe's siege guns could be heard pounding away at the city of Maastricht.
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. Marshal Saxe
Maurice, comte de Saxe
Maurice de Saxe was a German in French service who was Marshal and later also Marshal General of France.-Childhood:...
led the French forces against the Pragmatic Army
Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 was an edict issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI to ensure that the throne of the Archduchy of Austria could be inherited by a daughter....
, the combined forces of the British and Hanoverians under the banner of the Duke of Cumberland
Duke of Cumberland
Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the county of Cumberland.-History:...
, and the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, fighting under the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, at Lauffeld (or Lafelt, now part of Riemst
Riemst
Riemst is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Riemst had a total population of 15,963. The total area is 57.88 km² which gives a population density of 276 inhabitants per km²....
), just west of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
. Cumberland moved to defeat a detachment of the French army commanded by the Prince of Clermont that de Saxe had sent to bait the Pragmatic Allies into moving. Then Saxe force-marched the main French force to the ground he had chosen, thus outmaneuvering them.
The battle
Cumberland now not only faced the entire French army, but further compromised his chances of success by ignoring General John LigonierJohn Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier
Field Marshal John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, KB, PC was a French-born British soldier.He was born to a Huguenot family of Castres in the south of France, and who emigrated to England at the close of the 17th century...
's advice to occupy and fortify a line of villages across the front of the allied army. Once again, as at the Battle of Rocoux
Battle of Rocoux
The Battle of Rocoux was a French victory over an allied Austrian, British, Hanoveran and Dutch army outside Liège during War of the Austrian Succession.-Preliminary maneuvers:...
, the Austrians on the right refused to move against the open French left flank. The villages changed hands several times, until Saxe gained the upper hand. A large French column drove the 10,000 British and Hessian defenders out of the village of Lauffeld a final time.
Cumberland reorganized the Dutch and British for a counter-attack; however, the Dutch cavalry was broken by the charge of the French Carabiniers and fled from the French cavalry, throwing the infantry behind them into disorder. The French cavalry then pierced the allied center. Now, a general French advance began to turn the Allied left flank, threatening the annihilation of the British infantry. General Ligonier, on his own initiative, then led the cavalry in charges that would save the army. The greatest cavalry engagement of the war ensued with over 15,000 horsemen charging and counter-charging. Ligonier was captured along with four standards while covering the retreat of the Allies with a final charge.
Aftermath
It was a French victory that left the gateway to the Dutch Republic open to invasion and the Dutch at the mercy of the French. The allied retreat allowed Saxe to send a detachment of 30,000 troops under Count LowendahlUlrich Frédéric Woldemar, Comte de Lowendal
Ulrich Frédéric Woldemar, Comte de Lowendal was a German-born French soldier and statesmen. Born in Hamburg, he served in the armies of several countries, but is best known for his service in the French army during the War of the Austrian Succession. In the French campaign in the Austrian...
north across the Low Lands, capturing the city of Bergen-op-Zoom to finish that year's campaigning season. At the opening of the spring campaigning season of 1748, the French invested Maastricht and, after a brief siege, the city fell on 7 May
Siege of Maastricht (1748)
The Siege of Maastricht took place in April-May 1748 during the War of the Austrian Succession. A French force under the overall command of Maurice de Saxe besieged and captured the Dutch barrier fortress of Maastricht in the final few months of the campaign in the Low Countries. After a relatively...
. The city's siege started negotiations in April, ending the war in October 1748 with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
. Maurice de Saxe's long series of victorious campaigns, sieges, and battles in the Low Lands ensured France's position as the dominant land power in the peace negotiations, during which the sound of Saxe's siege guns could be heard pounding away at the city of Maastricht.