The War of the Spanish Succession

Date: 1701 - 1714
Location: France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

The War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict that arose when the previous King of Spain, Charles II, died and several European nations disagreed with the idea of coronating Philip V. Perhaps the most well-known of military tacticians at the time of the war was Sir John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, who defeated his enemies several times in France, Spain, and Germany. Marlborough's most decisive victory was at Blenheim on August 13, 1704 in Bavaria, where the allied forces of the Kingdom of England, the Dutch Republic, the Austrian Empire, and the Holy Roman Empire crushed an opposing army of France and Bavaria. with 52000 troops and 60 guns, Marlbororough managed to defeat the Franco-Bavarian army by attacking their right flank, which was protected by the Danube River, while pursuing the main body of the army. 20000 of his enemies were drowned in the Danube as a result of charging cavalry, were killed, or wounded; 14000 were captured. Duc de Villard, Marlborough's opponent, suffered a crushing defeat that day, also having defeated only 7000 of Marlborogh's troops and wounded 4000. Seven years later, Marlborough won another tremendous victory at Maplequet, which gave England the upper hand in the war and led to surrender of the Franco-Bavarian alliance in 1714.