Battle of Neerzüge (1693)

This article deals with the battle of Neer winds in 1693. The battle of Neer winds in 1793 can be found there.

Battle of Neer winds

Part of: War of the Palatinate Succession

Map of the battle

date	July 29, 1693
place	Neerwind
output	French victory

Parties to the conflict
France	United Netherlands England Scotland Holy Roman Empire Spain
Commander
François-Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg	William III. Maximilian II. Emanuel of Bavaria
Troop strength
98 battalions of infantry (51,000 men), 201 squadrons of cavalry (29,000 men), 71 guns. A total of 80,000 men	61 battalions of infantry (30,000 men), 132 squadrons of cavalry (20,000 men), 91 artillery pieces. Together 50,000 men
losses
8,000 men dead or wounded, 1,000 men missing or captured	12,000 men dead or wounded, 2,000 men missing or captured

The information on troop strength and losses can differ significantly in the literature

The Battle of Neerzüge , also known as the Battle of Landen , on July 29, 1693, was one of the main battles of the Great Alliance War . It ended with a clear victory for the French under François-Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg over the Allies under Wilhelm III. of Orange-Nassau . It was one of the most costly battles of the 17th century.

prehistory

In the first months of 1693 the Allies failed to gather their troops early. Therefore the campaign did not begin until June. At first the Allies were slightly outnumbered in the Dutch theater of war. Nevertheless, Luxembourg managed to block the allies for a month before supply problems forced him to return via the Gete . William III. did not attack the opponent, took the opportunity to score various insignificant victories with smaller units. This severely weakened the main Allied army. As a result, the French took the initiative. Marshal Luxemburg was able to take Huy on July 23 and threatened to attack Liège . William III. then reinforced the crews in Liège and Maastricht .

With the main power now weakened, the Allies took a wait-and-see position at the Kleine Gete . Luxembourg broke off its march on Liège and on July 28th turned with all its might in the direction of the opposing army with the aim of bringing about a decisive battle.

Allied position

The position of the Allies was not very advantageous because of the only partially available natural defenses. In addition, behind the troops was the river. In the event of defeat, escape was hardly possible.

The defenders' positions were 9 km long and divided into three sections. The left wing stood between the villages of Dormael and Neerlanden. The area was protected at the front by a stream that could not be easily crossed. Therefore, only about 59 cavalry squadrons were posted here under Prince Johann Ernst von Nassau-Weilburg .

In the middle section of the front, Wilhelm III commanded. itself. There there were almost no natural obstacles. In the night of the 28th to the 29th, the king had fortifications built. In this area were 41 battalions of infantry and most of the artillery.

The right wing was commanded by Max Emanuel. It reached from Neerzüge to the mouth of the Windenbach in the small Gete. Between the place Laer and the mouth, this brook represented a protection. However, the places Neerwind and Laer were strongly fortified. The elector had 17 battalions, 56 squadrons and some artillery pieces. There were an additional 6 battalions in each of the villages.

course

Battle of Neerzüge 1693

The French camped at Landen during the night . The next morning the troops grouped together to attack. Luxemburg did not allow any action against the opponents' left wing. He focused his attacks on the center and right wing; the center, neer winds and the fortifications were covered with heavy gunfire. A first heavy attack with 32 battalions and 54 squadrons was directed at the positions of the elector. Further heavy attacks were directed against Neerlanden and another location. The French managed to take the place after heavy fighting. The elector was able to gather the troops and lead them to a successful counterattack. Luxembourg tried to attack again with increased forces. With the help of reinforcements from the center, the attack could be repulsed after the initial successes of the French.

After a pause, Marshal Luxemburg let his army attack all along the line. The center of gravity of both armies had shifted towards the west towards the electoral front section. The reinforcements that Wilhelm III. had sent, the opposing superiority could not be balanced. At the same time, this delegation had weakened the center of the Allied front, so that there was also danger. The French managed to separate the Elector's section from the center. They also managed to overcome the fortifications. A counterattack by the Allied cavalry, brought in from the left wing, came too late. The main power of the Allies had to retreat over the little Gete. Finally, with heavy losses, the troops under Max Emanuel also withdrew via the small Gete. Many soldiers drowned.

consequences

The French victory was clear. However, they too were exhausted, so they did not go after their opponents. Therefore, the defeat was not decisive for the war and the military situation remained undecided in the following years.

The battle was one of the bloodiest of the 17th century. The Marshal of Luxembourg was able to hang 55 standards and 25 flags of the opponents in Notre Dame de Paris . He was therefore jokingly called the Notre Dame upholsterer. In the longer term, however, the defeat of Neerwinds together with those in Fleurus (1690) and Steenkerke had the effect that the Netherlands, England and the Holy Roman Empire initiated separate peace negotiations with France in 1694.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ here was used: Gaston Bodart: Militär-Historisches Kriegs-Lexikon, (1618–1905). Vienna 1908, p. 118
2. ↑ Uwe Schultz: The ruler of Versailles. Louis XIV and his time. Munich 2006, p. 314

literature

• Cathal J. Nolan: Wars of the age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: an encyclopedia of global warfare and civilization. Westport 2008, p. 316
• Marcus Junkelmann: Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria as general. Munich 2000, pp. 90-94
• from the ceiling, the electoral prince Georg Ludwig afterwards King Georg I in the battle of Neer winds the 29th Julius 1693 , p.137ff