Assault on Brussels (1708) 1708
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1708 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Belgium | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Spanish Succession | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Grand Alliance, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 50.8467, 4.3525 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The assault on Brussels or siege of Brussels occurred during the War of the Spanish Succession, from 22 to 27 November 1708 involving French and pro-Bourbon Spanish troops under Maximilian of Bavaria against the garrison and citizens of the city of Brussels.
While the army of the Grand Alliance was occupied with the Siege of Lille, the Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian, made an attempt to capture Brussels. He believed the city, with its weak defenses and small garrison, would be an easy target. Despite his confidence the Allies were forewarned of the plan and had already reinforced Brussels' garrison.
Maximilian, expecting a swift victory, faced strong resistance from Colonel Pascale, the governor of Brussels, and his well-prepared garrison. Despite his demands for surrender, Pascale defiantly refused. Maximilian's plan quickly unraveled, and what he thought would be a quick assault turned into a protracted and bloody struggle. The inhabitants of Brussels did not rally to Maximilian's cause as he had hoped and his attempt to take Brussels by force failed.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Assault on Brussels (1708) (revision 1378683347), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Brussels 1746 · 0 km
- Battle of Anderlecht 1792 · 4 km
- Battle of Waterloo 1815 · 19 km
- Battle of Buggenhout 1914 · 20 km
- Spanish Fury at Mechelen 1572 · 21 km
- Battle of Wavre 1815 · 23 km
Other battles of the War of the Spanish Succession
- Battle at The Lizard 1707
- Battle of Almansa 1707
- Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1707) 1707
- Siege of Gaeta (1707) 1707
- Siege of Toulon (1707) 1707
- Battle of Oudenarde 1708
- Battle of Wijnendale 1708
- Siege of Lille (1708) 1708
- Wager's Action 1708
- Battle of La Gudiña 1709
All 61 battles of the War of the Spanish Succession →
Browse more: battles in Belgium · Europe · Early modern battles