Battle of Fontenoy 1745
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 11 May 1745 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1745 | 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 Austrian Succession | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 50.5694, 3.4750 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Tournai, in Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by the Duke of Cumberland.
By 1745, France was close to bankruptcy, and seeking an end to the war. The Austrian Netherlands offered the best opportunity for a decisive victory, and in April, Saxe besieged Tournai, a key strategic town on the upper Scheldt, compelling the main Allied army to march to its relief. Leaving 22,000 men to continue the siege, Saxe placed his main force about 8 kilometres (5 mi) away in the villages of Antoing, Vezon and Fontenoy, along a naturally strong feature strengthened with defensive works.
After several unsuccessful flank assaults, an Allied infantry column of 15,000 attacked the French centre, before being repulsed. Covered by their cavalry, they retreated toward Brussels, abandoning Tournai which fell shortly afterwards. Despite this, fighting continued until November 1748, when the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Fontenoy (revision 1373889007), 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 Tournai (1745) 1745 · 7 km
- Siege of Tournai (1340) 1340 · 7 km
- Siege of Tournai (1667) 1667 · 7 km
- Battle of Tournay (1794) 1794 · 7 km
- Siege of Tournai (1709) 1709 · 7 km
- Battle of Leuze 1691 · 11 km
Other battles of the War of the Austrian Succession
- Siege of Prague (1742) 1742
- Battle of Campo Santo 1743
- Battle of Dettingen 1743
- Battle of Toulon (1744) 1744
- Battle of Velletri 1744
- Battle of Anguilla 1745
- Battle of Hennersdorf 1745
- Battle of Melle 1745
- Battle of Soor 1745
- Fall of Ghent 1745
All 32 battles of the War of the Austrian Succession →
Browse more: battles in Belgium · Europe · Early modern battles