The Battle of Malplaquet, 11 September 1709

Image credit: National Army Museum

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The Battle of Malplaquet in 1709 was the bloodiest engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1713). Malplaquet lies close to the French border, about 9 miles (15km) from the Belgian town of Mons. It was here, on 11 September 1709, that an Allied army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, engaged a French army under Marshal Villars. The French occupied a strong defensive position, but after desperate hand-to-hand fighting the Allies won the day at a cost of over 20,000 men.

These were some of the heaviest casualties seen in eighteenth-century warfare and Marlborough’s popularity declined as a result. The Allies had suffered so many casualties that they were prevented from marching on Paris, so the battle was a strategic victory for France.
Title

The Battle of Malplaquet, 11 September 1709

Date

c.1713

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 106.7 x W 136.2 cm

Accession number

NAM. 1973-08-103

Acquisition method

gift from Mrs M. Austen-Leigh, 1973

Work type

Painting

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