Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, variously known as Lafelt, Laffeld, Lawfeld, Lawfeldt, Maastricht, or Val, took place on 2 July 1747, between Tongeren in modern Belgium, and the Dutch city of Maastricht. Part of the War of the Austrian Succession, a French army of 80,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of 120,000, led by the Duke of Cumberland.
| Battle of Lauffeld | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||
Louis XV with Maurice de Saxe at Lauffeld | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Great Britain Dutch Republic Habsburg monarchy Hanover | France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Duke of Cumberland John Ligonier Prince Waldeck Karl Josef Batthyány von Daun Frederick II |
Maurice de Saxe Louis XV Clermont-Tonnerre Count Löwendahl | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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80,000 up to 200 guns |
82,000 to 98,000 170 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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6,000(excluding prisoners) to 11,000 casualties 23 guns | c. 5,000 to 11,000 casualties | ||||||
Arguably the most talented general of his generation, Saxe conquered much of the Austrian Netherlands between 1744 and 1746 although he failed to achieve decisive victory. In the spring of 1747, Cumberland planned an offensive to retake Antwerp but was forced to fall back when the French threatened to cut him off from his supply base at Maastricht. When the two armies met at Lauffeld, a series of mistakes by Cumberland compromised his position and only counterattacks by the Allied cavalry prevented a serious defeat.
The battle ended Allied hopes of regaining lost ground and Saxe captured Bergen op Zoom in September, then Maastricht in May 1748. However, financing the war had brought France close to bankruptcy and severe food shortages caused by the Royal Navy blockade worsened after defeat at Cape Finisterre in October 1747 left the French unable to defend their merchant shipping. The stalemate resulted in the October 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.