Battle for Europe: How the Duke of Marlborough Masterminded the Defeat of the French at Blenheim

by Charles Spencer

Overview

A "wondrously enthralling" (The Times [London]) history of the bloody battle that halted the French attempt to dominate Europe and changed the course of history

In 1704, the armies of French King Louis XIV were poised to extend the French frontiers to the Rhine and install a French prince on the Spanish throne. But as French forces marched toward Vienna, allied armies commanded by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugene of Savoy set out to oppose them. The two forces clashed at Blenheim, in Bavaria, and the previously undefeated French were routed, ending France's dream of European domination. Based on original sources, this page-turning narrative brings the battle to life, capturing the deliberations of kings as well as the experiences of ordinary soldiers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471719960
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/13/2005
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	325,309
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.69(h) x 1.21(d)

About the Author

CHARLES SPENCER is the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and a direct descendant of the Duke of Marlborough. After earning a degree in modern history from Magdalen College, Oxford, he worked for seven years as an NBC correspondent. His previous books are Althorp: The Story of an English House and The Spencers: A Personal History of an English Family. He lives at Althorp, his ancestral home in Northampton, and in London.

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Table of Contents

List of Maps.

Preface.

Prologue.

PART ONE: LOUIS’S EUROPE.

ONE: A Rod for His Own Back.

TWO: An Island No More.

THREE: John Churchill.

FOUR: France Feels the Strain.

FIVE: The Spanish Succession.

PART TWO: THE WAR.

SIX: Taking Sides.

SEVEN: The War in Flanders.

EIGHT: Friends Like These.

NINE: Closing In.

PART THREE: THE CAMPAIGN.

TEN: Cutting the Gordian Knot.

ELEVEN: Prince Eugène.

TWELVE: Combined Forces.

THIRTEEN: The Storming of the Schellenberg.

FOURTEEN: Looking to Louis.

FIFTEEN: Laying Waste to Bavaria.

SIXTEEN: Battle Looms.

PART FOUR: THE BATTLE.

SEVENTEEN: Battle Joined.

EIGHTEEN: Blenheim Village.

NINETEEN: General Engagement.

TWENTY: Cavalry Charge.

TWENTY-ONE: Victory.

TWENTY-TWO: ‘Que dira le roi?’

TWENTY-THREE: Vindication.

TWENTY-FOUR: Lessons Learned.

PART FIVE: THE AFTERMATH.

Sources.

Appendices.

A. The Senior Officers of the Army of the Grand Alliance at Blenheim.

B. British and Irish Regiments who Fought at Blenheim.

C. The Regiments Brought into Bavaria by Marshal Tallard.

Bibliography.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Wondrously enthralling."  (The TImes (London))

From the Publisher