page_title: Capitulation of Diksmuide
section_title: Siege
hierarchical_section_title: Capitulation of Diksmuide / Siege
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Zicht op de West-Vlaamse polders vanaf de IJzertoren in Diksmuide. Centraal stroomt de IJzer. Aan de horizon is de hoogbouw langs de Belgische kust zichtbaar.English: View on the West Flemish polders, seen from the IJzertoren tower in Diksmuide. In the middle the river IJzer (Yser). On the horizon the high-rise buildings along the Belgian coastline.
context_page_description: The Capitulation of Diksmuide, or Dixmuide, then in the Spanish Netherlands, took place from 26 to 28 July 1695, during the 1689 to 1697 Nine Years' War. An Allied garrison of around 4,000 men surrendered to a superior French force.
  After six years of war, both sides were financially exhausted; the focus of the 1695 campaign was the Allied siege of Namur, captured by the French in 1692. By attacking garrisons like Diksmuide, the French commander sought to prevent the Allies resupplying their army outside Namur.
  Its capitulation after only two days resulted in the court martial of garrison commander Major General Ellenberg, and other senior officers. While the reason for his surrender is still disputed, Ellenberg was executed and several officers dismissed.
  Namur surrendered to the Allies in September; although fighting did not formally end until 1697, this was the last major event of the war. The French withdrew from Diksmuide following the Treaty of Ryswick.
context_section_description: Vaudémont's task was to keep his army between Villeroy and Namur; Villeroy tried to tempt him out of position by attacking Allied-held towns like Knokke and Beselare, now Zonnebeke, but he refused to be drawn. It was accepted even places like Namur would fall given enough time, so the garrisons in Diksmuide and Deinze were expected to delay Villeroy for as long as possible.
  Diksmuide sits on the Yser River, which begins in France, then runs through the town before entering the North Sea at Nieuwpoort. French defences followed the Yser via Ypres and Comines to Espierres and hardly changed between 1689-1694; its enduring strategic significance led to this line being fought over  in both 1914 and 1940, while Diksmuide itself was attacked by the Germans in October 1914. 
  The garrison commander at Diksmuide was Major-General Ellenberg, an experienced Dane who served William in Ireland and elsewhere. The town was taken by the Allies in 1694, and although the defences were in a poor state, it was held by a strong garrison of eight battalions of infantry plus several squadrons from Lloyd's Dragoons.
  Vaudémont's covering army had been reduced by the need to bolster the assault forces at Namur; by stripping garrisons from Ypres and Menin, Villeroi achieved local superiority of 90,000 to 37,000. However, an attack on 14 July failed to break the Allied line; Vaudémont was able to conduct an orderly retreat, using the bridge across the Lys at Deinze.
  Shortly after this, a force under the Comte de Montal appeared before Diksmuide; Ellenberg opened the sluice gates, while the Allied commander at Nieuwpoort broke the dykes, flooding the area around the town. This meant Diksmuide could only be assaulted from the east and while this was the weakest part of the defences, the position was considered 'serious but not desperate.'
caption: Yser river and landscape near Diksmuide, a good example of the geography in this area
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