page_title: Battle of Seneffe
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Seneffe / Battle
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Relief Positionskarte von Belgien English: Physical location map of Belgium, for geo-location purposes. Français&#160;: Carte physique vierge de la Belgique, destinée à la géolocalisation. Scales: Topography: 1:1,180,000 (precision: 295 m) Bathymetry: 1:3,716,000 (precision: 929 m) Equirectangular projection, WGS84 datum Standard meridian: 004° 33' E Central parallel: 50° 30' N Geographic limits of the map: Top: 51° 48' N Bottom: 49° 12' N Left: 002° 12' E Right: 006° 54' E
context_page_description: The Battle of Seneffe took place on 11 August 1674 near Seneffe in present-day Belgium and was one of the most notable engagements of the Franco-Dutch War. It was fought between a French army commanded by the Grand Condé and a combined Dutch, Imperial, and Spanish force led by William of Orange.
  One of only three battles in the Spanish Netherlands during the war, Seneffe was the most expensive in terms of casualties, although estimates vary considerably. After successfully repulsing the Allied assault, Condé launched a series of counter-attacks against the advice of his subordinates.
  Defeat ended Allied hopes of invading Northern France, but French losses shocked Louis XIV, who thereafter focused on sieges, the dominant form of warfare in the late 17th century. Of the two other battles fought in this theatre, Cassel was an attempt to relieve Saint-Omer, while Saint-Denis was fought to prevent the fall of Mons.
context_section_description: Concluding these positions were too strong to be attacked from the direction of Nivelles, on 9 August the Allied army established  a line between the villages of Arquennes to Roux, on the French left. They hoped to tempt Condé into an attack, but he simply shifted his troops; next day, William proposed moving around Seneffe, and into the French rear. This was supported by the Spanish, since it would cut Condé's supply lines and isolate the French garrison in Charleroi (see Map). 
  At 4:00 am on 11 August, the Allies set out in three columns, each marching parallel to the French positions, a formation dictated by the poor roads. The left column was commanded by de Souches, the right by the Marquis d'Assentar, Monterrey's replacement, with the bulk of the infantry and artillery in the centre under William. A vanguard of 2,000 cavalry covered the gaps between the columns, with another 5,200 bringing up the rear led by Prince Vaudémont.  
  Hearing the Allies were on the move, at 5:30 am Condé rode out to observe their dispositions, and quickly perceived their intentions. The terrain they were crossing was marshy and broken up by numerous hedges, walls and woods, with limited exit points; gambling these factors would negate their superior numbers, Condé decided to attack. He sent 400 light cavalry under Saint Clar to skirmish with the Allied rearguard and slow down their march, while also despatching a cavalry brigade under the Marquis de Rannes to seize the high ground north of Seneffe.
  Around 10:00 am, de Rannes came into contact with Vaudémont, who asked William for infantry support; he was sent three battalions, which he placed near the bridge over the Zenne or Senne river that flowed through Seneffe, with his cavalry just behind.  Despite gout so severe he was unable to wear riding boots, Condé himself led the elite Maison du Roi cavalry across the Zenne above Seneffe, and scattered Vaudémont's cavalry. Simultaneous assaults by de Rannes and Luxembourg overwhelmed the infantry, who were all either killed or taken prisoner. 
  By midday, Condé had inflicted significant losses on the Allies and gained a clear, if minor victory. Instead of halting the attack, he launched a series of frontal assaults against the advice of his subordinates, and the battle became a series of confused and costly firefights, lasting until early evening. After Vaudémont was driven out of Seneffe, William halted his march and formed a defensive line centred on the nearby Priory of St Nicolas, with the Marquis d'Assentar based in the hamlet of Fayt-la-Manage on his left. The Allied horse was once again driven from the field, but the French were exhausted, the Dutch infantry remained intact, and the ground in front of their position unsuitable for cavalry. 
  Condé led one attack in person, during which he was unhorsed and had to be rescued by his son, the Duc d'Enghien. Luxembourg destroyed much of the Dutch baggage train and despite heavy losses, the French finally over-ran the Allied positions at St Nicolas in the early evening. The two armies remained where they were until daybreak, when William withdrew to Mons, and the French resumed their original positions on the Piéton.
caption: The Seneffe campaign, 1674; key locations in the Low Countries
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