page_title: Battle of Entzheim
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Entzheim / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Blank physical map of the region of Alsace, France, for geo-location purpose. Français&#160;: Carte physique vierge de la région Alsace, France, destinée à la géolocalisation. Topographic scale: 1:560,000 (precision: 140 m) Equirectangular projection, WGS84 datum Standard meridian: 007° 31' 30" E Central parallel: 48° 15' N Geographic limits of the map: West: 006° 42' E East: 008° 21' E North: 49° 09' N South: 47° 21' N
context_page_description: The Battle of Entzheim, also called Enzheim, or Ensheim, took place on 4 October 1674, during the 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War. It was fought near the town of Entzheim, south of Strasbourg in Alsace, between a French army under Turenne, and an Imperial force commanded by Alexander von Bournonville.
  In this campaign, Turenne was able to compensate for being outnumbered by his aggression, which kept his opponents off-balance, and vastly superior logistics, which allowed him to move fast. Despite a strong defensive position and vastly superior numbers, Bournonville decided to retreat after a series of French assaults.
  Although Turenne lost the same number of men as Bournonville, and a much higher proportion of his total force, it is generally considered a French strategic victory, since he prevented the Imperial army invading Eastern France. He also established a psychological advantage, setting the scene for the subsequent Winter Campaign.
context_section_description: Both France and the Dutch Republic viewed the Spanish Netherlands as essential for their security and trade, making it a contested area throughout the 17th century. France occupied much of it in the 1667 to 1668 War of Devolution, before returning it to Spain in the 1668 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. After this, Louis XIV decided the best way to force concessions from the Dutch was by defeating them first.
  When the Franco-Dutch War began in May 1672, French troops quickly over-ran much of the Netherlands, but by July, the Dutch position had stabilised. The unexpected success of this offensive encouraged Louis to make excessive demands, while concern at French gains brought the Dutch support from Brandenburg-Prussia, the Emperor Leopold, and Charles II of Spain. In August 1673, an Imperial army entered the Rhineland; facing war on multiple fronts, the French relinquished most of their earlier gains.
  In January 1674, Denmark joined the anti-French coalition, followed by the February Treaty of Westminster, which ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The allies agreed to focus on expelling France from its remaining positions in the Netherlands, while an Imperial army opened a second front in Alsace. Turenne, French commander in Alsace, was ordered to prevent them breaking into Eastern France, or linking up with the Dutch. Known for his aggressive tactics, in 1673 he won a series of victories over Bournonville and Raimondo Montecuccoli, the only commander contemporaries considered his equal.
  In August 1674, the French defeated a combined Dutch-Imperial army at Seneffe; while this relieved pressure on their northern border, losses were so heavy they shocked the court. In early September, an army of 40,000 under Bournonville crossed the Rhine at Strasbourg into Alsace, with another 20,000 led by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg marching to join him. Once they combined, Turenne would be overwhelmed.
  Since Turenne could not expect reinforcements, the longer he delayed, the worse his position became, and he decided to take the offensive. French armies of the period held significant advantages over their opponents; undivided command, talented generals, and vastly superior logistics. Reforms introduced by Louvois, the Secretary of War, meant they could mobilise much more quickly than their adversaries, and campaign for longer. 
  This flexibility allowed Turenne to attack his opponents individually, and at Sinsheim on 16 June, he inflicted heavy casualties on a detachment under Aeneas de Caprara. However, he was unable to prevent him linking up with Bournonville, and their combined army of 35,000 then moved to Entzheim, to await Frederick William. To prevent this, Turenne left Molsheim on the night of 2–3 October, crossed the Bruche River, and arrived at Entzheim early on the morning of 4 October. The speed of his movement took Bournonville by surprise, and cut him off from Strasbourg.
caption: The 1674 campaign in Alsace; the modern French-German border runs along the Rhine (right)
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2010:07:18 11:01:36", "Image ExifOffset": "156", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "294", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3224", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "872", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1429"}