Blenheim: Battle for Europe

by Charles Spencer

By the summer of 1704 Louis XIV's vast armies dominated Europe. France defeated every alliance formed against her and Louis was poised to extend his frontier to the Rhine and install a French prince on the throne of Spain. Two men saved Europe from French military the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy. Marlborough masterminded a brilliant campaign, working with Eugene to surprise the French invaders inside Germany. The rival armies clashed in August and the hitherto unbeaten French were utterly destroyed. Blenheim was a major turning point in European history. Charles Spencer's narrative is drawn from original sources and moves seamlessly from the deliberations of Kings and princes to the frontline soldiers. This is the battle that creates the enduring reputation of the British redcoat and shatters the image of the 'Sun King' and his mighty army.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, European History, Military History, France, War

377 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2004

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battle for Europe by Charles Spencer is a riveting account of the great battle fought at Blenheim between Allied forces under the command of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and the French Army of Louis XIV on August 13, 1704. This is a splendidly told story, not only covering this pivotal battle but the events leading up to it and the main characters involved, including my favourite, Prince Eugene of Savoy.

This battle possibly changed the course of European history with the near destruction of Louis XIV's army. Up to this point the French Army under the command of many capable marshals had never been beaten. It was virtually unstoppable until it met Marlborough, the Captain-General of the armies fighting against France. In this book Charles Spencer describes the outcome of that meeting at Blenheim.

The story telling is first-rate, the narrative flows fast and smoothly, is packed full of information but never over-loads the reader with too much. The colour plates are excellent and the maps sufficient for the story however I would have appreciated maybe a few more.

The account of the fighting is excellent and once you start reading it's hard to stop. The narrative drags you into the fighting as the allied infantry assaults the villages of Blenheim and Oberglau and then mass in the centre for the decisive offensive that was to break the back of the French forces. In the end the allies lost 12,000 men killed and wounded but the French lost more than three times that number.

This is an excellent account and adds much to the military history of this period, no decent library should be without a copy on their shelves.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the wars of the Sun King, Louis XIV and the two men who stopped his grand scheme of conquering and ruling over much of Western Europe. Marlborough and Prince Eugene are very impressive in this tale. I really want to read more on Prince Eugene.

In the start of the book, you get to see the French in action. The French have little leeway to condemn excessive violence, given their history:

Having torn the wings off the triple alliance, Louis entrusted his most seasoned and dynamic marshals with the avenging invasion. In 1672 Turenne and Condé marched through the Bishopric of Liége with 120,000 troops, before advancing along the Rhine on separate banks. Facing just 25,000 Dutch soldiers, the French swarmed over the southern areas of the United Provinces. Louis ordered a war of dark aggression: ‘Go, my children,’ Marshal Luxembourg exhorted his men, ‘plunder, murder, destroy — and if it be possible to commit yet greater cruelties, be not negligent therein. Let me see that I am not deceived in my choice of the flower of the King’s troops.’

The Dutch took desperate measures. In coastal Holland the dykes’ sluice gates were opened, flooding the low-lying land to form the defensive Water Line. With their fields and roads submerged, the peasants retreated out of reach of the invader, behind fortified town walls. This held the French back through the autumn, but in late December winter frosts turned the expanses of water into walkways of ice. Marshal Luxembourg issued skates to his foot soldiers, so they could speed across the frozen flats. French soldiers raped the women of Bodegraven and Zwammerdam before herding them into their homes with their families. They then set the buildings alight, razing both towns to the ground, and burning alive many of their inhabitants. Louvois, the leading French military administrator of the age, recorded with relish his part in such an atrocity: ‘We lit the town and grilled all the Hollanders in it.”

France makes a number of key improvements and innovations that will make their military much more effective. The Sun King has territorial designs and he has some excellent commanders ready to give him the army that can succeed. It is always fun to learn the origin of a common term:

Le Tellier and Louvois sought control over the army through conformity. What better way of achieving this than establishing a model unit, a paragon of excellence for all to aspire to? In 1663, the Régiment du Roi was formed under Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Martinet, an officer whose surname has remained a byword for military pedantry. There had previously been a veneration of the long-established units. Now the insistence that a totally new body was the crack regiment of the army made it clear that the old and complacent days were over. In 1667, this message was driven home when Martinet was promoted to become inspector-general for the entire infantry.

Marlborough's chief of artillery had the appropriate name, demonstrated in the storming of the Shellenberg, prior to the battle at Blenheim:

“During the cannonade d’Arco was still unaware where, in his extended lines, the main thrust of the enemy advance would be felt. His second-in-command, the Marquis de Maffei, later gave an unfavourable account of his superior’s actions. D’Arco, he said, dawdled in the leadup to the allies’ attack. He then prematurely stood the soldiers to arms, when they could still have been improving the defences. However, with battle joined, d’Arco sprang into action, looking to counter the allied attack wherever it came. He ordered Colonel de la Colonie’s troops into a reserve position. From here they could be sent to bolster any part of the perimeter that needed reinforcement.

The plan was flawed, because the summit of the Heights was flat and open, affording de la Colonie nowhere to hide. Colonel Blood spotted this exposed body of troops, and de la Colonie recorded the consequences: ‘They concentrated their fire upon us, and with their first discharge carried off Count de la Bastide, the lieutenant of my own company with whom at the moment I was speaking, and twelve grenadicrs, who fell side by side in the ranks, so that my coat was covered with brains and blood.””

The battle of Blenheim is a 4-Star piece of European history and well worth your time.

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

An example of military history at its most engaging: even without prior knowledge of 17th century warfare & the political firmament surrounding the Sun King, it draws you into the line of battle & lets you walk away with a firm understanding of "why we fight" and how; with a center breakthrough that'd give most WWI generals a massive Brusilov.

Also, you get to dominate the footnotes of the Wikipedia article.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about two great men who fought one of history's great battles.

[Rindis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Spenser is certainly correct in his assertion that the Battle of Blenheim is one of the more important battles of history that is not well remembered today. This is more surprising in the English-speaking world since it was an English commander in charge, and English troops played an important part in the battle.

I'm not so sure how much I can go for his subtitle, "How Two Men Stopped The French Conquest Of Europe", however. It's not just a tag put on by the publisher, as it is certainly an idea present in his book, but it's not that well supported. The immediate consequences of a (likely) French victory in the War of Spanish Succession are obvious enough, but after some good analysis of internal French troubles one wonders just how well they could have done. Finally, I felt through the entire book that the story of the second man, Prince Eugène of Savoy, was not very well served by the narrative.

In fact, Blenheim suffers most from being too close to typical English accounts of the battle, instead being much more about the story of Marlborough than anything else. There are good reasons for this, but I was hoping that the book would move its center of gravity a little further away from the instinctual 'how great our man is' mode.

Thankfully, the book is at the same time much more than that, and very handy for the casual history reader. Spenser does spend quite a bit of time laying the groundwork, presenting the career of Louis XIV as whole, as well as William of Orange's resistance to his territorial aims in the Low Countries, and an account of the War of the League of Augsburg. So the background is very good, and takes up a fair chunk of the book.

The War of Spanish Succession itself is centered around Marlborough's campaigning, and isn't an account of the war as a whole; coverage after Blenheim drops off dramatically. That said, as with much else with the book, what is there is well done, and the Marlborough's move from the Low Countries to the Danube is handled very well.

As a casual history book, centered around Marlborough, it's very good, and other viewpoints from contemporary diaries are included to good effect, and I recommend it, but on that basis only. Prince Eugène's story is given, but not in as much detail. As a history of the War of Spanish Succession it fails from not giving proper attention to the rest of the war, and as a history of the Battle of Blenheim, it spends too much time on the rest.

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent history book by Charles Spencer - he really knows how to bring major historical episodes to life. I enjoyed his detailed background into the history which led to the Blenheim, and the various historical figures who played a part in bringing Louis XIV's expansionism to an end. The only thing I didn't agree with was his stating that Queen Anne's son, William, Duke of Gloucester died from smallpox. From what I gathered from my own research, the physicians who attended the prince in his last sickness were not certain what was ailing him. Some thought it was measles, and ultimately I believe it was attributed to a fever. Other than that tiny thing, wow, what an absorbing read. I loved it!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Start out feeling a bit British=good French=bad, but it got better as it went on and ended up a very good account of the battle.

[Emerson Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read the last twenty pages yet as of writing because of my current busy life but I believe I have passed the main course of this book already. Blenheim is a battle that is mostly forgotten about, taking place in a war between the years of 1600s-1740s-ish which many European/military history fanatics have decided to collectively forget about. However, Blenheim and the War of Spanish Succession had many important impacts on history: the fall of French dominance, the rise of the Churchills and a true transition away from pike and shot warfare into semi-linear musket duels. Spencer outlines all of these while also showing the human element. These European generals and kings were emotional and sometimes even sassy, the bickering between the Duke of Marlborough and Lewis of Baden during the 1704 campaign displays how they were all people at the core. This is further depicted through the account of soldiers and officers who tell of the gruesome events of battle. The battles themselves are written in a way that provides enough detail to get a good understanding of the tactics and strategy without boring to death the average non-military reader. Overall, Spencer's book is a wonderful read that will make you appreciate the drama of the late 17th to early 18th centuries a bit more.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, with the decisive Battle of Blenheim in 1704 taking centre stage, and the history's protagonists being the heroic Prince Eugene of Savoy and Britain's military champion, John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough: Ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill.

The book follows their campaigns against France's Louis XIV, the Sun King, and his ambitions to dominate Europe, and paints Blenheim as 'a seminal moment in [Britain's] history,' as well as 'one of the most important battles in European history.'

It also works to highlight the importance of what happened in deciding upon the future of European affairs, as the author tells us that Blenheim has been 'largely forgotten.'

Immersive and riveting, putting the reader at the heart of the age's military events, it's a great read for anyone interested in 18th century Britain and Europe, as well as warfare. Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It definitely sets it in a context of a decisive victory in an era when these were the exception proving the rule. Possibly a little Anglocentric given the troop strengths involved but the sheer daring nature of Marlborough’s Danube march & then fighting when by the rules of the day he should have withdrawn as outmanoeuvred is well invoked. More on his erstwhile partner Eugene wouldn’t have gone amiss either.

Still a worthy effort.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive account written in a style that made compulsive reading. This book was is so full of information that left me having to reread some sections for fear that I might have missed something. I occasionally misidentified characters because they were referred to by one name and then another of their numerous names and titles. A cast list would have been good as would a timeline; not a criticism, but it would have helped me. There are excellent index, appendices and comprehensive lists of sources. Altogether a very worthwhile read, I now feel better educated on a subject that I knew so little about, but it has also left me feeling a little guilty for being so ignorant before!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure why, as a middle aged stay home dog mum from the states, I wanted to read this book, but I wasn’t disappointed. It was compelling even when there was too much information to digest. Names and alliances were confusing, I am not a historian and have terrible recall memory of previous books I’ve read that may have helped. The kindle version had no maps or diagrams to aid, but discovered the hardcover did. It was hard to visualize without these and with my limited knowledge of the area. Hopefully they will update the kindle version. I will now research a bit on my own. I’m curious about Winstons family tie to John Churchill, I assume a nephew?

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, straightforward, easy-to-read history, just as I like it. There is a bit of warfare analysis that threatens to get caught up to too much minutiae, but in the end this book strikes the right balance between the tactical, the political, and the social.

[Christopher Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the Battle of Blenheim and the campaign that led up to it. I was looking forward to reading it as I wanted to learn more about warfare in this particular era. I was a little disappointed. Perhaps because I knew so little to begin with, I did find some aspects of the book a little unclear. The complex web of alliances was a little difficult to follow and I would have liked a few more maps to make clear the movements of the armies in the build-up to the battle. What I did find illuminating about the book, was that it made me realise just how powerful France had become under Louis XIV. For many years they had been masters of Europe and had enjoyed almost constant military success. Blenheim was the first major success for British forces on the continent since Agincourt. In that sense it was important in marking out Britain as a land power and Spencer makes the point that this was perhaps the starting point for Britain's future imperial power. It is perhaps a suprise that this pivotal battle still does not get the attention of say Agincourt or Waterloo, but Spencer makes a good argument that it is certainly just as important.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivetting read about this key battle at the dawn of the modern age...

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first was made aware of the Duke of Marlborough, I also became mystified as to how he was so little known. As a general he never lost a battle! And, every town, he besieged, surrendered! He moulded the British army into a formidable flighting force but, more impressively, cared for the welfare of his men, ensuring they were well victualled, looked after when wounded (He can't be blamed for the poor medical knowledge of the time.) and paid on time. His generalship ensured that Europe did not become the fief of France and altered Britain's status from the poor cousin of Europe to one of its major powers. All this and yet Nelson gets a column for, essentially, one naval victory! This book does a superb job of explaining the politics both of the Spanish Succession and England's political parties. (Nice to see that the Tories have always been the nasty party.) The book is well written, remarkably riveting and accessible. (Would that all military histories were.)

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written, very concise and never drags. That said, I would have liked a bit more context (which could have bloated the book in some eyes). I like how Spencer explains what this meant for the Louis the Sun King as a turning point to France's waning power on the continent.

I'm not well versed in this period in history so as a part of a larger whole it might be more effective. It might be that I need more broad stroke history before I get into the detail.

Lastly, I played the new version of Stratego, Stratego: Waterloo a few months ago and I really liked how this book and the detailed account of the battle made the tactics in that game somewhat made sense (even if it is depicting the latter (last?) battle in the period that perhaps this battle started?).

[Ruth Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have very much enjoyed reading this book. I have come to it through my work and a need to better understand this history of this period. Nevertheless I was soon engaged with the characters and progression of this War of Spanish Succession and ultimately, the events that brought about the decisive battle at Blenheim in 1704. This is a well written and lively account to the build up of the Battle and the partnership between John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy in the defeat of the French forces of Louis XIV. Definitely a good read!

[Angus Ballantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spencer achieves what many historians fail to do;he writes in a very readable manner that captures your interest from start to finish. His work reads almost like an adventure yarn;pacy,thrilling, a page turner but never losing sight of the basic requirement of any historic account and that is to be clear, concise and informative. For the layman an excellent introduction to what lay behind the War of the Spanish Succession and how one of the greatest battles in history was planned and won.

[Robert Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about a little known battle

Kudos to the author for this well written book. The wars of Spanish Succession are a little known event in this day and age, however the author did a good job of pointing out how pivotal this war (and specifically Blenheim) was in changing the balance of power in Europe. I found the narrative to be engaging and entertaining, as well as informative. A good book.

[Cropredy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened upon this book while walking around the neighborhood and espying it within one of those Little Libraries outside someone's home. Normally those enclosures are filled with dreck but the title "Blenheim" stood out and as I have an interest in early-modern military history, I eagerly reached in to take it - no doubt to the puzzlement of the homeowner.

The book was written in 2004 (300th anniversary of the battle - somehow I had missed the celebrity-studded TV extravaganza no doubt on every network) and although it purports no new scholarship on Marlborough, the campaign, or the battle (unlike, say books written in 2015, 200th anniversary of Waterloo, e.g. Waterloo: The French Perspective), the story is told surprisingly well and ranks as readable as the best US Civil War histories. Or, to put it another way, this is not a book length treatment of PhD research.

On the back of the book's jacket are the usual blurbs including this one - "Pacy and enjoyable ..this is a fine, intelligent, patriotic book which deserves to be read" --Spectator

OK, I'll agree with pacy and enjoyable as Spencer does a good job doing several things:

* Defining the long arc it took John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough to become Queen Anne's military commander
* The decades-long sequence of events that led to the crisis of Spanish (king) succession
* The usual bits of saucy court intrigue in both Britain and France
* The revolution in logistics accomplished by Marlborough to enable an army to move deep into Germany from its bases in the United Provinces (Netherlands). And, more importantly, why the 1704 campaign took place by the Danube given that in later years Marlborough fought exclusively in modern-day Belgium.
* A good perspective from the French and Bavarian point of view and their actions to respond to Marlborough's campaign.
* The precursor battle to Blenheim known as Schellenberg which punctured the myth of French army invincibility.
* The endless politics amongst the Allies; politics that would have driven Eisenhower to drink.
* And yes, the actual battle of Blenheim and aftermath.

Spencer takes advantages of the well-known primary sources (memoirs) of participants to leaven the account. Typically, these are from aristocrats / officers but in a handful of cases, we have accounts from the lower ranks.

Spencer also makes a good case for why the battle was so decisive though he does not lay out a counter-factual had Marlborough lost. Although this was a decisive battle, it hardly ended the war which dragged on for more than 10 years - with the nation states eventually financially ruined and left with no recourse but to negotiate a peace.

My critiques (and these apply to most histories of early-modern warfare/campaigns):

* Logistics and geography were everything back then as armies moved slowly, fortified towns dominated chokepoints, and roads were execrable. Yet Spencer, though he outlines the route Marlborough took to the Danube, unless you are intimately familiar with German topography and where various forts fit into that topography, you just have to take it on faith why the route was the route. And I don't have that knowledge. There's so much room for innovation in popular military history book maps that would aid the reader in following the chapter-by-chapter march towards Vienna. And don't get me started on the Lines of Stollhofen that feature prominently in the campaign but are never depicted on the campaign map nor why they were important. It is like reading a Civil War campaign book on Antietam, repeatedly mentioning Harper's Ferry, but never showing where it was or why it was relevant.
* This is primarily history as told from the "Great Man" point of view. What life was like for the populace and soldiers is touched on, but if you are looking for a social history of Britain/France and Central Europe, you'll need to look elsewhere.
* The slow pace of communications and how that affected command is not analyzed.
* The sole map of the battle of Blenheim suffers from trying to do too much on one map - that is, the battle took place over time and the map shows unit positions at start and end points on the sole map. Since the battle narrative spans multiple chapters, multiple maps would have been the right thing to do. I also find it annoying when commanders/units are mentioned in the text but you can't always find them on the map.
* It's not really clear why it took Prince Eugene so long to deploy his men on the right flank. But if you look at engravings from the 18th century like this one by Tindal, it is more obvious.

So, if you've always wanted to know why there was a War of the Spanish Succession and what exactly was the battle of Blenheim (like, say, after you've visited Blenheim Palace outside of Oxford UK), I'd say this is the book for you. Military history buffs, after reading this will want to seek out more books to flesh out this long war that definitely affected the 18th century European great power scene.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

While vividly written, Spencer lacks the skill and finesse of putting the battle in its proper military, political and strategic context. While tactically and operationally decisive, the strategic objective of winning the Spanish crown was not met, not would it ever. Hence it was a battle for Europe, but did not decide that battle.

[Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent account of a crucial battle, the Grand Alliance finally breaking the armies of Louis XIV and England proving itself on the continetal battlefield for the first time since Agincourt. Spencer's writing is excellent and his incorporation of primary accounts is excellent; my only real complaint is the lack of maps of course!

[Martin Wegner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read

A very well written account of an important but obscure European war. A great attention to detail really brings the story to life. This book has me excited to tackle Churchill's volumes on Marlborough.

[Mhorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rise of England's military

The Duke of Marlborough and Eugene, Prince of Savoy saved Europe from French domination. Two of the great military minds of their age, the lessons they laid on the battlefields of Europe are still studied today. This book is well worth reading.

[Robert Hausladen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent account of the batte and the war to that point.


Spencer deals with the history leading up to the battle in great detail, sometimes to the level of slowing the narrative considerable. One cannot but admire however, the research that went into it.

[Peter Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging from the start, this is a captivating and thrilling read. A brilliant surmise of the origins of the Spanish War of Succession and lead up to the battle of Blenheim, the battle and its impression left upon Europe in its aftermath. A real page turner!

[Mr Mark J Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and worth reading

A good history, and excellent description of the battle itself. Would have been even better with maps and diagrams. Some small typos which occasionally cause confusion.

[Akash Parakh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a great episode in European History but the author fails to capture it captivatingly. The chronology seems inconsistent. That's why 3 stars !!

[Bill Hennigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough

An excellent overview of the importance of the battle, and of the time and social forces in play at the time.