Battle for Europe: How the Duke of Marlborough Masterminded the Defeat of France at Blenheim - Hardcover

by Charles Spencer (Author)

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.

Front Jacket

Plunder, murder, destroy--and if it be possible to commit yet greater cruelties, be not negligent, ordered one of Louis XIV's generals. Another boasted of atrocities his soldiers committed against Dutch civilians: "We lit the town and grilled all the Hollanders in it." Louis XIV had created the largest army Europe had seen since Roman times, and he encouraged his marshals to fight with Roman ruthlessness. For forty years, it was unstoppable--no army and no alliance could stand against the Sun King's soldiers.

Then, on August 14, 1704, amidst the pomp and splendor of a court celebration honoring his military conquests, Louis received word that the unthinkable had occurred: his "invincible" army not only had suffered its first defeat in two generations, but had been utterly routed. An entire army of 60,000 men had disappeared and its commander had been taken prisoner by the English.

The Battle of Blenheim changed the course of history. Louis's hitherto unbeaten army was destroyed in a day, never to recover. And just as astonishing to contemporary observers was that the British, seemingly overnight, had become a power in Europe for the first time since Henry V beat the French at Agincourt.

In Battle for Europe, Charles Spencer recounts how, under the command of the military genius John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, the British army was transformed from an unruly, ragtag collection of misfits and social outcasts into a highly disciplined fighting force. British soldiers made up only a fifth of the victorious allied army at Blenheim, but their contribution was decisive. In the wake of Blenheim, the greatest land victory won under an English commander on foreign soil since 1415, the British took their first faltering steps toward empire.

Spencer reveals how Marlborough, aided by his friend and ally Prince Eugène of Savoy, brought about this incredible victory despite crushing personal and political pressures. Marlborough's sixteen-year-old son had recently died in his arms; his beloved wife was on the verge of madness; and both parties in Parliament were plotting his impeachment. With his friends and allies urging caution, the Duke gambled everything on a single day of battle.

In his remarkable debut as a popular historian, Charles Spencer breathes life into the women and men behind the mannered portraits of the era. From Louis XIV's grisly experience at the hands of his dentists to the violent fury of the battlefield, Battle for Europe is a compelling chronicle of an age and an enthralling story of courage under fire.

Back Jacket

A compelling history of the bloody battle that ended Louis XIV's dream of European domination and changed the course of history

"Had it not been for Blenheim, all Europe might at this day suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and those of the Romans in durability."
--Sir Edward Creasy, The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World

In 1704, the armies of the French king Louis XIV, undefeated for two generations, 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 under the command of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugène of Savoy set out to oppose them. The two forces met at Blenheim, in Bavaria, and the French were utterly defeated, ending France's dream of European domination. Based on original sources, this page-turning narrative brings the battle to life, effortlessly moving from the deliberations of kings to the travails of the common foot soldier.

"Thoughtful, interesting, and well-written. . . . Spencer recovers an approach and authorial voice associated with Winston Churchill, whom indeed he quotes effectively and appropriately. . . . From the excellent scene-setting of the Prologue to the effective battle descriptions, which ably draw on the memoirs of the participants, Charles Spencer successfully combines narrative with analysis."
--The Sunday Telegraph

"A remarkable debut . . . not to be missed."
--Evening Standard

"Charles Spencer explores the decisive battle of Blenheim, the campaign that broke Louis XIV's domination of Europe and established the enduring reputation of the British redcoat . . . in this compelling, page-turning narrative . . . of a battle that changed the destiny of Europe."
--Soldier

Author Biography

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.