This study analyzes the battle of Dettingen, one of the major
Allied victories of the War of the Austrian Succession, and the last
time a British monarch commanded troops in the field.
The death of the Emperor Charles VI in 1741 was the catalyst for a
conflict ostensibly about the female inheritance of the Hapsburg
patrimony but, in reality, about the succession to the Imperial Throne.
The great European powers were divided between those, such as Britain,
who supported the Pragmatic Sanction and the rights of the Archduchess
Maria-Theresa, daughter of Charles VI, and those who challenged it,
including Bavaria which were supported by France.
The conflict quickly escalated into what is now known as the War of the
Austrian Succession, and a series of turbulent political events brought
the crisis to a head on the road to Hanau, near Dettingen. There, the
French moved to put into place a complex maneuver which had the
potential to end the war at a single stroke. A column of French troops
would cross the Main near Dettingen and block the road to Hanau, their
orders being to simply hold their ground and bar the route of the Allied
British and Hanovarian advance. A second column would cross the Main
behind the enemy and then follow their line of march northwards. The
bulk of the army would use a combination of bridges and pontoon-bridges
to cross the Main and engage the enemy from the flank as they were
strung out on the line of march. However, the plan relied heavily on the
blocking force, and command of this crucial sector fell to an
inexperienced nobleman Louis-Auguste, Duc de Grammont, who chose to
attack rather than hold his position. Consequently, the maneuver failed
and the French broke, fleeing for the Main and safety, with the Gardes
Francaises famously swimming the river.
Supported by specially commissioned artwork including maps and
battleplates, this title explores the battle in depth, detailing its
build-up, events, and aftermath, as well as analyzing the strengths and
weaknesses of the commanders, armies, and tactics of both sides.
