Battle of Friedlingen

Battle of Friedlingen
Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
The Battle of Friedlingen, unknown author
Date 14 October 1702 Location Weil am Rhein, Baden-Württemberg Result French victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Claude Louis Hector de Villars Lt General Desbordes † Comte de Magnac	Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden Karl von Fürstenberg-Möskirch  † Margrave of Ansbach Margrave of Baden-Durlach Count Hohenzollern † Count Prosper Fürstenberg †
Strength
17,000 men,[1] 35 cannons[2]	14,000 men[1]
Casualties and losses
2,700 [2]	2,900 [2]

The Battle of Friedlingen took place on 14 October 1702, during the War of the Spanish Succession. Most of the fighting centred around Friedlingen, now a suburb of Weil am Rhein, on the border between the German state of Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland. A French force under Villars defeated an Imperial army commanded by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden.

The battle was initiated when Louis William captured Landau in September, threatening the French border region of Alsace. Shortly afterwards, Bavaria joined the French alliance and Villars was ordered to cross the Rhine at Huningue near the Swiss border, then link up with Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. Although Louis William was initially able to block his advance, he was outflanked by French troops crossing the Rhine further north and began retreating early on the morning of 14 October.

Hoping to take advantage, Villars promptly attacked, but Louis William was able to re-organise his troops and fell back in good order. Despite ending Imperial hopes of invading Alsace, Villars was unable to link up with the Bavarian army before winter ended campaigning for the year, leaving the immediate strategic position largely unchanged.