Siege of Mons (1709)
The siege of Mons took place between 19 September and 23 October 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession.[6] It saw a Franco-Spanish garrison in the fortified town of Mons, then in the Spanish Netherlands, besieged by a force of the Duke of Marlborough's Grand Alliance army under the command of the Prince of Orange.[7]
The attempt of the French Duke of Villars to relieve the siege resulted in the costly Allied victory at the Battle of Malplaquet on 11 September 1709.[8] Following the battle, greater numbers of Allied soldiers under Eugene of Savoy joined the besieging army from late September. The Franco-Spanish garrison capitulated the following month. Owing to high Allied and French losses at Malplaquet, the capture of Mons was the final significant engagement of the campaign of 1709.
Aftermath[edit]
After losing Mons, the French and Spanish were forced to evacuate the area between the Sambre and Meuse rivers.[22] The States of the County of Hainaut, with its capital in Mons, recognised Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor as Charles III of Spain. Owing to heavy French and Allied loses at Malplaquet, the capture of Mons marked the final engagement of the 1709 campaign season in the war. The Allied armies dispersed into winter quarters until 1710.[5]