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The Siege of Landau (16 June–12 September 1702) saw an army from the Holy Roman Empire led by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden lay siege to the fortress city of Landau which was held for the Kingdom of France. The French defenders led by Ezéchiel du Mas, Comte de Mélac resisted vigorously but were forced to surrender after a three-month leaguer. This action of the War of the Spanish Succession occurred at Landau in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located southwest of Mannheim. The earliest actions from the war were focused in northern Italy in 1701, but military activity began in the Electoral Palatinate the following year. In the Palatinate, Louis of Baden and an Imperial army crossed the Rhine River at Speyer and moved south to invest Landau. Unwilling to challenge his stronger foes, Nicolas Catinat with his French army watched from a distance as the Landau defenses were methodically reduced by siege artillery, mining and infantry attacks. After losing a key defensive position, Mélac and his garrison were forced to capitulate. At this time, the Electorate of Bavaria became a French ally, tipping the balance of power and causing Louis of Baden to withdraw. The next clash was the Battle of Friedlingen on 14 October 1702. ==Background== Once an Imperial city, Landau was awarded to the Kingdom of France by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Under the direction of the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the city's fortifications were completely reconstructed starting in the spring of 1688 and continuing for three years. In 1689 a fire burned down three-quarters of the city, allowing the French to redesign the streets under the direction of another engineer officer Jacques Tarade. In 1700 Tarade added the Crownwork on a hill on the northwest side of the city as additional protection. The Queich River split Landau into northern and southern parts. The eight-sided fortress was protected by a bastion at each corner and surrounded by a moat. A clever system of locks allowed the defenders to control the depth of water in the ditches. A fast-flowing waterway called the Flaque made assault impossible on two-thirds of the fortress. A single bridge over the Flaque linked Landau with the Crownwork. The first fighting in the War of the Spanish Succession began in Italy, where Prince Eugene of Savoy's Imperial army outmaneuvered Marshal Nicolas Catinat's larger French army in 1701. The baffled Catinat was soon transferred to defend Alsace. On 7 September 1701 the Grand Alliance was formed to halt the aggression of the Kingdom of France. The Grand Alliance included the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of England, Dutch Republic, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Electoral Palatinate and most German states. France's allies were the Duchy of Savoy, Electorate of Cologne and Duchy of Mantua. In early 1702, Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden was given command of the troops of the Swabian, Franconian, Upper Rhenish and Westphalian Imperial Circles and the Electoral Palatinate. In April〔 Louis crossed to the west bank of the Rhine near Speyer and turned to the south. The Imperial army occupied Wissembourg and Lauterbourg before marching on Landau. The Palatine army was camped at Lustadt while 2,000 men under Count Leiningen held Germersheim. Count Friesen was first stationed at Rastatt on the east bank; he crossed to the west bank on 22 April and joined the army of Louis.〔 On 24 April, Louis reconnoitered the fortress and then began building an entrenched camp at Langenkandel for his own army. These activities preceded the declaration of war which occurred on 15 May. In fact the Holy Roman Empire was not officially at war until 6 October. Louis of Baden was named commander of all troops on the Rhine on 18 June.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Siege of Landau (1702)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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