Siege of Ypres
Part ofWar of the Austrian Succession
Siege of Ypres, from 6 to 25 June 1744 byLouis-Nicolas van Blarenberghe, 1783
Date 15–24 June 1744[1] Location Ypres,Austrian Netherlands Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Duke of Noailles Maurice de Saxe Louis XV	William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
Strength
87,000[2]	3,000[3]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Thesiege of Ypres took place between 15 and 24 June 1744 during theWar of the Austrian Succession. AFrench army under the nominal command of KingLouis XV and operational command of theDuke of Noailles, took the city from its Dutch garrison after a short siege.^[1]

Before 1744, the Austrian Netherlands had been kept out of theWar of the Austrian Succession, which had been fought since 1740 in Eastern Europe and Italy.In 1744, Louis XV decided to attack the Netherlands and left Versailles to lead his army in person.
The firstBarrier fortress they attacked wasMenin, which surrendered aftera siege of only one week. The surrender of Menin had been hastened by the passive stance of the main Allied armies, which remained east of theScheldt river. The next target of the French was Ypres.

Because Ypres was defended by a larger garrison than Menen, and its fortresses, built byVauban, were in a better condition, the army ofMaurice de Saxe was also called in, to help take the fortress.

Before the end of the siege of Menin, troops under command ofCount of Clermont andMaurice de Saxe were already sent to Ypres, to prepare the siege and to take some advanced redoubts.^[3]

Between 9 and 14 June, the bulk of the army arrived, and the headquarters were established at nearbyVlamertinge.On 15 June, the digging of the trenches began. In the night of 19 to 20 June, two further redoubts were conquered.Despite the efforts of the defenders, the digging of the trenches progressed quickly. After conquering a third redoubt, in the night of 23–24 June, an important attack was launched against the lower city, which was taken in the morning of the 24th after heavy fighting.^[3]

Knowing that no help was on the way, and responding to the urgent demand of the population, William of Hesse-Philippsthal had the white flag hoisted on 25 June. The next day the surrender was signed and the Dutch were allowed to leave the city with their baggage, 6 cannons and 4 mortars on 29 June.^[3]

The French army advanced further towards the North Sea and also captured the otherBarrier citiesFort Knokke on 28 June, andFurnes (Veurne) on 11 July.^[4]Further actions in Flanders were then halted, as the main army was sent to the Alsace to repel an Austrian incursion there.^[5]
The next major action in the Austrian Netherlands would be thesiege of Tournai in late April 1745.

The French evacuated Ypres after theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748).

• Browning, Reed.The War of the Austrian Succession. Alan Sutton Publishing, 1994.
• Painting byLouis Nicolas Van Blarenberghe originally in the Chateau de Versailles, now in the Louvre.
• Gallica, Victoire remportée sur la ville d'Ypres par notre auguste monarque le Roy Louis XV qui commandoit le siège en personne

• Sieges involving France
• Sieges of the War of the Austrian Succession
• Conflicts in 1744
• 1744 in France
• 1744 in the Habsburg monarchy
• 1744 in the Dutch Republic
• Military history of the Austrian Netherlands
• Sieges involving the Dutch Republic

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