James Baquet Fontenoy is another of history’s many decisive battles. This one took place during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), which saw the rise of the German kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918). The Battle of Fontenoy was fought near the middle of the war, on May 11, 1745, when a French army of 50,000 face a Pragmatic Army of just 2,000 more. The oddly-named “Pragmatic Army” resulted from the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, in which Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, ensured that his hereditary possessions (including Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Milan, Naples, Sardinia and the Netherlands) could be inherited by female offspring — that is, a daughter — when heirs were usually expected to be male. This was “pragmatic” in the sense that it would cut through “red tape,” as it were, in case Charles, at the time childless, were to have only daughters in the future. In any case, the French were fighting over control of much of Europe with the army of Charles’s Holy Roman Empire, backed by Britain and the Dutch Republic, among others. In 1745 the French laid siege to the Belgian city of Tournai, a vital link in the trading network of Northern Europe. Charles would have no choice but to send relief to the city, and the French would be ready. The French commander, Marshal Saxe, left 22,000 men at Tournai and deployed forces to other nearby villages, including one named Fontenoy. After heavy fighting, the forces of Charles and his allies were forced to withdraw, leaving the French victorious. By the end of the year, France had occupied much of the Austrian Netherlands, and their military superiority in Europe had been restored. Other successes followed at Rocoux (1746), Lauffeld (1747), and Maastricht (1748). Unfortunately for the French, an army marches not only on its stomach, but on all of its supplies — and France was running out of money. Despite their military successes, their economic condition was deteriorating. Ultimately, they had to agree to the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in which all the territory gained at Tournai and Fontenoy was forfeited back to the Holy Roman Empire. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. passed on from parent to child 2. extremely important 3. given up, returned 4. quality of being better 5. permission by an authority 6. certain, undeniable 7. bureaucratic complication 8. practical 9. falling apart, getting worse 10. passing of power from one to another | 