War of the Spanish Succession: A multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg defeats the Spanish-Bourbon army commanded by Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay in the Battle of Saragossa.
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict, fought between 1701 to 1714. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 without children resulted in a struggle for the Spanish Empire between rival claimants. Charles named his heir as Philip of Anjou, who was backed by his grandfather Louis XIV of France. His opponent, Archduke Charles of Austria, was supported by the Grand Alliance. Significant related conflicts include the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and Queen Anne's War (1702–1713).
Guido Starhemberg
Guido Wald Rüdiger, Graf von Starhemberg was an Austrian nobleman and military officer (commander-in-chief).
Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay
Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay was a military officer in the service of Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Battle of Saragossa
The Battle of Saragossa, also known as the Battle of Zaragoza, took place on 20 August 1710 during the War of the Spanish Succession. A Spanish Bourbon army loyal to Philip V of Spain and commanded by the Marquis de Bay was defeated by a Grand Alliance force under Guido Starhemberg. Despite this victory, which allowed Philip's rival Archduke Charles to enter the Spanish capital of Madrid, the allies were unable to consolidate their gains. Forced to retreat, they suffered successive defeats at Brihuega in November and Villaviciosa in December, which effectively ended their chances of installing Archduke Charles on the Spanish throne.