Invested in command during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), Philippe d'Orléans takes the head of the army of Italy (1706), but, surrounded by incompetent advisers, is embroiled in the disaster of the siege of Turin. The War of the Spanish Succession was one of the longest conflicts of Louis XIV's reign. The event at the origin of this war is the death of Charles II on November 1, 1700. He had no heir. This war will last thirteen years, resulting in victories and defeats. Among these is the Siege of Turin , which lasted from May to September 1706.
The context of the siege of Turin
Louis XIV had married Marie Thérèse, daughter of the King of Spain Philip IV. This king married in second marriage Marie Anne of Austria, of which only one child is still alive:Charles II. Then on his death, without an heir, the kingdom of Spain should return to France, but several suitors present themselves to the Sun King. Leopold I, Emperor of the Holy Empire and son of the Infanta Maria Anne of Austria, wants the throne of Spain for his son Charles born from a third marriage. The Duke of Savoy Victor Amédée II is in the running, invoking the non-payment of the dowry to the wife of Charles Emmanuel I, his ancestor.
Charles II wrote his will in favor of Philippe Duke of Anjou, nephew of Louis XIV. France and Spain thus constitute a great power. It is a danger for Savoy, since the Milanese who is close becomes Spanish. The Duke of Savoy, an ally of the French for thirty years, negotiates a reversal of the alliances:England, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Denmark against France and Spain.
At the end of the summer of 1703, Louis XIV was informed that the Duke of Savoy was changing sides, all the more easily since the commander of the troops was Prince Eugène de Savoie-Carignan son of Olympe Mancini. After the Battle of Cremona in February 1702, the Duke of Vendôme was sent to Italy to take the Piedmontese troops from the camp of San Benedetto Pô, to incarcerate part of them in Spanish prisons and to send the other part to Germany. . Victor Amédée II declares war on France and Spain.
The Siege of Turin
In 1704-1705, all is well for the French armies, led by the Duke of Vendôme towards Turin, with the victories of Cassano d'Adda, then of Calcinato. Marshal de la Feuillade, replacing the Duke of Vendôme, appeared before Turin in May 1706 with 44,000 men, including 5,000 Spaniards, 110 large-caliber guns and 59 grenade mortars and swivel guns. The enemy has only 10,000 men and 200 artillery pieces, but during the previous winter the soldiers have built huge ramparts to protect the citadel.
La Feuillade made mistakes from the start by not reconnoitring the location and attacking the citadel directly, despite Vauban's advice. The citadel was attacked on August 27, 1706 “at one o'clock in the morning, five cannon shots announced the attack. There followed the discharges of numerous mortars which hurled a shower of stones and bombs, while from the galleries hundreds of French infantrymen came running out, armed with fascines and ladders”. The French settled on the ramparts and the outer crown, protected by bags of earth and wool. Attacked by cannons and musketry, they respond with bayonets. They are quickly pushed back into the ditch; attacked from everywhere, they cannot even take advantage of the explosion of a stockpile of ammunition.
When they attack again, it's too late. The losses are heavy:2000 French killed or wounded against only 450 among the Piedmontese. The request for a truce to recover the wounded and killed, is refused by Prince Eugene; he does not want the French to come and see their defense up close, especially since the powder will soon run out among the Piedmontese. Prince Eugene ordered as much wood as possible to be thrown at the wounded in the ditch and two hours before nightfall “a curtain of fire between the positions of the defenders of the citadel and the French assault trenches rose up”. On August 30, when the French were down to 26,000, Philippe d'Orléans arrived from Lombardy with 18,000 additional men. But the more time passes, the greater the losses on the French side.
The defeat of the French
On the 116th day of the siege on September 6, 1706, Victor Amédée arrived with a relief army, totaling 24,000 men. He places himself on the left wing, Prince Eugene in the center and on the right wing and prepares the plan of attack for the next day "tomorrow, God willing, we will march against the enemy lines in the prescribed manner and in the following order:one hour before daybreak, the cavalry will seal the horses without having been invited by the bell, the infantry without the roll of the drum, will prepare themselves without further ado for the march, so that at sunrise sun the whole army be ready to march; the infantry in eight columns; all the grenadiers will march in front of the Prussian infantry; the field pieces will be between the first line battalions; no one will fire without a specific order from their officer.
After the infantry takes its place in the enemy line, the cavalry will move through the openings the infantry left, immediately charge and chase the enemies with the infantry to deprive them of the time and the means to regroup. The hussars will march in front of the left wing and will already have the order of what to do...”
On the morning of September 7, the 22 French battalions and 54 squadrons had to face 52 battalions and 99 cavalry squadrons. After two hours of shooting, the enemy's left wing attacks, when Victor Amédée makes a diversion on the right. The French device is dislocated, the general assault pushes the French to a first retreat; and when the governor of the city decides to let out 1500 soldiers and 500 additional cavalry, the French troops fall back. The French rear guard was attacked by 1,500 light horses at Marsaille, leaving 2,000 dead, wounded and prisoners. During the regrouping of the French forces at Pignerol, 14,000 men are missing...the enemies count 3,246 dead or wounded!
The consequences
The Treaty of Utrecht, signed in April 1713, put an end to this conflict. Louis XIV yields to Victor-Amédée the valley of Suse, the valleys of Oulx and Bardonnèche, the district of Briançon, the valley of Queyras. Victor Amédée thus finds Savoy which had been taken from him at the beginning of the conflict.
Based on an article by Lionel Marquis – Château de Versailles magazine.