Battle of Almansa | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
The Battle of Almansa by Ricardo Balaca | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Spain Kingdom of France |
Kingdom of England Kingdom of Portugal Dutch Republic Holy Roman Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Duke of Berwick |
Earl of Galway Marquess of Minas Jacques-Louis Comte de Noyelles[1] | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
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The Battle of Almansa took place on 25 April 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession. It was fought between an army loyal to Philip V of Spain, Bourbon claimant to the Spanish throne, and one supporting his Habsburg rival, Archduke Charles of Austria. The result was a decisive Bourbon victory that reclaimed most of eastern Spain for Philip.
The Bourbon army was commanded by the Duke of Berwick, illegitimate son of James II of England, while Habsburg forces were led by Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway, an exiled French Huguenot. This makes it "probably the only battle in history in which the English forces were commanded by a Frenchman, the French by an Englishman."[8]