Siege of Ostend (1745)

Siege of Ostend
Part of the War of Austrian Succession

A plan of the attack
DateAugust 1745
Location
Ostend (present-day Belgium)
51°14′N 02°55′E / 51.233°N 2.917°E / 51.233; 2.917
Result French victory
Belligerents
 France  Great Britain
 Austria
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of France Count de Löwendal Habsburg monarchy Count Chanclos
Strength
30,000 3,600

The siege of Ostend was a two-week siege in 1745 of the port of Ostend, then in the Austrian Netherlands, during the War of Austrian Succession. A French army commanded by Count de Löwendal under the overall command of Marshal Saxe defeated a primarily British garrison commanded by the Austrian Governor of the town, Lieutenant-General Karl Urban, Count of Chanclos [nl].

The French Army had overrun much of the Austrian Netherlands after their success at the Battle of Fontenoy and the withdrawal of part of the British Army to deal with the Jacobite uprising at home.[1]

Count de Löwendal, a German who had served in a high position in the Russian army before becoming a commander in the French Army, arrived with 30,000 troops outside of Ostend in August 1745. After a few days of fighting in the open the French began a bombardment of the town and within a week the garrison of 3,600 had surrendered.[2] They were permitted to march out with honour and were escorted to Mons.[3]

King Louis XV of France himself rode into the town on 3 September 1745.

  1. ^ "War of the Austrian Succession". National Army Museum. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  2. ^ Kelly, Christopher. A Full and Circumstantial Account of the Memorable Battle of Waterloo:... p. 139.
  3. ^ de Thoyres, Rapin. The history of England translated into English by N.Tindal. p. 141.