Before the Prince of Lorraine could achieve any opera tion of importance, having got information that the King of Prussia had entered Bohemia, he judged it prudent to re pass the Rhine ; after which, Louis laid siege to Fribourg, and the reduction of this place terminated the campaign on the side of Alsace.
In 1745, Charles VII. died ; and his son being too young to become a candidate for the Imperial throne, concluded a peace with the Queen of Hungary. This treaty, it was ex pected, would lead to a general pacification, as the cause of war in Germany no longer existed ; but the Marquis D'Argenson, the French minister, who had great influence in the cabinet, declared that France, having undertaken to give a head to the Germanic body, ought to hazard the last soldier, in support of what she claimed, and had declared she would do. The cabinet of Versailles, therefore, offered the Imperial throne to the King of Poland; but lie refused it. The French were still obstinate ; and as they could find no candidate of their own, they determined to continue the war, in order to prevent the election of the husband of Maria Theresa. The republic of Genoa, which had been long wavering in its politics, now concluded a treaty with the House of Bourbon, which turned out fatal to the inter ests of the Queen of Hungary and the King of Sardinia. The latter was obliged to retire, by the conjoint army of the French, Spaniards, and Neapolitans, beyond the Tana ro ; the city of Pavia was taken by assault, and Milan itself forced to surrender. Turin was next threatened ; but the confederates, contented with their success, closed the campaign by a triumphant entry into Milan.
Although the avowed object of Louis was to prevent the election of the Grand Duke, yet he had also in view the conquest of Flanders. In order to carry into execution both these plans at once, he assembled two great armies ; one on the Maine under the Prince of Conti, and another under Count Saxe, which invested Tournay. As the re lief of this place was of great consequence, the allies, consisting of the Austrians, Dutch, Hanoverians, and Bri tish, though inferior to the French, resolved to attempt its relief. This gave rise to the battle of Fontenoy; for an account of which, see BRITAIN. After this battle, while The allies were entrenched between Antwerp and Brussels, Marshal Saxe and Count Lauendahl reduced Tournay, Oudenarde, Ath, Dendermond, Ghent, Ostend, and every other fortified place in Austrian Flanders. But though thus
t,uccessful in this object, Louis was less fortunate in the other object of the war : for he was not able to prevent the Queen of I lungary from raising her husband to the Imperial throne.
By the treaty of Dresden, the King of Prussia was de tached from the house of Bourbon ; notwithstanding which, the King of France was determined to push his conquests in the Netherlands, while the King of Great Britain, enrag 4.'.d at Louis for supporting the Pretender, was equally re solved to oppose his projects. Louis commenced the cam paign with his usual vigour. Marshal Saxc took Brussels in the beginning of February, 1746. In April, the King joined his army, now 120,000 strong ; Antwerp was reduc ed ; Mans, one of the strongest places in Flanders, held out only a few weeks ; and, b the 10th of July, Louis was master of Flanders, Brabant, and I fainault. The confe derates, hitherto not able to oppose the French, now muster ed 87,000 men, under Prince Charles of Lorraine ; and with this force they took up a strong position in the neigh bourhood of Namur, as they conceived this place would be next invested. Marshal Saxe, after reconnoitering their situation, did not deem it prudent to attack it ; but in order to attain his object by other means, he reduced Dinant, and thus obtained the command of the navigation of the Maese above Namur, while a large magazine of the confederates was captured at Huy. The communication being now cut off with Al aestric ht, Prince Charles, from a scarcity of pro visions, was obliged to quit his post, and leave Namur to its fate. The garrison was numerous, and the place well de fended ; yet, on the 6th day the town was compelled to sur render, and the citadel on the 16th. Marshal Saxe, who never lost a moment's time, immediately after this passed the river Jaar, at the head of the whole French army, and attacked the allies in the villages of Leirs, Warem, and Roucoux, at the same time, by 55 battalions in brigades. As soon as one was repulsed, another advanced ; so that the allies, wearied out, and by some unaccountable neglect, destitute of artillery, were obliged to abandon the villages, and retreat towards Maestricht. The French, however, had suffered so much, that they did not attempt to pursue them This battle was not attended with any important conse quences : with it, the operations in the Low Countries terminated.