Battle of Speyerbach
| Battle of Speyerbach | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
The Speyerbach river, entering the Rhine near Speyer | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Holy Roman Empire Dutch Republic England Electoral Palatinate Hesse-Kassel | Kingdom of France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Frederick of Hesse Nassau-Weilburg Otto von Vehlen |
Camille de Tallard de Pracomtal † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| c. 22,000 | c. 18,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4,500 killed or wounded, 4,000 captured | 4,000 killed or wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Speyerbach took place on 15 November 1703 during the War of the Spanish Succession, near Speyer in the Rhineland-Palatinate. A French army commanded by Camille de Tallard defeated an Allied force under Frederick of Hesse.
With the 1703 campaign season nearing its end, in October Tallard besieged Landau, then held by an Imperial garrison. On 13 November, Frederick of Hesse linked up with a smaller force near Speyer led by Johann Ernst, Count of Nassau-Weilburg, and the two agreed to march to its relief. Rather than waiting, on 15 November Tallard launched a surprise attack, inflicting heavy losses on his opponents.