11 July 1708: European powers engage in Oudenaarde

The Battle of Oudenaarde in 1708 played a decisive role in a long-term European conflict that dragged on from 1701 till 1714. The clash was caused by the fact that the Spanish king, Charles II, died without an heir to the throne. His realm fell into the hands of Philip of Anjou, grandson of the French king Louis XIV, who claimed the Spanish throne. The English, the Austrian Habsburgers, the Dutch and the Prussians feared the rise of a French – Spanish European superpower and formed an alliance. During this conflict, known as the War of the Spanish Succession, many battles were fought.

One of them was the Battle of Oudenaarde on 11 July 1708. 180,000 soldiers confronted one another on the plain between Eine and Mullem. There were 20,000 casualties on one day. The French armies suffered a bitter defeat and the Battle of Oudenaarde marked the end of the power politics of the Sun King. It was also the period in which the nation-states began to develop their modern form. In short, Europe as we know it today found its origin in that period.

The November 7th infosession was a hit.

International scientific interest

Even after 300 years, mapping the archaeological finds (such as musket bullets) provides an insight into the development of the battle. The British Battlefields Trust is the European trendsetter in that field of research. Scientists from the Trust have used their years of experience to fine-tune their methods of investigation and one of their teams visits Oudenaarde to conduct an archaeological investigation of this historic battlefield. They exclusively use metal detectors to search for e.g. musket bullets. The coordinates of each find are meticulously mapped via GPS. The analysis of the bullets and other objects such as buttons and buckles and the investigation of the spread patterns help to understand what happened 300 years ago.

Involvement of the local population
 
To enable this investigation an appeal was made to the local population earlier this year. Anyone who possessed interesting finds that related to the Battle of Oudenaarde was asked to contact the Ename Centre for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation. This way a few cannonballs showed up that had been passed on from generation to generation. Amateur archaeologists provided valuable indications about the sites that were most appropriate for investigation. As a result, we hope to more directly involve amateur archaeologists in future investigations and hope to set up a platform of cooperation with professional archaeologists.

More info? www.oudenaarde1708.be 

The Battle of Oudenaarde - 11 July 1708 © City of Oudenaarde

Premodern battlefields: a threatened heritage

 
Battles often change the course of history. Yet, there is little interest for the investigation, the management and the opening-up of battlefields dating from before World War I. This is partly caused by the specific characteristics of a battlefield. Most of all, a battlefield usually covers a large area and is often difficult to mark out. Mostly no visible traces of the battle have been left behind, apart from possible memorials. Therefore this kind of heritage is highly threatened. With the investigation of the battlefield the town of Oudenaarde and the Ename Centre for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation want to focus on the plight of premodern battlefields.

The research is being documented.

Recognition by the Flemish government

The cooperation between the various partners – the British Battlefields Trust, Ghent University, the University of Birmingham, the town of Oudenaarde, the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Ename, the province of East-Flanders and the Flemish Heritage Institute - enabled the Ename Centre for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation to apply for project subsidies with the VCM Contact Forum for Heritage Societies as part of the 10 x 10,000 project appeal. Minister Van Mechelen approved of the subsidies so the Ename Centre for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation now can document the battlefield investigation and make a dvd. The dvd, along with a manual, will appeal to a broad public and focus on the issue of premodern battlefields in Flanders.