A history of England . ampaign of 1708-1709.—In spite of the suc-cesses of 1707 France was now reduced to desperate bankruptcy was impending, and the burden of taxa-tion fell with crushing weight on the people. But Louis metall difficulties with inflexible courage, and in 1708, by asupreme effort, five armies were sent into the field. A largearmy under Vendome was poured into the Spanish Netherlands,and captured Ghent and Bruges. Marlborough hurried afterthe French, and at Oudenarde, on July n, 1708, annihilatedthe greater part of Vendomes He was shortly afterjoined by
A history of England . ampaign of 1708-1709.—In spite of the suc-cesses of 1707 France was now reduced to desperate bankruptcy was impending, and the burden of taxa-tion fell with crushing weight on the people. But Louis metall difficulties with inflexible courage, and in 1708, by asupreme effort, five armies were sent into the field. A largearmy under Vendome was poured into the Spanish Netherlands,and captured Ghent and Bruges. Marlborough hurried afterthe French, and at Oudenarde, on July n, 1708, annihilatedthe greater part of Vendomes He was shortly afterjoined by the Austrian forces, under the command of PrinceEugene, and the combined armies crossed the French frontierand besieged Lille, which was defended by Marshal Boufflersand 15,000 men. After a gallant defence lasting sixty days,Boufrlers surrendered. The winter of 1708-1709 was terribly severe, and theFrench people, ground down by taxation, were brought to theverge of starvation. Even Louis felt himself compelled to sue. 348 Anne. for terms. Torcy, minister of foreign affairs, was sent to theHague to negotiate a peace. The allies demanded the cessionof the whole Spanish inheritance to the Archduke Charles, theexpulsion of the Pretender from France, the restoration to theEmpire of all territories gained since 1648, and a barrier offortresses for the Dutch. If Philip refused to evacuate Spain,Louis was to join in expelling him. These demands, knownas the Preliminaries of the Hague (1709), were transmitted toLouis by Torcy after protracted negotiations had failed toinduce the allies to modify their terms. Louis had not fallen so low as to accept the humiliatingconditions offered to him, and in a letter to the governors ofthe French provinces, he appealed directly to his people. Thenation, exhausted though it was, responded with an enthusiasmwhich frustrated the calculations of the allies. By almostsuperhuman efforts an army of 100,000 men was sent into thefield under Villars and Bo
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