Battle of Steenkerke

Near the church stands an information board about the Battle of Steenkerque.

The battle of Steenkerke took place on Sunday, August 3, 1692.

In the second half of the 17th century, our regions are plagued by a series of wars.

Since 1688, the French king Louis XIV, who is pursuing a controversial policy of territorial expansion, faces the League of Augsburg, a coalition of various countries including the Republic of the Netherlands, Great Britain, Spain, and several German states.

The French army is led by the renowned Marshal de Luxembourg.

William of Orange, Stadtholder of Holland and King of Great Britain personally commands the troops of the League.

In the spring of 1692, the French army captures Namur and marches toward Brussels. On July 31, it camps north of the village center of Steenkerke. William, camped in Halle-Lembeek, decides on August 3 to carry out a surprise attack on the French camp. An advance party of Dutch, British, Danish, and German soldiers, armed with flintlock muskets, manages to break the French lines. However, the advance of the allied main army is significantly delayed due to the difficult terrain (forests, hedges, and ditches) and some tactical mistakes. This allows Luxembourg to regroup his troops and launch a counterattack. The French infantry, in which the Swiss regiments particularly distinguish themselves, turns the tide. The battle is ultimately decided by a famous attack with cold steel, led by the French nobility, who had dismounted for the occasion.

Around six o'clock in the evening, the coalition army retreats. The battle cost the lives of more than 7,000 people, including many nobles.

The geopolitical consequences of the battle were almost negligible, but Steenkerke, the village that gave its name to the battle, would forever find its place in the annals of history.

Dromos