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Great Britain and the Defence of the Low Countries, 1744-1748: Armies, Politics and Diplomacy (From Reason to Revolution) Hardcover – October 30, 2023

by Alastair Massie (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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By revealing how the progress of the fighting in the Low Countries influenced politics back in London, and how political decisions reached, as a consequence, affected the course of military operations, this book fuses together both an analysis of the military campaigns and an examination of their political management. Amongst much else, it will show how the weakness of Lord Carteret’s position within government during 1744 – and a consequent lack of guidance from him – reinforced Marshal Wade’s natural caution in the field, a caution that so exacerbated inter-allied tensions as to lead to a nugatory campaign, fueling dissension within the ministry at home. Carteret’s resulting removal from power by his rivals presaged an attempt to reach a new political settlement, but the policy-change required – regarding Britain’s employment of its Hanoverian troops – had a disastrous bearing on the conduct of the war in the Low Countries. Indeed, were one mischievous, it could be argued that it was William Pitt who lost the Battle of Fontenoy.

Military failure now changed the government’s preoccupations. With the threat of French invasion and the prospect of a Jacobite uprising, the question was whether home defense or the war in Flanders were to take priority. The fate of a besieged Ostend became the initial focus of this concern, as politicians and military commanders engaged in a tug of war over its reinforcement. Later, the disagreements over whether troops were needed more in Brabant or Scotland reached their climax in a tussle over the destination of Britain’s Hessian auxiliaries, indirectly leading, on the one hand, to the resignation of a government in London and, on the other, to the fall of Brussels.

In 1746, the pattern of defeat in the Low Countries continued. London’s decision to deny overall command of the British-paid contingent, and full general’s rank, to Sir John Ligonier helped contribute to a fracturing of the allied army before the Battle of Rocoux, an outcome instrumental in securing French victory. The following year, another reverse at the Battle of Laffeldt and the subsequent fall of Bergen-op-Zoom did not, surprisingly enough – and for diplomatic reasons that are explained – lead to a British re-evaluation of the viability of continuing the war (despite an important element within the ministry hoping it might). Nevertheless, the pertinacity of the leading proponent of war measures, the Duke of Newcastle, was shaken early in 1748 as the reality of a dire military situation made itself apparent. The progress of peace talks at Aix-la-Chapelle thereafter mirrored exactly the path of impending military catastrophe, with the mighty fortress of Maestricht firmly in French sights.

This is an important study of Britain and the War of the Austrian Succession that does away with the tendency of a past historiography to compartmentalize the subject into distinct military, political and diplomatic silos.
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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Helion and Company
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.75 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1804513385
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1804513385
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you have […] a yen for the political and diplomatic maneuverings of this period, here's your book.”
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

About the Author

After completing his Oxford University D.Phil., Alastair Massie worked for the National Army Museum, London for over 30 years; he was latterly its Head of Research. Among his previously published books, most (chiefly on the Crimean War) were produced for the Museum; he also co-edited a volume of the letters of the Duke of Cumberland for the Army Records Society. In addition, Alastair has acted as an associate editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, with responsibility for a bloc of 150 eighteenth-century soldiers. He contributed 30 articles to the dictionary himself.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Helion and Company (October 30, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1804513385
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1804513385
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
2 global ratings
Shows how British leaders learned from their mistakes to succeed in later Seven Years’ War
5 Stars
Shows how British leaders learned from their mistakes to succeed in later Seven Years’ War
Dr. Massie’s book is a gripping account, exhaustively researched and cogently argued, of a critical period in British and world history: Britain’s role in the War of the Austrian Succession from 1744 to 1748, a significant chapter in the confict waged from 1688 to 1815 by Britain and her Continental allies to prevent French world hegemony, often referred to as The Second Hundred Years War. The book is ill-served by its title, which while adequately describing its subject matter, fails to convey the historical significance of the events it deals with, of which there are three main ones. Firstly, Dr. Massie effectively explains the wider military and political context of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-1746, demonstrating how the rebellion was almost certainly doomed to failure from the start due to lack of support for the Jacobite cause in Britain, especially in England, and the critical decision of the French government to put its main military effort into a winter campaign in the Low Countries in 1745-1746, effectively abandoning the Young Pretender and his supporters. Second, the weakness of the French ancien régime is made very clear. Although the unmistakable victor in the War of the Austrian Succession, France’s failure to win more than modest gains in the subsequent peace of Aix-la-Chapelle is explained as a result of French economic and especially financial exhaustion. Finally, and most importantly, Dr. Massie explains how central figures in the British state such as the Duke of Newcastle, Sir John Ligonier, and especially William Pitt (a figure not favored by Dr. Massie), learned from their failures in the conduct of this enormously-complex war to be able to succeed overwhelmingly in the subsequent Seven Years’ War of 1756 to 1763, which resulted in the supreme victory of British hegemony in North America.
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Top review from the United States

Dr. David A. Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Shows how British leaders learned from their mistakes to succeed in later Seven Years’ War
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
Dr. Massie’s book is a gripping account, exhaustively researched and cogently argued, of a critical period in British and world history: Britain’s role in the War of the Austrian Succession from 1744 to 1748, a significant chapter in the confict waged from 1688 to 1815 by Britain and her Continental allies to prevent French world hegemony, often referred to as The Second Hundred Years War. The book is ill-served by its title, which while adequately describing its subject matter, fails to convey the historical significance of the events it deals with, of which there are three main ones. Firstly, Dr. Massie effectively explains the wider military and political context of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-1746, demonstrating how the rebellion was almost certainly doomed to failure from the start due to lack of support for the Jacobite cause in Britain, especially in England, and the critical decision of the French government to put its main military effort into a winter campaign in the Low Countries in 1745-1746, effectively abandoning the Young Pretender and his supporters. Second, the weakness of the French ancien régime is made very clear. Although the unmistakable victor in the War of the Austrian Succession, France’s failure to win more than modest gains in the subsequent peace of Aix-la-Chapelle is explained as a result of French economic and especially financial exhaustion. Finally, and most importantly, Dr. Massie explains how central figures in the British state such as the Duke of Newcastle, Sir John Ligonier, and especially William Pitt (a figure not favored by Dr. Massie), learned from their failures in the conduct of this enormously-complex war to be able to succeed overwhelmingly in the subsequent Seven Years’ War of 1756 to 1763, which resulted in the supreme victory of British hegemony in North America.
Customer image
Dr. David A. Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Shows how British leaders learned from their mistakes to succeed in later Seven Years’ War
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
Dr. Massie’s book is a gripping account, exhaustively researched and cogently argued, of a critical period in British and world history: Britain’s role in the War of the Austrian Succession from 1744 to 1748, a significant chapter in the confict waged from 1688 to 1815 by Britain and her Continental allies to prevent French world hegemony, often referred to as The Second Hundred Years War. The book is ill-served by its title, which while adequately describing its subject matter, fails to convey the historical significance of the events it deals with, of which there are three main ones. Firstly, Dr. Massie effectively explains the wider military and political context of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745-1746, demonstrating how the rebellion was almost certainly doomed to failure from the start due to lack of support for the Jacobite cause in Britain, especially in England, and the critical decision of the French government to put its main military effort into a winter campaign in the Low Countries in 1745-1746, effectively abandoning the Young Pretender and his supporters. Second, the weakness of the French ancien régime is made very clear. Although the unmistakable victor in the War of the Austrian Succession, France’s failure to win more than modest gains in the subsequent peace of Aix-la-Chapelle is explained as a result of French economic and especially financial exhaustion. Finally, and most importantly, Dr. Massie explains how central figures in the British state such as the Duke of Newcastle, Sir John Ligonier, and especially William Pitt (a figure not favored by Dr. Massie), learned from their failures in the conduct of this enormously-complex war to be able to succeed overwhelmingly in the subsequent Seven Years’ War of 1756 to 1763, which resulted in the supreme victory of British hegemony in North America.
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