First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Osprey Publishing,
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© 2014 Osprey Publishing Ltd
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 78200 822 4
E-book ISBN: 978 1 78200 823 1
E-pub ISBN: 978 1 78200 824 8
Editorial by Ilios Publishing Ltd, Oxford, UK (www.iliospublishing.com)
Index by Alison Worthington
Typeset in Myriad Pro and Sabon
Maps by Bounford.com
3D bird’s-eye view by The Black Spot
Battlescene illustrations by Seán Ó’Brógáin
Originated by PDQ Media, Bungay, UK
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Every effort has been made by the Publisher to secure permissions to use the images in this publication. If there has been any oversight we would be happy to rectify the situation and written submission should be made to Osprey Publishing.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As always, I would like to express my gratitude to my wife, Petra, and our children – Stephen, Elena and Liam – for their patience and forbearance over the last year or so. Without their support and encouragement, I’d never have made it this far.
I’d also like to thank – and specifically dedicate this book to – Robert Hall and Iain Stanford, friends, authors and fellow students of 17th- and 18th-century warfare who have given unstintingly of their time to answer numerous questions and who have graciously given me access to their own collections to assist me in my research.
Finally a note on terminology – the forces commanded by Marlborough are commonly referred to as the ‘Allied’ or ‘Anglo-Allied’ Army, whilst those commanded by Villeroi and the Elector of Bavaria are usually referred to as the ‘Franco-Bavarian’ Army, a description that belies the significant number of Spanish or troops of other nationalities that stood in its ranks.
Accordingly, and for brevity throughout the text, Marlborough’s opponents will be referred to as either the ‘Army of the Two Crowns’ or the ‘Bourbon Army’.
ARTIST’S NOTE
The artist would like to acknowledge the following people: the villagers of Ramillies, Offus, Autre Eglise, Marcus Cowper for his patience, Gabriele Mendella, Luc Vanlaethem, Pascale Bertrand, Au Temps des Cerises, Petra McNally, Robert Hall, Lemuel Black, Eric Timerije, Ralph Mitchard, Tomas O’ Brogain, Maya Frost, Herminio Gomez and Roger Emmerson,
Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the colour plates in this book were prepared are available for private sale. The Publishers retain all reproduction copyright whatsoever. All enquiries should be addressed to:
The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon this matter.