Friday 21 June 2024

Flags of Würzburg in the War of the Spanish Succession - Cavalry Standards

This is my last post of details of Würzburg flags in the War of the Spanish Succession.

The standard shows the likely type carried by the cuirassiers. I have no details of their history.


Fechtenbach Dragoons 1703 - 1706

First raised 1688. 10 companies strong. 800 strong in 1701.

Proprietors: from 1688 Erhard Gustav von Münster; from 1701 Otto Heinrich von Schade; from 1703 Johann Reinhart von Fechenbach; from 1706 Johann Wilhelm von Wolfskeel (to 1717)

Notable service:

1702: Siege of Landau; 10th October fairly heavy losses at the battle of Friedlingen

1703: With Styrum's Corps in Franconia; fought at Dietfurt 4th March; capture of Neumarkt/Opf; 23rd March skirmish at Schmidtmühlen; August raised to five squadrons

1704: Heavy losses at the battle of Blenheim 13th August

1706: In Hungary fighting against the Rákóczi Uprising; 4th September foot assault on the redoubts of Nagy-Magyar; 27th September fight at the bridgehead of Karvá-Neudorf; October siege of Gran

1707: In several actions - Saz and Also-Mesteri

1708: On Heister's raid in the Bakony Forest; 3rd August battle of Trentschin

1710: capture of Sztropkö

1711: capture of Munkcáz; return to Würzburg then to the Netherlands

1712: June to July siege and capture of Le Quesnoy

And this plate shows the possible uniforms in the WSS:


(Historical information mostly from Kronoskaf WSS website; uniform and flag information from August Kühn Material On The War of the Spanish Succession Book 11 The Armies of the Imperial Circles of Swabia and Franconia as well as the Bishopric of Würzburg and the Margravate of Ansbach (Translated Dan Schorr and Pat Condray))



Thursday 20 June 2024

Flags of Würzburg in the War of the Spanish Succession - Infantry Flags 2

Here's my second sheet of infantry flags of Würzburg in the War of the Spanish Succession.




Regiment Eyb was raised as late as 1711, when the Würzburg infantry were reorganised into four regiments.  Colonel Heinrich Christoph von Eyb became proprietor of the regiment on the recommendation of Prince Eugene himself.

Successive proprietors of the regiment were: from 1711 Heinrich Christoph von Eyb;  from 1734 Carl Friedrich von Thüngen; from 1741 Christoph Carl von Bastheim and from 1755  Johann Ferdinand Balthasar von Kolb.

In 1757 the regiment became the first battalion of the new regiment Blau-Würzburg.

Notable service:

1712: June-July Siege of Le Quesnoy; 24th July defence of Denain where it lost heavily including the capture of Colonel von Eyb.

Regiment Bibra: First raised 1688 as Regiment Thüngen from garrison companies. In 1690 consisted of 10 companies each of 150 men.

Successive proprietors of the regiment were: from 1688 Hans Carl I. von Thüngen; from 1690 Johann Erhard von Bibra; from 1705 N. von der Horst; 1706-1717 Johann Reinhart von Fechenbach

In 1757 the regiment became the second battalion new regiment Rot-Würzburg


Notable service:

1703: Part of the garrison of Augsburg, which was captured by the Franco-Bavarians on 14th December. The regiment then marched off to Würzburg as its winter quarters

1704: Served in the Margrave of Baden's army; suffered heavy casualties at the storming of the Schellenberg on 2nd July; September siege of Ulm; then siege of Landau which capitulated 24th November

1705: Manned the Lines on the Lauter River then the Lines of Stollhofen; September successful siege of Drusenheim

1706: Raid on Drusenheim; surrender of Hagenau

1708: With Prince Eugene's Army of the Moselle

1709: 11th September battle of Malplaquet; October siege of Mons

1710: Septemebr to November siege of Aire-sur-la-Lys

1712: With the two other Würzburg regiments at the battle of Denain 24th July

The uniforms in the WSS were probably something like this:



(Historical information mostly from Kronoskaf WSS website; uniform information from August Kühn Material On The War of the Spanish Succession Book 11 The Armies of the Imperial Circles of Swabia and Franconia as well as the Bishopric of Würzburg and the Margravate of Ansbach (Translated Dan Schorr and Pat Condray); flag information Wagner and Goldberg)

Tuesday 18 June 2024

Flags of Würzburg in the War of the Spanish Succession - Infantry Flags 1

The Würzburg regiments fought with the Imperial army by treaties which the Prince-Bishop made with the Emperor. The promised subsidies were often delayed or latterly not even paid but the Würzburg troops continued to fight with the Alliance nonetheless.

Regiment Bimbach was first raised 1696 at a strength of 10 companies but at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession totalled only 6 companies with 848 men. By a treaty of 1705 with the Emperor Leopold I it was increased to 11 companies totalling 1600 men. Reorganised to 6 musketeer companies and one grenadier company in 1711, it was disbanded in 1715.

Successive proprietors of the regiment were: 1696-1704 Ludwig Reinhold Fuchs von Bimbach; 1704-1705 Johann Philipp von Bettendorf; 1705-1708 Friedrich August von Stein; and 1708-1715 N. von Tastungen



Notable service:

1702: With the Margrave of Baden to the siege of Landau to its surrender in September
1703: Garrison of Augsburg with Bibra Infantry
1704: 2nd July Heavy losses at the storming of the Schellenberg; siege of Ulm to 11th September; siege of Landau
1705: Garrisoned the Lines of the Lauter River then the Lines of Stollhofen
1707: Retreat from the Lines of Stollhofen after attack by Villars
1708: Siege of Lille
1709: 11th September battle of Malplaquet ; siege of Mons
1710: Siege of Douai
1712: Abortive siege of Landrecie

On Regiment Dalberg I have little information except that it had been the Kreis regiment and in 1709 it was rented to the Emperor for 40 Gulden per head.

The uniforms in the WSS were probably something like this: