Background Flanders Campaign

19th century painting romanticising battle of jemappes.

austria , prussia had been @ war france since 1792, although britain , dutch republic maintained neutral policy towards revolution in france. after execution of french king louis xvi on 21 january 1793 , declaration of war revolutionary government did mobilize. british prime minister pitt younger pledged finance formation of first coalition, consisting of britain, dutch republic, prussia, austria , member states of holy roman empire, kingdom of sardinia , spain. allied armies mobilised along of french frontiers, largest , important in flanders franco-belgian border region.

prince of saxe-coburg

in north, allies immediate aim eject french dutch republic (modern netherlands) , austrian netherlands (modern belgium) march on paris end chaotic , bloody french version of republican government. austria , prussia broadly supported aim, both short of money. britain agreed invest million pounds finance large austrian army in field plus smaller hanoverian corps, , dispatched expeditionary force grew approximately twenty thousand british troops under command of king s younger son, duke of york. initially, fifteen hundred troops landed york in february 1793.

overall allied command led austrian commander prince josias of saxe-coburg-saalfeld, staff of austrian advisers answering emperor francis ii , austrian foreign minister johann, baron thugut. duke of york obliged follow objectives set pitt s foreign minister henry dundas. allied military decisions in campaign tempered political objectives vienna , london.

the defences of dutch republic in poor condition, states army not having fought in war 45 years. in period 1785-1787 opponents of stadtholder william v, prince of orange, patriots, had launched patriot revolt difficulty had been suppressed after prussian , british intervention in 1787, after leaders of patriots fled france. william s main concern therefore preservation of house of orange , authoritarian stadtholderate regime.

opposing allies, armies of french republic in state of disruption; old soldiers of ancien régime fought side side raw volunteers, urged on revolutionary fervour représentant en mission. many of old officer class had emigrated, leaving cavalry in particular in chaotic condition. artillery arm, less affected emigration, had survived intact. problems become more acute following introduction of mass conscription, levée en masse, in 1793. french commanders balanced between maintaining security of frontier, , clamours victory (which protect regime in paris) on 1 hand, , desperate condition of army on other, while under suspicion representatives. price of failure or disloyalty guillotine.