Battle of Almansa: Spain's Bourbons Crush the Habsburgs
The Habsburgs thought their heavy cavalry would crush the French at Almansa, but Philip V's Bourbon forces had dug in with twenty cannons that turned the valley into a meat grinder. Ten thousand men lay dead or wounded on that muddy slope, families back home never hearing their names again. It wasn't just a battle; it was the moment Spain stopped being a collection of kingdoms and started being one nation under a French king. That's why you'll hear "Almansa" mentioned whenever someone talks about how modern borders are drawn.
April 25, 1707
319 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Spain
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House of Bourbon
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War of the Spanish Succession
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House of Habsburg
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Battle of Almansa
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Philip V of Spain
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Kingdom of Castile
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Kingdom of Valencia
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Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway
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War of the Spanish Succession
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Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
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Battle of Almansa
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James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
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Austracista
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