When Louis entered on the war of the Spanish Succession he had already, though unconsciously, lost that grasp of affairs which had distinguished him; while he still dictated the conduct of his ministers and his generals.  The first commander who took the field against him was Prince Eugene of Savoy, a man born with those qualities which make a hero in war and a great man in peace.  The able Catinat was superseded in Italy by Villeroi, whose failures, however, led to the substitution of Vendome.

But the man who did more to injure the greatness of France than any other for centuries past was Marlborough—­the general with the coolest head of his time; as a politician the equal, and as a soldier immeasurably the superior, of William III.  Between Marlborough and his great colleague Eugene there was always complete harmony and complete understanding, whether they were campaigning or negotiating.

In the Low Countries, Marlborough gained ground steadily, without any great engagement.  In Germany the French arms were successful, and at the end of 1703 a campaign was planned with Vienna for its objective.  The advance was intercepted in 1704 by the junction of Eugene and the forces from Italy with Marlborough and an English force.  The result was the tremendous overthrow of Hochstedt, or Blenheim.  The French were driven over the Rhine.

Almost at the same moment English sailors surprised and captured the Rock of Gibraltar, which England still holds.  In six weeks, too, the English mastered Valencia and Catalonia for the archduke, under the redoubtable Peterborough.  Affairs went better in Italy (1705); but in Flanders, Villeroi was rash enough to challenge Marlborough at Ramillies in 1706.  In half an hour the French army was completely routed, and lost 20,000 men; city after city opened its gates to the conqueror; Flanders was lost as far as Lille.  Vendome was summoned from Italy to replace Villeroi, whereupon Eugene attacked the French in their lines before Turin, and dispersed their army, which was forced to withdraw from Italy, leaving the Austrians masters there.

Louis seemed on the verge of ruin; but Spain was loyal to the Bourbon.  In 1707 Berwick won for the French the signal victory of Almanza.  In Germany, Villars made progress.  Louis actually designed an invasion of Great Britain in the name of the Pretender, but the scheme collapsed.  He succeeded in placing a great army in the field in Flanders; it was defeated by Marlborough and Eugene at Oudenarde.  Eugene sat down before Lille, and took it.  The lamentable plight of France was made worse by a cruel winter.

Louis found himself forced to sue for peace, but the terms of the allies were too intolerably humiliating.  They demanded that Louis should assist in expelling his own grandson from Spain.  “If I must make war, I would rather make it on my enemies than on my children,” said Louis.  Once more an army took the field with indomitable courage.  A desperate battle was fought by Villars against Marlborough and Eugene at Malplaquet.  Villars was defeated, but with as much honour to the French as to the allies.