France's capture of Brussels in early 1746 weakened Austrian control of the Netherlands and contributed to Count Kaunitz's eventual realignment toward a Franco-Austrian alliance.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- Approximately three weeks
- Date of surrender
- 22 February 1746
- French commander
- Maurice de Saxe
- Austrian administrator
- Count Kaunitz, Governor-General
- City returned to Austria
- 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
- French evacuation completed
- January 1749
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the War of the Austrian Succession, French forces under Maurice de Saxe identified an opportunity when a large portion of the Allied army was recalled to Britain to suppress the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The absence of effective Allied opposition left Brussels, capital of the Austrian Netherlands, highly vulnerable to French military action in the winter of 1746.
A French army commanded by Maurice de Saxe conducted a bold winter campaign, besieging Brussels and breaching its walls in two places. Facing an untenable defensive position, the Austrian garrison surrendered on 22 February 1746 after a siege lasting only three weeks, delivering the capital of the Austrian Netherlands to French control.
The fall of Brussels compelled Governor-General Count Kaunitz to relocate his administration to Antwerp and deepened his disillusionment with Austria's allies, Britain and the Dutch Republic. This experience influenced Kaunitz's later role as architect of the Diplomatic Revolution and the Franco-Austrian Alliance. Brussels remained under French occupation until returned by the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, though French forces did not depart until January 1749.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Maurice de Saxe.
Side B
1 belligerent
Count Kaunitz.