Editing Prince Eugene of Savoy (section)

=== War of the Spanish Succession ===
{{Main|War of the Spanish Succession}}
[[File:Europe, 1700—1714.png|thumb|250px|Europe at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession. Eugene fought primarily in northern Italy in the early years of the war, then later in the [[Low Countries]].]]

With the death of the infirm and childless Charles II of Spain on 1 November 1700, the succession of the Spanish throne and subsequent control over her empire once again embroiled Europe in war—the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. On his deathbed Charles II had bequeathed the entire Spanish inheritance to Louis XIV's grandson, [[Philip V of Spain|Philip, Duke of Anjou]]. This threatened to unite the Spanish and French kingdoms under the [[House of Bourbon]]—something unacceptable to [[Kingdom of England|England]], the [[Dutch Republic]], and Leopold I, who had himself a claim to the Spanish throne.{{sfn | Wolf | 1951 | p=59}} From the beginning, the Emperor had refused to accept the will of Charles II, and he did not wait for England and the Dutch Republic to begin hostilities. Before a new Grand Alliance could be concluded Leopold I prepared to send an expedition to seize the Spanish lands in Italy.

[[File:Eugen von Savoyen Alpen Covens Mortiers 1702.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Prince Eugene crossing the Alps, 1701. Coloured copperplate engraving.]]

Eugene crossed the [[Alps]] with some 30,000 men in May/June 1701. After a series of brilliant manoeuvres the Imperial commander defeated Catinat at the [[Battle of Carpi]] on 9 July. "I have warned you that you are dealing with an enterprising young prince", wrote Louis XIV to his commander, "he does not tie himself down to the rules of war."{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=60}} On 1 September Eugene defeated Catinat's successor, [[François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi|Marshal Villeroi]], at the [[Battle of Chiari]], in a clash as destructive as any in the Italian theatre.{{sfn | Coxe | 1807 | p=483}} But as so often throughout his career the Prince faced war on two fronts—the enemy in the field and the government in Vienna.{{sfn | Henderson | 1964 | p=67}}

Starved of supplies, money, and men, Eugene was forced into unconventional means against the vastly superior enemy. During a daring [[Battle of Cremona|raid on Cremona]] on the night of 31 January/1 February 1702 Eugene captured the French commander-in-chief. Yet the coup was less successful than hoped: [[Cremona]] remained in French hands, and the [[Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme|Duke of Vendôme]], whose talents far exceeded Villeroi's, became the theatre's new commander. Villeroi's capture caused a sensation in Europe and had a galvanizing effect on English public opinion. "The surprise at Cremona", wrote the diarist [[John Evelyn]], "... was the great discourse of this week"; but appeals for succour from Vienna remained unheeded, forcing Eugene to seek battle and gain a 'lucky hit'.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=64}} The resulting [[Battle of Luzzara]] on 15 August proved inconclusive. Although Eugene's forces inflicted double the number of casualties on the French the battle settled little except to deter Vendôme trying an all-out assault on Imperial forces that year, enabling Eugene to hold on south of the Alps.<ref>Lynn: ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714,'' 276</ref> With his army routing away, and personally grieving for his long-standing friend Prince Commercy who had died at Luzzara, Eugene returned to Vienna in January 1703.{{sfn | Spielman | 1977 | p=188}}

==== President of the Imperial War Council ====
Eugene's European reputation was growing (Cremona and Luzzara had been celebrated as victories throughout the Allied capitals), yet because of the condition and morale of his troops the 1702 campaign had not been a success.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=66|ps=: "Eugene was in no doubt that the blame lay with Leopold and his ministry, namely Henry Mansfeld and Gotthard Salaburg.}} Austria itself was now facing the direct threat of invasion from across the border in [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavaria]] where the state's Elector, Maximilian Emanuel, had declared for the Bourbons in August the previous year. Meanwhile, in Hungary a [[Rákóczi's War of Independence|small-scale revolt]] had broken out in May and was fast gaining momentum. With the monarchy at the point of complete financial breakdown Leopold I was at last persuaded to change the government. At the end of June 1703 [[Gundaker Starhemberg]] replaced Gotthard Salaburg as President of the Treasury, and Prince Eugene succeeded Henry Mansfeld as the new President of the Imperial [[War Council (Austria)|War Council]] (''Hofkriegsratspräsident'').{{sfn | Spielman | 1977 | p=189}}

As head of the war council Eugene was now part of the Emperor's inner circle, and the first president since [[Raimondo Montecuccoli]] to remain an active commander. Immediate steps were taken to improve efficiency within the army: encouragement and, where possible, money, was sent to the commanders in the field; promotion and honours were distributed according to service rather than influence; and discipline improved. But the Austrian monarchy faced severe peril on several fronts in 1703: by June the [[Claude Louis Hector de Villars|Duke of Villars]] had reinforced the Elector of Bavaria on the Danube thus posing a direct threat to Vienna, while Vendôme remained at the head of a large army in northern Italy opposing Guido Starhemberg's weak Imperial force. Of equal alarm was [[Francis II Rákóczi]]'s revolt which, by the end of the year, had reached as far as [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]] and [[Lower Austria]].{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=73}}

==== Blenheim ====
[[File:The Duke of Marlborough greeting Prince Eugene of Savoy after their victory at Blenheim.jpg|thumb|300px|''The Duke of Marlborough greeting Prince Eugene of Savoy mounted after their victory at Blenheim'' by [[Robert Alexander Hillingford]].]]

Dissension between Villars and the Elector of Bavaria had prevented an assault on Vienna in 1703, but in the Courts of [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] and [[Madrid]], ministers confidently anticipated the city's fall.{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=124}} The Imperial ambassador in London, [[John Wenceslau Wratislaw von Mitrowitz|Count Wratislaw]], had pressed for Anglo-Dutch assistance on the Danube as early as February 1703, but the crisis in southern Europe seemed remote from the [[Court of St. James's]] where colonial and commercial considerations were more to the fore of men's minds.{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=125}} Only a handful of statesmen in England or the Dutch Republic realized the true implications of Austria's peril; foremost among these was the English Captain-General, the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]].{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=126}}

By early 1704 Marlborough had resolved to march south and rescue the situation in southern Germany and on the Danube, personally requesting the presence of Eugene on campaign so as to have "a supporter of his zeal and experience".{{sfn | Churchill | 1933 | p=731}} The Allied commanders met for the first time at the small village of [[Mundelsheim]] on 10 June, and immediately formed a close rapport—the two men becoming, in the words of [[Thomas Lediard]], 'Twin constellations in glory'.<ref>Lediard: ''The Life of John, Duke of Marlborough'', I, p. 199</ref> This professional and personal bond ensured mutual support on the battlefield, enabling many successes during the Spanish Succession war. The first of these victories, and the most celebrated, came on 13 August 1704 at the [[Battle of Blenheim]]. Eugene commanded the right wing of the Allied army, holding the Elector of Bavaria's and [[Ferdinand de Marsin|Marshal Marsin]]'s superior forces, while Marlborough broke through the [[Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard|Marshal Tallard]]'s center, inflicting over 30,000 casualties. The battle proved decisive: Vienna was saved and Bavaria was knocked out of the war. Both Allied commanders were full of praise for each other's performance. Eugene's holding operation, and his pressure for action leading up to the battle, proved crucial for the Allied success.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=87}}

In Europe Blenheim is regarded as much a victory for Eugene as it is for Marlborough, a sentiment echoed by Sir [[Winston Churchill]] (Marlborough's descendant and biographer), who pays tribute to "the glory of Prince Eugene, whose fire and spirit had exhorted the wonderful exertions of his troops."{{sfn | Churchill | 1933 | p=865}} France now faced the real danger of invasion, but Leopold I in Vienna was still under severe strain: [[Francis II Rákóczi|Rákóczi]]'s [[Rákóczi's War of Independence|revolt]] was a major threat; and Guido Starhemberg and Victor Amadeus (who had once again switched loyalties and rejoined the Grand Alliance in 1703) had been unable to halt the French under Vendôme in northern Italy. Only Amadeus' capital, [[Turin]], held on.

==== Turin and Toulon ====
[[File:Prince Eugene's Italian campaign, 1701 - 1707.png|thumb|300px|Eugene's major engagements in the Italian theatre during the War of the Spanish Succession.]]

Eugene returned to Italy in April 1705, but his attempts to move west towards Turin were thwarted by Vendôme's skilful manoeuvres. Lacking boats and bridging materials, and with desertion and sickness rife within his army, the outnumbered Imperial commander was helpless. Leopold I's assurances of money and men had proved illusory, but desperate appeals from Amadeus and criticism from Vienna goaded the Prince into action, resulting in the Imperialists' bloody defeat at the [[Battle of Cassano (1705)|Battle of Cassano]] on 16 August.{{sfn | Coxe | 1820 | p=15}}  Following Leopold I's death and the accession of [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph I]] to the Imperial throne in May 1705, Eugene began to receive the personal backing he desired. Joseph I proved to be a strong supporter of Eugene's supremacy in military affairs; he was the most effective emperor the Prince served and the one he was happiest under.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=94}} Promising support, Joseph I persuaded Eugene to return to Italy and restore Habsburg honour.

The Imperial commander arrived in theatre in mid-April 1706, just in time to organize an orderly retreat of what was left of [[Christian Detlev Reventlow|Count Reventlow]]'s inferior army following his defeat by Vendôme at the [[Battle of Calcinato]] on 19 April. Vendôme now prepared to defend the lines along the River [[Adige]], determined to keep Eugene cooped to the east while the [[Louis d'Aubusson de la Feuillade|Marquis of La Feuillade]] threatened Turin. Feigning attacks along the Adige, Eugene descended south across the river [[Po River|Po]] in mid-July, outmanoeuvring the French commander and gaining a favourable position from which he could at last move west towards Piedmont and relieve Savoy's capital.{{sfn | Coxe | 1820 | p=17}}

[[File:Prince Eugene of Savoy.png|180x180px|thumb|left|Prince Eugene by Jacob van Schuppen.]]

Events elsewhere now had major consequences for the war in Italy. With Villeroi's crushing defeat by Marlborough at the [[Battle of Ramillies]] on 23 May, Louis XIV recalled Vendôme north to take command of French forces in Flanders. It was a transfer that [[Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]] considered something of a deliverance for the French commander who was "now beginning to feel the unlikelihood of success (in Italy){{sfn | de Rouvroy duc de Saint-Simon | Norton | Brogan | 1967 | p=1}} ... for Prince Eugene, with the reinforcements<ref>The Duke of Marlborough had supplied Eugene with 10,000 reinforcements, as well as a loan of £250,000.</ref> that had joined him after the Battle of Calcinato, had entirely changed the outlook in that theatre of the war."<ref>Saint-Simon. ''Memoirs'', 303</ref> The [[Philippe II, Duke of Orléans|Duke of Orléans]], under the direction of Marsin, replaced Vendôme, but indecision and disorder in the French camp led to their undoing. After uniting his forces with Victor Amadeus at [[Villastellone]] in early September, Eugene attacked, overwhelmed, and decisively defeated the French forces [[Battle of Turin|besieging Turin]] on 7 September. Eugene's success broke the French hold on northern Italy, and the whole Po valley fell under Allied control. Eugene had gained a victory as signal as his colleague had at Ramillies—"It is impossible for me to express the joy it has given me;" wrote Marlborough, "for I not only esteem but I really love the prince. This glorious action must bring France so low, that if our friends could but be persuaded to carry on the war with vigour one year longer, we cannot fail, with the blessing of God, to have such a peace as will give us quiet for all our days."{{sfn | Churchill | 2002 | p=182|ps=: Eugene took little interest in Milan: he never returned after 1707.}}

The Imperial victory in Italy marked the beginning of Austrian rule in Lombardy, and earned Eugene the Governorship of [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]]. But the following year was to prove a disappointment for the Prince and the Grand Alliance as a whole. The Emperor and Eugene (whose main goal after Turin was to take [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]] and [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]] from Philip duc d'Anjou's supporters), reluctantly agreed to Marlborough's plan for an [[Battle of Toulon (1707)|attack on Toulon]]—the seat of French naval power in the Mediterranean. Disunion between the Allied commanders—Victor Amadeus, Eugene, and the English Admiral [[Cloudesley Shovell]]—doomed the Toulon enterprise to failure. Although Eugene favoured some sort of attack on France's south-eastern border it was clear he felt the expedition impractical, and showed none of the "alacrity which he had displayed on other occasions."{{sfn | Coxe | 1820 | p=28}} Substantial French reinforcements finally brought an end to the venture, and on 22 August 1707, the Imperial army began its retirement. The subsequent capture of [[Susa (Italy)|Susa]] could not compensate for the total collapse of the Toulon expedition and with it any hope of an Allied war-winning blow that year.{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=199}}

==== Oudenarde and Malplaquet ====
[[File:Eugene at Oudenarde (detail).png|thumb|302x302px|Prince Eugene at Oudenarde (detail) by [[Huchtenburg|Jan van Huchtenburg]], who was employed around 1709 to depict ten battle scenes.]]

At the beginning of 1708 Eugene successfully evaded calls for him to take charge in Spain (in the end Guido Starhemberg was sent), thus enabling him to take command of the Imperial army on the [[Moselle]] and once again unite with Marlborough in the Spanish Netherlands.<ref>Eugene's army was made up almost entirely of Germans paid for by Britain and the Dutch Republic.</ref> Eugene (without his army) arrived at the Allied camp at [[Asse|Assche]], west of Brussels, in early July, providing a welcome boost to morale after the early defection of [[Bruges]] and [[Ghent]] to the French. " ... our affairs improved through God's support and Eugene's aid", wrote the Prussian General [[Dubislav Gneomar von Natzmer|Natzmer]], "whose timely arrival raised the spirits of the army again and consoled us."{{sfn | Churchill | 2002 | p=350|ps=:It was also at this time that Eugene visited his mortally ill mother in Brussels for the last time. She died later that year in 1708.}} Heartened by the Prince's confidence, the Allied commanders devised a bold plan to engage the French army under Vendôme and the [[Louis, Duke of Burgundy (1682–1712)|Duke of Burgundy]]. On 10 July the Anglo-Dutch army made a forced march to surprise the French, reaching the River [[Scheldt]] just as the enemy was crossing to the north. The [[Battle of Oudenarde|ensuing battle]] on 11 July—more a contact action rather than a set-piece engagement—ended in a resounding success for the Allies, aided by the dissension of the two French commanders.<ref>Lynn: ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714,'' 319</ref> While Marlborough remained in overall command, Eugene had led the crucial right flank and centre. Once again the Allied commanders had co-operated remarkably well. "Prince Eugene and I", wrote the Duke, "shall never differ about our share of the laurels."{{sfn | Henderson | 1964 | p=162}}

[[File:John Churchill Marlborough porträtterad av Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).jpg|thumb|left|170px|Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722) by [[Adriaen van der Werff]]. Eugene became Allied commander-in-chief following Marlborough's dismissal in 1711.]]

Marlborough now favoured a bold advance along the coast to bypass the major French fortresses, followed by a march on Paris. But fearful of unprotected supply-lines, the Dutch and Eugene favoured a more cautious approach. Marlborough acquiesced and resolved upon the siege of [[Vauban]]'s great fortress, [[Siege of Lille (1708)|Lille]].{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=224}} While the Duke commanded the covering force, Eugene oversaw the siege of the town which surrendered on 22 October but [[Louis François, duc de Boufflers|Marshal Boufflers]] did not yield the [[citadel]] until 10 December. Yet for all the difficulties of the siege (Eugene was badly wounded above his left eye by a musket ball, and even survived an attempt to poison him), the campaign of 1708 had been a remarkable success. The French were driven out of almost all the [[Spanish Netherlands]]. "He who has not seen this", wrote Eugene, "has seen nothing."{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=117|ps=: "When King Louis XIV heard about Eugene's wound, he remarked, "I certainly don't want Prince Eugene to die but I should not be sorry if his wound stopped him taking any further part in the campaign."}}

The recent defeats, together with the severe winter of 1708–09, had caused extreme famine and privation in France. Louis XIV was close to accepting Allied terms, but the conditions demanded by the leading Allied negotiators, [[Anthonie Heinsius]], [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Charles Townshend]], Marlborough, and Eugene—principally that Louis XIV should use his own troops to force Philip V off the Spanish throne—proved unacceptable to the French. Neither Eugene nor Marlborough had objected to the Allied demands at the time, but neither wanted the war with France to continue, and would have preferred further talks to deal with the Spanish issue. But the French King offered no further proposals.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=121}} Lamenting the collapse of the negotiations, and aware of the vagaries of war, Eugene wrote to the Emperor in mid-June 1709. "There can be no doubt that the next battle will be the biggest and bloodiest that has yet been fought."{{sfn | Henderson | 1964 | p=171}}

After the [[Siege of Tournai (1709)|fall of Tournai]] on 3 September (itself a major undertaking),{{sfn | Chandler | 1989 | p=249|ps=:Coxe says the citadel fell on 4 September. Chandler describes the siege as one of the hardest fought and least pleasant of modern history. This time, Marlborough conducted the siege while Eugene commanded the covering force.}} the Allied generals turned their attention towards [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]]. Marshal Villars, recently joined by Boufflers, moved his army south-west of the town and began to fortify his position. Marlborough and Eugene favoured an engagement before Villars could render his position impregnable; but they also agreed to wait for reinforcements from Tournai which did not arrive until the following night, thus giving the French further opportunity to prepare their defences. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the attack, the Allied generals did not shrink from their original determination.{{sfn | Coxe | 1820 | p=58}} The subsequent [[Battle of Malplaquet]], fought on 11 September 1709, was the bloodiest engagement of the war. On the left flank, the [[John William Friso, Prince of Orange|Prince of Orange]] led his Dutch infantry in desperate charges only to have it cut to pieces; on the other flank, Eugene attacked and suffered almost as severely. But sustained pressure on his extremities forced Villars to weaken his centre, thus enabling Marlborough to break through and claim victory. Villars was unable to save Mons, which subsequently capitulated on 21 October, but his resolute defence at Malplaquet—inflicting up to 25% casualties on the Allies—may have saved France from destruction.<ref>Lynn: ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714'', p. 335</ref>

==== Final campaigning: Eugene alone ====
[[File:Godfrey Kneller Eugen von Savoyen 1712.jpg|thumb|170px|left|Portrait of Eugene from the school of Godfrey Kneller, 1712.]]

In August 1709 Eugene's chief political opponent and critic in Vienna, Prince [[Charles Theodore von Salm|Salm]], retired as court chamberlain. Eugene and Wratislaw were now the undisputed leaders of the Austrian government: all major departments of state were in their hands or those of their political allies.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=128}} Another attempt at a negotiated settlement at [[Geertruidenberg]] in April 1710 failed, largely because the English [[Whig (British political party)|Whigs]] still felt strong enough to refuse concessions, while Louis XIV saw little reason to accept what he had refused the previous year. Eugene and Marlborough could not be accused of wrecking the negotiations, but neither showed regret at the breakdown of the talks. There was no alternative but to continue the war, and in June the Allied commanders [[Siege of Douai (1710)|captured Douai]]. This success was followed by a series of minor sieges, and by the close of 1710 the Allies had cleared much of France's protective ring of fortresses. Yet there had been no final, decisive breakthrough, and this was to be the last year that Eugene and Marlborough would work together.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | pp=130–131}}

Following the death of Joseph I on 17 April 1711 his brother, [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]], the pretender to the Spanish throne, became emperor. In England the new [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]] government (the 'peace party' who had deposed the Whigs in October 1710) declared their unwillingness to see Charles VI become Emperor as well as King of Spain, and had already begun secret negotiations with the French. In January 1712 Eugene arrived in England hoping to divert the government away from its peace policy, but despite the social success the visit was a political failure: Queen [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] and her ministers remained determined to end the war regardless of the Allies. Eugene had also arrived too late to save Marlborough who, seen by the Tories as the main obstacle to peace, had already been dismissed on charges of embezzlement. Elsewhere the Austrians had made some progress—the Hungarian revolt had finally came to end. Although Eugene would have preferred to crush the rebels the Emperor had offered lenient conditions, leading to the signing of the [[Treaty of Szatmár]] on 30 April 1711.<ref>Lynn gives the signing date as 1 May</ref>[[File:Low Countries 1700.png|thumb|302x302px|Following his victory in northern Italy, Eugene fought primarily in the Low Countries during the War of the Spanish Succession.]]

Hoping to influence public opinion in England and force the French into making substantial concessions, Eugene prepared for a major campaign. But on 21 May 1712—when the Tories felt they had secured favourable terms with their unilateral talks with the French—the [[James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde|Duke of Ormonde]] (Marlborough's successor) received the so-called 'restraining orders', forbidding him to take part in any military action.{{sfn | Wolf | 1951 | p=89|ps=: Although the Tory ministers did not inform Eugene of the restraining orders, they did inform Marshal Villars. In October 1712 the Tory government even communicated to the French what they knew of Eugene's war plans.}} Eugene took the fortress of [[Le Quesnoy]] in early July, before besieging [[Landrecies]], but Villars, taking advantage of Allied disunity, outmanoeuvred Eugene and defeated the [[Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle|Earl of Albermarle]]'s Dutch garrison at the [[Battle of Denain]] on 24 July. The French followed the victory by seizing the Allies' main supply magazine at [[Marchiennes]], before reversing their earlier losses at [[Douai]], Le Quesnoy and [[Bouchain]]. In one summer the whole forward Allied position laboriously built up over the years to act as the springboard into France had been precipitously abandoned.<ref>Lynn: ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714'', pp. 352–354</ref>

With the death in December of his friend and close political ally, Count [[Johann Wenzel Wratislaw von Mitrowitz|Wratislaw]], Eugene became undisputed 'first minister' in Vienna. His position was built on his military successes, but his actual power was expressed through his role as president of the war council, and as ''de facto'' president of the conference which dealt with foreign policy.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=154}} In this position of influence Eugene took the lead in pressing Charles VI towards peace. The government had come to accept that further war in the Netherlands or Spain was impossible without the aid of the Maritime Powers; yet the Emperor, still hoping that somehow he could place himself on the throne in Spain, refused to make peace at the [[Treaty of Utrecht|Utrecht conference]] along with the other Allies. Reluctantly, Eugene prepared for another campaign, but lacking troops, finance, and supplies his prospects in 1713 were poor. Villars, with superior numbers, was able to keep Eugene guessing as to his true intent. Through successful feints and [[Ruse de guerre|stratagems]] [[Landau]] fell to the French commander in August, followed in November by [[Freiburg]].<ref name=lynn357>Lynn: ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714'', p. 357</ref> Eugene was reluctant to carry on the war, and wrote to the Emperor in June that a bad peace would be better than being 'ruined equally by friend and foe'.{{sfn | McKay | Baker | von Savoyen | 1977 | p=145}} With Austrian finances exhausted and the German states reluctant to continue the war, Charles VI was compelled to enter into negotiations. Eugene and Villars (who had been old friends since the Turkish campaigns of the 1680s) initiated talks on 26 November. Eugene proved an astute and determined negotiator, and gained favourable terms by the [[Treaty of Rastatt]] signed on 7 March 1714 and the [[Treaty of Baden (1714)|Treaty of Baden]] signed on 7 September 1714.<ref>For a detailed description of Prince Eugene's role in the peace conference and treaty of Baden see ''Das Diarium des Badener Friedens 1714 von Caspar Joseph Dorer. Mit Einleitung und Kommentar herausgegeben von Barbara Schmid'' (= Beiträge zur Aargauer Geschichte. 18). Baden: Hier und Jetzt, 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-03919-327-1}}.</ref> Despite the [[Rhine campaign (1713)|failed campaign in 1713]] the Prince was able to declare that, "in spite of the military superiority of our enemies and the defection of our Allies, the conditions of peace will be more advantageous and more glorious than those we would have obtained at Utrecht."<ref name=lynn357 />