Blenheim, << BLEHN uhm, >> Battle of, was fought on Aug. 13, 1704. It was a turning point in the War of the Spanish Succession, and one of the decisive battles of European history. Allied French and Bavarian armies threatened to take Vienna. Marshals Tallard and Marsin led the French, and Max Emanuel, elector of Bavaria, led the Bavarians. The Duke of Marlborough marched English troops to join Austrian forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy. Together, they badly defeated the French and Bavarians. The battlefield lay between the Bavarian villages of Blindheim (called Blenheim by the English) and Hochstadt on the Danube. The battle is also called the Battle of Hochstadt. The victory saved Vienna and forced Max Emanuel into exile.
