Battle during War of the Spanish Succession. An allied army of 60,000 men under the duke of Marlborough was intercepted by a similar French army under Duke Francois de Villeroi, at Ramillies, while attempting to capture Namur. The French were in a better position, formed up on the defensive, on higher ground, and partly dug in. Marlborough began with a feint against the French left. Villeroi responded by moving his reserves and some of the right wing to the left, at which point Marlborough launched his main attack against the French right, which after offering stiff resistance was overwhelmed. Seeing this, the entire French line wavered, and Marlborough launched a general attack along the line, which forced a disorderly French retreat. Marlborough ordered a close pursuit, and inflicted heavy casulties on the French, who lost roughly 8,000 killed and lost 7,000 prisoners, compared to allied loses of 1,066 killed and 3,633 wounded. The victory allowed Marlborough to gain control over the Spanish Netherlands.