RAMILLIES 1706

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SUMMARY

A MAJOR HISTORICAL LANDMARK of the British and the European History is endangered by the possible implantation on the site itself of a field of 17 huge windmills, more than 450 feet high each.
It is the well-known battlefield of Ramillies ( The Allies with the Earl of Marlborough against the French and the marshal of Villeroy ).
On the 27th of november 2008, this project was presented in the community of Eghezee which communal border is one the limit of the battlefield mostly situated in the next community : Ramillies. 
Ramillies is now located in the province of roman Brabant and Eghezee in the next province of Namur. The actual limit of the battlefield in 1706 was the river Mehaigne ( from the late latin word mehana meaning "mean, bad tempered, violent...") and so the field is on the territory of the both present communities.
The site is also of great interest in the matter of birdwatching, and for the presence on the battlefield of the Hottomont's tomb, the greatest gallo-roman funeral mound in Belgium along the roman way Bavay-Cologne with no buildings around. The so-called Tomb was also the promontory where the HQ of marshal of Villeroy was installed during the battle of Ramillies. You will find more information on the website.
Please take some of your time for signing the petition against this bad project. We thank you all.
 
 
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SAMENVATTING

 
Onze historische landschappen en de milieuomgeving van onze kinderen en kleinkinderen zijn bedreigd door een anarchistische bouw van windmolenparken,
Het is van uiterst belang om te reageren en om zich te verzetten tegen dergelijke projecten. Ze vormen een bedreiging en onze reaktie moet als jurisprudentie dienen. De bescherming van bepaalde landschappen moet in de juridische sfeer van België en haar gewesten gebracht worden .
 

Kunt u zich inbeelden, dat er om wille van economische redenen, een windmolenpark op het Ijzerplein of op het slagveld van Waterloo aangelegd zou worden? Neen, natuurlijk niet!

Doch kan zoiets blijkbaar toch wel gebeuren...
 
Op een paar kilometer van de taalgrens ligt het beroemde slagveld van Ramillies in een brabantse driehoek tussen Tienen-Geldenaken, Perwijs en Eghezee, op het einde van het plateau Haspengauwe.
 
Dit slagveld is welliswaar voornamelijk bekend in de angelsaksische landen. Het is de plaats waar Graaf Malbroek ( John Churchill, first Earl of Marlborough ) en zijn bondgenoten ( Preussers, Hollanders enz...) de overwinning behaalde tegen de franse troepen o.l.v. Marechal de Villeroy in 1706 te Ramillies.
 

Dit slagveld, dat tot nog toe, bijna volledig in zijn originele staat behouden gebleven is en waarvan de historische waarde even hoog is als die van Waterloo, is helemaal niet beschermd! En nu wordt deze uitzonderlijke site bedreigd door een project die de constructie voorziet van een park met 17 megareuze windmolens (elk hoger dan 140 meter).

Dit zou deze site natuurlijk helemaal ontaarden.

Daarenboven is deze regio ook merkwaardig als landschap en voor zijn belang als 'birdwatchingsoort'. Dé plaats in Brabant gewaardeerd en erkend door alle vogelliefhebbers van België. De uitzionderlijke en waardevolle populaties aan vogels zijn eveneens volledig bedreigd door dit project van de windmolens !
 

Op de site van het slagveld van Ramillies bevindt zich eveneens de « Begraafplaats van Hottomont », de grootste gallo-romeinse tumulus van België. Dit is erkend als waardevol patrimonium van België en anderzijds bevindt zich hier eveneens een groot stuk van de romeinse steenweg Baafs-Keulen ( op de lijst van het wereldpatrimonium van de Unesco : World heritage ), zonder enige bebouwing rondom. Gedurende de slag van Ramillies van 1706 was deze tumulus het hoogste punt van deze haspegauwse vlakte waarop Marechal de Villeroy zijn HK geplaatst had.


Voor het behoud van een historisch zeer waardevolle en uitzonnderlijke site, zowel op het vlak van cultureel patrimonium als om reden van natuurbehoud, is het van uiterst belang dat éénieder zich verzet tegen dit projekt.
 
Steun onze aktie en onderteken de petitie in bijlage ten voordele van het behoud van een historisch landschap!
 

Some more information about the Battle of Ramillies

 
Detailed report about the battle see : The viewpoint of Marlborough 
  

And one of the best sites concerning the battle of Ramillies is surely :  http://www.britishbattles.com/spanish-succession/battle-ramillies.htm

 

The Battle of Ramillies was fought under the command of the Duke of Marlbourgh during the War of the Spanish Succession.

He led his Army of 60.000 British, Dutch and Danish Troops against Villeroy's slightly larger army of French, Spanish and Bavarians. The two armies met on the great plain of Flanders, the plain of Waterloo and Mons, and the focus of their meeting was Ramillies. It was on Whit Sunday, May 23rd 1706, that Marlbourgh's Army marched to battle through a dark night of fog and rain. At ten in the morning, when they had been marching for six hours, the mist cleared away, and the advance party halted on rising ground and saw spread before them the whole of Villeroy's army in battle order. Marlbourgh began with a feint, advancing the British foot on his extreme right against the French left wing. The feint was effective, for Villeroy drew off many units from other parts of his line to reinforce his left. The British foot were then withdrawn carefully behind some high ground, and returned to the centre, out of sight of the enemy. The first phase of the battle was fought by the cavalry, charging and counter-charging. During this Marlbourgh was nearly captured. Whist this was taking place the Infantry fought a long battle at Ramillees itself.

 It was a strongly defended position on high ground, and the access was steep and broken, except on one side, where a long, gradual slope gave the defenders a perfect field of fire. The Infantry fought their way up this slope in spite of heavy casualties, fought their way into Ramillies itself, and finally, after furious hand-to-hand fighting, drove the French out. After this action the Infantry took part in the pursuit, they marched far into the night, slept for an hour or two by their arms, and at three in the morning they were on the move again., they overtook broken enemy units and stragglers extracting the last ounce from their victory. This became the Regiments first Battle honour.

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According to Wikipedia, the Dukedom was created in 1702 by Queen Anne; John Churchill, whose wife was a favourite of the Queen, had earlier been made Lord Churchill of Eyemouth in the Scottish peerage (1682), which became extinct with his death, and Earl of Marlborough (1689) by King William III. Anne further honoured Churchill, after his leadership of the victories against the French of 13 August 1704 near the village of Blenheim (German Blindheim) on the Danube River (Battle of Blenheim), by granting him the royal manor of Woodstock, and building him a house at her own expense to be called Blenheim. It was commenced in 1705 and was completed in 1722, the year of his death. Blenheim Palace remains the Marlborough ducal seat.

The first Duke was also honoured with Imperial titles: Emperor Joseph I created him a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1704, and in 1705, he was created Imperial Prince of Mindelheim (once the lordship of the noted soldier Georg von Frundsberg). However, he was obliged to surrender Mindelheim in 1714 by the Treaty of Utrecht, which returned it to Bavaria. According to some sources, he received the principality of Mellenburg in exchange. Regardless, his Imperial titles did not pass to his daughters, so became extinct on his death in 1722.

The Duke of Marlborough holds certain subsidiary titles: Marquess of Blandford (created 1702), Earl of Sunderland (1643), Earl of Marlborough (1689), Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1603), Baron Churchill of Eyemouth (1682) and Baron Churchill of Sandridge (1685) (all are in the English peerage.) The title Marquess of Blandford is used as the courtesy title for the Duke's eldest son and heir. The Duke's eldest son's eldest son in turn can use the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland.

The later Dukes of Marlborough are descended from the first duke, but not in the male line. Because the first duke had no surviving sons, the title was allowed (by a special Act of Parliament) to pass to his eldest daughter in her own right. A younger daughter, Lady Anne Churchill, married Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (c. 1674–1722), and from this marriage descend the modern Dukes of Marlborough. They therefore originally bore the surname Spencer. However, George Spencer, the 5th Duke of Marlborough, obtained a Royal Licence to assume and bear the additional surname and arms of his famous ancestor, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, and thus became George Spencer-Churchill. This double-barrelled surname has remained in the family to this day, though some of the most famous members have preferred to style themselves as merely "Churchill".

The Dukedom of Marlborough is the only Dukedom in the United Kingdom that can still pass in the female line. However, the Dukedom does not follow male-preference primogeniture as most other peerages that can pass in the female line do. It actually follows a kind of Semi-Salic Law. The succession for the Dukedom is as follows:

  1. The heirs-male of the 1st Duke's body lawfully begotten;
  2. his oldest daughter and the heirs-male of her body lawfully begotten;
  3. his second and other daughters, in seniority, and the heirs-male of their bodies lawfully begotten;
  4. his oldest daughter's oldest daughter and the heirs male of her body lawfully begotten;
  5. all other daughters of his daughters and the heirs male of their bodies;
  6. and other descendants into the future in like fashion, with the intent that the Marlborough title never become extinct.

However, it is now very unlikely that the Dukedom will be inherited in the female line again, as all the male heirs of Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland—including the line of the Earls Spencer as well as the Spencer-Churchill family—would have to go extinct. If that were to happen, the Churchill titles would pass to the Duke of Bedford as heir-male of Diana Russell, duchess of Bedford, a sister of the third Duke of Marlborough. Should Diana's male issue go extinct, the next in line is the Earl of Jersey, the heir-male of Anne Villiers, Countess of Jersey, daughter of Elizabeth Egerton, Duchess of Bridgwater, a younger daughter of the first Duke.

The 7th Duke of Marlborough was the paternal grandfather of the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (who was born at Blenheim Palace).

The present Duke of Marlborough is John George Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough.

The title of Earl of Marlborough, which was created for Churchill in 1689, had been created one time previously in British history, for James Ley, in 1626. This title had become extinct in 1679.

The meaning of the motto Fiel pero desdichado (Faithful but unfortunate) may allude to the first duke's losing his home and lands as a consequence of his loyalty to the king.

Unusually, it is in the Spanish language rather than Latin, possibly because the first duke was honored after the battle of Blenheim, decisive in the War of the Spanish Succession.