On 11 July 1708 the European powers at the time and their enormous armies confronted one another in Oudenaarde.  England, a number of German principalities, such as Prussia and Hanover,  and the Seven United Provinces formed a Great Alliance against France, which claimed the Spanish crown.
 
Many battles were fought, among them the Battle of Oudenaarde in 1708.  Almost 180,000 soldiers confronted one another in the vicinity of Mullem, Huise and Eine: about 80,000 Englishmen with their allies under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and approximately 95,000 Frenchmen under the Duke of Burgundy.  About 6,000 were killed and 7,000 were wounded.