Toulon (France) History Siege, 1707

The siege of Toulon took place between 29 July and 21 August 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession, when a combined Savoyard-Imperial army supported by a British naval force, attacked the French base at Toulon. The Allies had insufficient men to institute a formal siege, while they were outnumbered by French land forces; after losing around 13,000 men, mostly from disease, they retreated to Piedmont. The French fleet inside the harbour, including 46 ships of the line, was sunk to prevent its destruction; the fleet would not be re-floated until after the war ended, cementing British control of the western Mediterranean. However, the Allied defeat ended hopes of attacking France through its vulnerable southern border, forcing the Allies into a war of attrition on its much more strongly held northern frontier. The battle's outcome also effectively brought an end to major operations in Italy.