Louis XV of France

February 22, 1744 · 3,000 total casualties

Toulon was a British tactical failure that nonetheless led to a celebrated court-martial drama: Mathews was cashiered for breaking the line, while his more cautious subordinate Lestock was acquitted, prompting a rethinking of British naval doctrine. The escape of the Franco-Spanish fleet freed France to project power in the Mediterranean.

May 11, 1745 · 22,000 total casualties

Fontenoy was the greatest French military triumph of the 18th century and made Maurice de Saxe a legend. The Irish Brigade's charge — 'Cuimhnigí ar Luimneach agus ar fheall na Sasanach' (Remember Limerick and Saxon treachery) — became a defining moment of Irish diaspora history. France took Ghent, Bruges, and Oudenaarde within weeks.

October 11, 1746 · 10,000 total casualties

Rocoux extended French control across most of the Austrian Netherlands and confirmed Saxe's dominance of the western theater. Despite Frederick's exit from the war, France continued to accumulate territorial leverage for the eventual peace negotiations.

July 2, 1747 · 14,000 total casualties

Lauffeld was Saxe's final and perhaps most complete victory. After it, Britain, the Netherlands, and Austria were militarily exhausted and had lost leverage for any favorable peace terms. The path to Aix-la-Chapelle was now open — France negotiated from a position of total battlefield supremacy.