The Battle of Turnhout took place in 1831, during the Belgian Revolution, a force of 11,000 men attacked

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

under General Saksen-Weimar's leadership. The Belgian forces were defeated, and Turnhout surrendered to the Dutch.

Battle

Before the battle there where around 1,300 soldiers stationed in

. On August 3, 11,000 men gathered on the Ravels hill to prepare for an attack on

, led by General Saksen-Weimar. Van Geen's division pretended to advance towards

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

but planned to attack the city from the west. Two pieces of Belgian artillery were quickly silenced by the Dutch artillery. After a battle, the Belgian forces hastily fled

, leaving many weapons of the citizen guard behind due to transportation issues. Only a few soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Balfour, remained and fired a few shots. Soon after, Mayor Van Lieshout initiated negotiations for surrender, having already informed Niellon that he lacked sufficient manpower to defend the city. The first division went on the Turnhout/Antwerp road and stationed themselves in

Vosselaar Vosselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Vosselaar proper. In 2021, Vosselaar had a total population of 11,443. The total area is 11.85 km2. There are three paris ...

, while the second division occupied Turnhout. The third division, under General Meyer, established their camp in the villages of Arendonk and Retie. Although it is unknown how many people died in

, it is said that more Belgians died than the Dutch.

References

{{notelist Belgian Revolution Ten Days' Campaign 2nd Turnhout Battles involving Belgium Conflicts in 1831 1831 in Belgium August 1831 events