Wars of Spanish Succession

 

 

 

 

The Wars of Spanish Succession lasted from 1700/01 to 1714 and began with the Duke of Anjou succeeding to the Spanish throne. In February 1701 France occupied the Dutch held frontier fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands and England, Holland and the Hapsburg Empire prepared for war. In September 1701 the Grand Alliance  formed against the French King Louis XIV. The WSS was not a period I was overly familiar with but when Front Rank produced their WSS Range a few of years ago and I thought the sculpts were beautifully detailed and got me interested. I brought a few books on the history and battles of the WSS and thought I would take the plunge and began painting some British Regiments. I used The Armies and Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars Volume 1 & Volume 2 by CS Grant published by Partizan Press, book excellent reference books.

 

The first unit I completed was Churchill's Marines which I based on 50mm x 50mm x 2mm wooden bases. This period of military uniforms was IMHO the zenith of flamboyant style and extravagance as opposed to functionality. So consequently when painting these figures I have tried to be a lavish and colourful in the painting style I used and the colours I chose to use.