Claude Frederic t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly (July 1648 – April 1723) was a Dutch States Army officer and nobleman.

In 1708 he became the de facto supreme commander of the Dutch army, and led the Allied forces together with the Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy.

It is possible that Tilly enlarged his role in this event during the Second Stadtholderless Period, but if true, this controversial incident seems to indicate that the lynching was prepared by Orangists from higher up and was not a spontaneous affair.

After the battle, where he fought for two hours before being wounded by a shot to the face, the bullet lodging in his neck for the rest of his life, Count Tilly was left among the fallen, his rich attire and weapons stripped by looters.

By chance, the steward of William of Orange passed by, noticing signs of life in the wounded count, though he remained unrecognized.

Orders were swiftly given to transport him to a hospital in Mons, where he lingered for three days, teetering between life and death, receiving care as an unknown soldier due to his lack of identification and stripped possessions.

[5] In 1691, promoted to major general, his rear-guard of cavalry, consisting of just 3,000 men, was attacked in the Battle of Leuze by a larger force under Villars and Marsilly.

[6] The fight went badly for the Allied cavalry and its reputation, but reinforcements under Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk eventually managed to push the French back.

When field marshal Ouwerkerk died in 1708, during Siege of Lille, Tilly became de facto supreme commander of the Dutch army in the Netherlands.

Although Ouwerkerk lacked the prestige of Marlborough, he had been the undisputed Dutch military commander and had played a significant role in the victories achieved.

In contrast, despite his achievements, Tilly remained completely overshadowed by the Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy, lacking the stature to assert himself as the leader of the Dutch generals.

[16] He didn't participate in the Dutch infantry assault led by the Prince of Orange,[17] although he was heavily involved in the cavalry action in the latter stage of the battle.

[18] After the battle, Tilly tasked himself with finding the wounded who still lay on the battlefield and drew up a detailed list of the Dutch casualties.

The combined Anglo-Dutch field army under Marlborough and Tilly, consisting of 100,000 men, was smaller than last year's and now only able to capture Bouchain.