An Imperial army led by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden captured Landau, a fortress town in the Rhineland-Palatinate held by a French garrison commanded by the Comte de Mélac.

The earliest actions from the war were focused in northern Italy in 1701, but military activity began in the Electoral Palatinate the following year.

In the Palatinate, Louis of Baden and an Imperial army crossed the Rhine River at Speyer and moved south to invest Landau.

Unwilling to challenge his stronger foes, Nicolas Catinat with his French army watched from a distance as the Landau defenses were methodically reduced by siege artillery, mining and infantry attacks.

At this time, the Electorate of Bavaria became a French ally, tipping the balance of power and causing Louis of Baden to withdraw.

Under the direction of the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the city's fortifications were completely reconstructed starting in the spring of 1688 and continuing for three years.

In 1689 a fire burned down three-quarters of the city, allowing the French to redesign the streets under the direction of another engineer officer Jacques Tarade.

The Grand Alliance included the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of England, Dutch Republic, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Electoral Palatinate and most German states.

[2] In early 1702, Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden was given command of the troops of the Swabian, Franconian, Upper Rhenish and Westphalian Imperial Circles and the Electoral Palatinate.

The Imperial army's general officers included Feldmarschall Hans Karl von Thüngen who fought with Louis at the Battle of Slankamen, Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, John Ernst, Count of Nassau-Weilburg, Franz Sebastian von Thürheim and Maximilian Karl Albert, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort.

[1] In the face of the large Imperial host, the weaker French army of Marshal Catinat fell back,[3] but not before reinforcing Landau with two battalions of Royal Artillery.

Landau was defended by the 72-year-old Lieutenant General Ezéchiel du Mas, Comte de Mélac who commanded a garrison of 4,095 infantry and 240 cavalrymen.

[1] On 15 June 1702, Louis of Baden left his camp at Langenkandel and advanced his entire army to the vicinity of Landau.

Using their plentiful supply of ammunition, the French gunners delivered heavy and accurate fire on the Imperial trenching forces.

In order to protect the working parties, the men were fitted with helmets and cuirasses borrowed from the heavy cavalrymen.

After negotiations by Prince Löwenstein, a siege train was formed from heavy guns contributed by the imperial cities of Augsburg, Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Ulm.

A French engineer officer named Rovère disguised himself and got within the Imperial lines, but he was found and captured on 8 July.

When the Imperials stormed such a position, before retreating, the French would light the fuse and hope that many attackers would be blown up in the ensuing explosion.

When the French commander finally realized what was going on, the frustrated Mélac sent a message asking where Joseph's headquarters was located so he could bombard it.

At the same moment, some of Thüngen's troops led by George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Prosper Ferdinand Philipp, Count of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen stormed the Crownwork, gaining a foothold in the counterscarp.

King Louis XIV and his officials urged Catinat to march to the relief of Landau, but the old marshal refused, pleading low troop strength.

Believing that the Crownwork and its 800-man garrison were doomed if the Imperials mounted a serious assault, Mélac decided to abandon the position.

Not realizing that the Crownwork was lightly held, the Imperial army made elaborate preparations for storming the place.

At noon that day the French commander raised the white flag and sent du Breuil to negotiate the terms.

Louis of Baden had hoped to conquer Alsace, but instead he crossed to the east bank of the Rhine to protect the Imperial states in south Germany.

Catinat placed a small army in the hands of Claude Louis Hector de Villars and sent him to the east bank.

Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard marched from the Moselle River with another army to join Villars.