Caulier, Madeleine (d. 1712)
Caulier, Madeleine (d. 1712)
French peasant who was noted for her bravery during the siege of Lille. Died in the battle of Denain on July 24, 1712.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the city of Lille, France, was besieged on August 12, 1708, by the Imperialists under Austria's Prince Eugene of Savoy. The city was defended by a French garrison under the command of Marshal Louis de Boufflers. On September 8, Madeleine Caulier carried an important order from the duke of Burgundy to Boufflers. Though Boufflers repulsed several assaults, he had to surrender on October 25, having lost 7,000 soldiers. Caulier was permitted to enlist in a regiment of dragoons as a reward for her bravery. Four years later, in a French attack led by Marshal Villiers during the same war, Madeleine Caulier fell in the battle of Denain on July 24, 1712.