His brother, the elector of Cologn, admitted French garrisons into Liege and all his places on the Rhine.

The elector of Saxony was too hard pressed by the king of Sweden to spare his full proportion of troops to the allies; the king of Prussia was overawed by the vicinity of the Swedish conqueror; the duke of Savoy had joined his forces to those of France, and overrun the whole state of Milan; and the pope, though he professed a neutrality, evinced himself strongly biassed to the French interests.
{ANNE, 1701--1714} KEISEESWAERT AND LANDAU TAKEN.
The war was begun in the name of the elector-palatine with the siege of Keiserswaert, which was invested in the month of April by the prince of Nassau-Saarburgh, mareschal-du-camp to the emperor: under this officer the Dutch troops served as auxiliaries, because war had not yet been declared by the states-general.

The French garrison made a desperate defence.

They worsted the besiegers in divers sallies, and maintained the place until it was reduced to a heap of ashes.

At length the allies made a general attack upon the counterscarp and ravelin, which they carried after a very obstinate engagement, with the loss of two thousand men.