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Siege of Cambrai (1677)

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Siege of Cambrai
Part of the Franco-Dutch War
Surrender cambrai1677.jpg
The Surrender of Cambrai
Date20 March – 19 April 1677
Location
Result French victory
Belligerents
 France  Spain
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of France Louis XIV
Kingdom of France Duc de Luxembourg
Kingdom of France Vauban
Spain Dom Pedro de Zavala
Strength
35,000 (maximum) 3,000–4,000
Casualties and losses
800 minimal

The siege of Cambrai took place from 20 March to 19 April 1677 during the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War; then part of the Spanish Netherlands, it was invested by a French army under the duc de Luxembourg. Siege operations were supervised by the military engineer Vauban; Louis XIV was nominally in command but played little part in operations.

An attempt by a combined Dutch-Spanish force under William of Orange to relieve the nearby town of Saint-Omer was defeated by Luxembourg at Cassel on 11 April. Cambrai surrendered on 19 April and was ceded to France by Spain in the September 1678 Treaty of Nijmegen.

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Franco-Dutch War

Franco-Dutch War

The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War, was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. In its early stages, France was allied with Münster and Cologne, as well as England. The 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and 1675 to 1679 Scanian War are considered related conflicts.

Spanish Netherlands

Spanish Netherlands

Spanish Netherlands was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries held in personal union by the Spanish Crown. This region comprised most of the modern states of Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as parts of northern France, the southern Netherlands, and western Germany with the capital being Brussels. The Army of Flanders was given the task of defending the territory.

François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg

François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg

François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg, commonly known as Luxembourg, and nicknamed "The Upholsterer of Notre-Dame", was a French general and Marshal of France. A comrade and successor of the Great Condé, he was one of the most accomplished military commanders of the early modern period and is particularly noted for his exploits in the Franco-Dutch War and War of the Grand Alliance. Not imposing physically, as he was a slight man and hunchbacked, Luxembourg was nonetheless one of France's greatest generals. He never lost a battle in which he held command.

William III of England

William III of England

William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland. His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by Unionists, who display orange colours in his honour. He ruled Britain alongside his wife and cousin, Queen Mary II, and popular histories usually refer to their reign as that of "William and Mary".

Saint-Omer

Saint-Omer

Saint-Omer is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.

Battle of Cassel (1677)

Battle of Cassel (1677)

The Battle of Cassel, also known as the Battle of Peene, took place on 11 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Cassel, 15 km (9 mi) west of Saint-Omer. A French army commanded by the duc de Luxembourg defeated a combined Dutch–Spanish force under William of Orange.

Background

YpresValenciennesSt OmerCambraiCasselSaint-GhislainMaastrichtNamurCharleroiclass=notpageimage| Key locations in Northern France and the Spanish Netherlands; modern Belgium in dark green
Ypres
Ypres
Valenciennes
Valenciennes
St Omer
St Omer
Cambrai
Cambrai
Cassel
Cassel
Saint-Ghislain
Saint-Ghislain
Maastricht
Maastricht
Namur
Namur
Charleroi
Charleroi
Key locations in Northern France and the Spanish Netherlands; modern Belgium in dark green

In the 1667-1668 War of Devolution, France captured most of the Spanish Netherlands and the Spanish province of Franche-Comté but many of their gains were relinquished by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, agreed with the Triple Alliance of the Dutch Republic, England and Sweden. To split the Alliance, Louis XIV paid Sweden to remain neutral, while signing an alliance with England against the Dutch in the 1670 Treaty of Dover.[1]

France invaded the Dutch Republic in May 1672 at the start of the Franco-Dutch War and initially seemed to have won an overwhelming victory. However, the Dutch position stabilised, while concern at French gains brought support from Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia, Emperor Leopold and Charles II of Spain.[2] France retained the Dutch stronghold of Maastricht, but withdrew from the Netherlands in 1673, additional fronts opening in the Rhineland and the Spanish Pyrenees.[3]

The French position weakened in early 1674, when Denmark-Norway joined the Alliance in January, followed by the February Treaty of Westminster making peace between England and the Dutch Republic.[4] An effective Allied response in Flanders was hampered by power struggles in Madrid, while Spanish control over the Spanish Netherlands was by now largely nominal.[5]

Although peace talks were ongoing, Louis followed his normal policy of taking the offensive, then negotiating from strength; the French used the 1676 campaign season to capture Condé-sur-l'Escaut, Bouchain, Maubeuge and Bavay. This cut off Valenciennes and Cambrai, while French cavalry prevented movement of troops and devastated areas around the towns. Marshall Schomberg, French commander in Flanders, had proposed taking Cambrai in August, but was ordered to relieve Maastricht, then under siege by the Dutch.[6]

The plan for 1677 was to take Valenciennes, Cambrai and Saint-Omer, completing the French frontière de fer or 'iron border;' Louis calculated this would leave the Dutch little reason to continue.[7] Supply depots were assembled along the border with the Spanish Netherlands, enabling operations to begin in February, a month earlier than usual. In late February, a detachment of 12,000 moved against Saint Omer, while the main army of 35,000 under Luxembourg besieged Valenciennes.[8]

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Franche-Comté

Franche-Comté

Franche-Comté is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort. In 2016, its population was 1,180,397.

Dutch Republic

Dutch Republic

The United Provinces of the Netherlands, officially the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, and commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands. The republic was established after seven Dutch provinces in the Spanish Netherlands revolted against Spanish rule, forming a mutual alliance against Spain in 1579 and declaring their independence in 1581. It comprised Groningen, Frisia, Overijssel, Guelders, Utrecht, Holland and Zeeland.

Secret Treaty of Dover

Secret Treaty of Dover

The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was a treaty between England and France signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. It required that Charles II of England would convert to the Roman Catholic Church at some future date and that he would assist Louis XIV with 60 warships and 4,000 soldiers to help in France's war of conquest against the Dutch Republic. In exchange, Charles would secretly receive a yearly pension of £230,000, as well as an extra sum of money when Charles informed the English people of his conversion, and France would send 6,000 French troops if there was ever a rebellion against Charles in England. The secret treaty was signed by Arlington, Arundell, Clifford, and Bellings for England and Colbert de Croissy for France. The two kings exchanged letters of ratification and kept secret the existence of the treaty. A public treaty of Dover was also negotiated, but it was a screen designed for propaganda purposes and to hide the religious dimension of the secret treaty. The Third Anglo-Dutch War was a direct consequence of this treaty. The actual treaty was published by historians a century later.

Franco-Dutch War

Franco-Dutch War

The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War, was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. In its early stages, France was allied with Münster and Cologne, as well as England. The 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and 1675 to 1679 Scanian War are considered related conflicts.

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg

Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "the Great Elector" because of his military and political achievements. Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously. His shrewd domestic reforms gave Prussia a strong position in the post-Westphalian political order of Northern-Central Europe, setting Prussia up for elevation from duchy to kingdom, achieved under his son and successor.

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold I was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain, Leopold became heir apparent in 1654 by the death of his elder brother Ferdinand IV. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the second longest-ruling Habsburg emperor. He was both a composer and considerable patron of music.

Charles II of Spain

Charles II of Spain

Charles II of Spain, known as the Bewitched, was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War of the Spanish Succession that followed his death, Charles's reign has traditionally been viewed as one of managed decline. However, many of the issues Spain faced in this period were inherited from his predecessors and some recent historians have suggested a more balanced perspective.

Maastricht

Maastricht

Maastricht is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the Meuse, at the point where the Jeker joins it. Mount Saint Peter (Sint-Pietersberg) is largely situated within the city's municipal borders. Maastricht is adjacent to the border with Belgium and is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, an international metropolis with a population of about 3.9 million, which includes the nearby German and Belgian cities of Aachen, Liège and Hasselt.

Rhineland

Rhineland

The Rhineland is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly 500 km (310 mi) from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast. It reaches a maximum altitude of 3,404 metres (11,168 ft) at the peak of Aneto.

Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and its monocentric metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU. The municipality covers 604.3 km2 (233.3 sq mi) geographical area.

Condé-sur-l'Escaut

Condé-sur-l'Escaut

Condé-sur-l'Escaut is a commune of the Nord department in northern France.

The siege

The 14th century Tower of Arquets, part of Cambrai's flood defences on the Scheldt
The 14th century Tower of Arquets, part of Cambrai's flood defences on the Scheldt

Attempts to take Cambrai in 1649 and 1657 both failed; the town was surrounded by marshland, the Scheldt provided flood defences, while its fortifications had been upgraded after 1543. However, these had been poorly maintained, while French intelligence reported the garrison was composed of second-line troops, 'in weak and miserable condition.' Once Valenciennes had been captured, Cambrai would be left isolated behind French lines (see Map).[9]

Over the winter of 1676/1677, the French blockaded the garrison; on 4 December 1676, Louis signed an order forbidding the sale of grain or forage to Cambrai, with large fines for any village found to have done so. The Comte de Montal, French governor of Charleroi, was ordered to stop supplies or personnel from Namur reaching the garrison. Spanish officers disguised themselves as peasants; a French commander was reprimanded for allowing one to enter Cambrai in late January.[10]

Once Valenciennes surrendered on 17 March, Luxembourg moved against Cambrai. On 22 March, 7,000 locally conscripted peasants began digging lines of circumvallation and contravallation and on 30 March, French siege artillery commenced bombardment of the walls. By 3 April, the breach was large enough to assault and they quickly captured the Selles and Notre Dame gates; the city surrendered on 5 April, although the Citadel still held out.[11]

By now, William of Orange had assembled a Dutch-Spanish army of 30,000 men. While he could not save Cambrai, he was determined to fight for Saint Omer.[8] The Allies reached Mont-Cassel on 9 April, 15 kilometres west of Saint-Omer; leaving minimal forces at St Omer and Cambrai, Luxembourg's combined force defeated them at Cassel on 11 April and William was forced to retreat.[12]

This meant the surrender of Cambrai was only a matter of time but against Vauban's advice, the outworks were unsuccessfully assaulted by French infantry on 10 April, leading to over 500 fatalities, including one of his nephews. It is suggested this was instigated by senior officers who wanted to gain credit for capturing the town.[13] On 19 April, De Zavala capitulated and along with 2,000 others was given free passage to the nearest Spanish territory.[14]

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Scheldt

Scheldt

The Scheldt is a 435-kilometre-long (270 mi) river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sceald ("shallow"), Modern English shoal, Low German schol, West Frisian skol, and obsolete Swedish skäll ("thin").

Charles de Montsaulnin, Comte de Montal

Charles de Montsaulnin, Comte de Montal

Charles de Montsaulnin, Comte de Montal (1619–1696) was a 17th-century French military officer and noble who was a close friend of Le Grand Condé, and fought in many of the wars of Louis XIV of France.

Charleroi

Charleroi

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,462 square kilometres (564 sq mi) with a total population of 522,522 by 1 January 2008, ranking it as the 5th most populous in Belgium after Brussels, Antwerp, Liège, and Ghent. The inhabitants are called Carolorégiens or simply Carolos.

Namur

Namur

Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.

William III of England

William III of England

William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland. His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by Unionists, who display orange colours in his honour. He ruled Britain alongside his wife and cousin, Queen Mary II, and popular histories usually refer to their reign as that of "William and Mary".

Battle of Cassel (1677)

Battle of Cassel (1677)

The Battle of Cassel, also known as the Battle of Peene, took place on 11 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Cassel, 15 km (9 mi) west of Saint-Omer. A French army commanded by the duc de Luxembourg defeated a combined Dutch–Spanish force under William of Orange.

Aftermath

Three days later, Saint Omer also surrendered, completing French objectives in Flanders. Talks at Nijmegen were given a greater sense of urgency in November after William's marriage to his cousin Mary, niece of Charles II of England. An Anglo-Dutch defensive alliance was signed in March 1678, although English troops did not arrive in significant numbers until late May; Louis used this opportunity to capture Ypres and Ghent in early March, before signing a peace treaty with the Dutch on 10 August.[15]

Although the Dutch signed the Treaties of Nijmegen on 10 August 1678, a joint Spanish-Dutch army fought at Saint-Denis on 13th. Having secured Mons, Spain made peace on 19 September, ceding Saint-Omer, Cassel, Aire, Ypres, Cambrai, Valenciennes and Maubeuge to France. Ypres was later returned but this fixed France's northern frontier close to where it remains today.[16]

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Nijmegen

Nijmegen

Nijmegen is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole; it is located on the Waal river close to the German border. Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, the second to be recognized as such in Roman times, and in 2005 celebrated 2,000 years of existence.

Mary II of England

Mary II of England

Mary II was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.

Charles II of England

Charles II of England

Charles II was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.

Ypres

Ypres

Ypres is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name Ieper is the official one, the city's French name Ypres is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote. Together, they are home to about 34,900 inhabitants.

Ghent

Ghent

Ghent, Polish ‘Gandawa’ is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in size only by Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.

Treaties of Nijmegen

Treaties of Nijmegen

The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sweden, Denmark-Norway, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, and the Holy Roman Empire. The most significant of the treaties was the first, which established peace between France and the Dutch Republic and placed the northern border of France very near its modern position.

Battle of Saint-Denis (1678)

Battle of Saint-Denis (1678)

The Battle of Saint-Denis was the last major action of the 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War. It took place on 14 August 1678, four days after Louis XIV of France had agreed the Treaty of Nijmegen with the Dutch Republic, but before he finalised terms with Spain. The battle was initiated by the Allies to prevent the French capturing the Spanish-held town of Mons, then on the border between France and the Spanish Netherlands. Both sides claimed victory and the result is disputed.

Mons

Mons

Mons is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Source: "Siege of Cambrai (1677)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 5th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Cambrai_(1677).

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References
  1. ^ Lynn 1996, pp. 109–110.
  2. ^ Smith 1965, p. 200.
  3. ^ Lynn 1996, p. 117.
  4. ^ Davenport 1917, p. 238.
  5. ^ Van Nimwegen 2010, p. 499.
  6. ^ Satterfield 2003, pp. 298–299.
  7. ^ Van Nimwegen 2010, p. 498.
  8. ^ a b Van Nimwegen 2010, p. 500.
  9. ^ Satterfield 2003, p. 302.
  10. ^ Satterfield 2003, pp. 304–305.
  11. ^ De Périni 1896, p. 190.
  12. ^ De Périni 1896, p. 191.
  13. ^ Desvoyes 1872, pp. 13–14.
  14. ^ De Larrey 1721, pp. 371–372.
  15. ^ Lesaffer, Randall. "The Wars of Louis XIV in Treaties (Part V): The Peace of Nijmegen (1678–1679)". Oxford Public International Law. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  16. ^ Nolan 2008, p. 128.
Sources
  • Davenport, Frances Gardiner (1917). European Treaties bearing on the History of the United States and its Dependencies.
  • De Larrey, M (1721). Histoire de France sous le règne de Louis XIV, Volume 4. Michel Bohm, Rotterdam.;
  • De Périni, Hardÿ (1896). Batailles françaises, Volume V. Ernest Flammarion, Paris.;
  • Desvoyes, Léon-Paul (1872). "Genealogie de la famille Le Prestre de Vauban". Bulletin de la Société des Sciences historiques et naturelles de Semur.
  • Lynn, John (1996). The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714 (Modern Wars In Perspective). Longman. ISBN 978-0582056299.;
  • Nolan, Cathal J (2008). Wars of the age of Louis XIV, 1650–1715. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-33046-9.;
  • Satterfield, George (2003). Princes, Posts and Partisans: The Army of Louis XIV and Partisan Warfare in the Netherlands (1673-1678). Brill. ISBN 978-9004131767.;
  • Smith, Rhea (1965). Spain; A Modern History. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472071500.;
  • Van Nimwegen, Olaf (2010). The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588-1688 (Warfare in History). Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1843835752.


Coordinates: 50°10′36″N 3°14′08″E / 50.1767°N 3.2356°E / 50.1767; 3.2356

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