Battle of Valenciennes

Overview

The Battle of Valenciennes was fought on 16 July 1656 between the Spanish troops commanded by John Joseph of Austria and the French troops under Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, in the outskirts of the city of Valenciennes in the Spanish Netherlands during the Franco-Spanish War. After a period of Spanish recovery following the Peace of Münster in 1648, France went again on the offensive in 1654, having succeeded in suppressing internal rebellions, and took several towns in the province of Hainaut over the course of two years. On early 1656, Turenne was instructed by the French court to continue the offensive. He intended at first to besiege Tournai, but realising that it had been strongly reinforced by the Army of Flanders under the newly appointed John Joseph of Austria, illegitimate son of Philip IV of Spain, he went instead to besiege Valenciennes, in the course of the Scheldt River.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Valenciennes on 18 May 1656 was a costly French reverse during the Franco-Spanish War. With French forces numbering between 24,000 and 30,000 against a Spanish army of around 22,000 under John of Austria and Grand Condé, the engagement nonetheless produced sharply asymmetric casualties: France suffered approximately 6,000 losses against Spain's 1,500. The involvement of Grand Condé — the exiled French marshal fighting on the Spanish side — against Turenne and La Ferté-Senneterre gave the battle added symbolic weight within the broader conflict. The disparity in losses represented a significant operational setback for French arms at a stage of the war still several years from its conclusion at the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)