ORDER OF BATTLE // July 9, 1672
Siege of Groningen
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 15,500–26,500 estimated
Bishopric of Münster
13,000–24,000
Medium-confidence figure
Dutch Republic
2,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Siege of Groningen, fought on 9 July 1672, saw a Münsterite force of between 13,000 and 24,000 troops under Bernhard von Galen attempt to reduce the city against a Dutch garrison of roughly 2,500 under Carl von Rabenhaupt. Münsterite casualties of between 5,000 and 10,000 against so small a defending force indicate that the siege imposed severe losses on the attacking army. The engagement took place during the broader Franco-Dutch War, in which the Bishopric of Münster acted as an allied belligerent alongside France in its assault on the Dutch Republic.
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