Siege of Luxembourg (1684)
Taking the city
| date | April 27, 1684 to June 7, 1684 |
|---|---|
| place | Luxembourg |
| output | French victory |
| consequences | Annexation of Luxembourg |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Ernest Alexandre Dominique d'Arenberg , Prince of Chimay |
|
| Troop strength | |
| 25,000 | 4000 |
| losses | |
|
approx. 8000 dead and wounded |
approx. 2700 dead and wounded |
The siege of Luxembourg from April 27 to June 7, 1684 was the most important clash between France and Spain during the War of Reunions of 1683/84 .
prehistory
An important goal of Louis XIV's reunification policy was to gain the strategically important city of Luxembourg , which was under Spanish administration but belonged de jure to the Holy Roman Empire . The city was besieged as early as 1681/82, and the residents were in dire straits. This attempt was canceled, but the country was occupied.
In 1683, Louis XIV began the war of reunions to win Luxembourg in particular. In December 1683, Luxembourg was bombed with mortars. Around 6,000 bombs and grenades are said to have been fired.
The Luxembourg fortress not only had fortifications that were modern at the time, but was also protected by its natural location. In contrast to the city, which was largely destroyed by the bombing last year, the fortifications were in good condition.
course
In January 1684, the French Marshal François de Créquy succeeded in cutting off Luxembourg from the main Spanish army. An army was posted between Brussels and Luxembourg to distract the opposing troops from their actual destination, Luxembourg. Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban was in command of the siege work in front of Luxembourg .
The French troops were about 25,000 strong and had more than 70 guns. There was also a group of military engineers with the armed forces. The Spanish troops in the city were under the command of Prince de Chimay and Comte de Tille. They numbered about 4090 men with 600 horses. There were also 600 residents of the city who had volunteered. After the siege last year there was a shortage of food and ammunition in the city and fortress.
The siege began with the construction of defenses around the city between April 28th and May 8th to protect the siege army. Around 12,000 workers, including farmers who were forced to work, were used for this purpose. Workers were also drawn in from the areas around Metz , Toul and Verdun .
The defenders tried to hinder the work as much as possible. There was a major failure on May 1st. The workers in the attack area were evicted and the fortifications destroyed before a counterattack forced the Spaniards to return to the fortress.
Vauban chose the plain front (Neutorfront) as the main point of attack. In addition, a side attack and several fake attack points were selected. The actual siege trenches have been dug since the beginning of May. With the help of Apoken , Vauban had the fortress attacked in two places. The front line was about half a rifle range from the covered paths of the city. Both points of attack were connected by a trench . The French built four batteries for siege artillery, which were directed against the main attack area. In addition to normal guns, mortars were also used. On the night of May 8th, the cannons began to fire on the city. The besieged responded on May 9 with several failures and destroyed some attack structures without being able to stop the progress of construction. On May 11th, the besiegers were within 30 paces of the furthest covered path of the fortress. The trenches were connected by three parallels. In addition, more gun batteries were deployed. The trenches also approached the city in other places.
On May 14th, both sides began the mine warfare, while the attackers came under fire from the defenders above ground. The defenders dug tunnels, undermined the attack positions and caused them to collapse. The besiegers came under fire again and again, especially from the redoubts . The redoubts then became the preferred target of the guns. On May 18, the French managed to break into one of the partially underground connecting passages of the Redoute Marie, whereupon a bitter close combat ensued. The next day the French drove the defenders from the redoubt. The demolition of the position prepared by the Spaniards before the retreat did not work.
After the Redoute Barlaimont had been under heavy fire for three days, it was cleared by the Spaniards on the night of May 21st. The besiegers thus had the entire covered route under their control. The French could now advance their guns towards the city. Since May 24, the fortifications in the main attack area have been under massive cannon and mortar fire. On May 25th, after heavy fighting, the Spaniards were expelled from the inner covered path. A mine detonated by them killed many of the attackers.
For their part, French sappers began to undermine the walls and to damage them with underground explosions. On May 27, the Barlaimont counterguard was damaged and then stormed by French troops. Although the French were later expelled, they had blown up the facility beforehand. On May 29th and 30th, the Spaniards had to withdraw from further positions because they were no longer defensible. Meanwhile, the French miners continued to work their way. On May 31, the defenders' troops were withdrawn to the main wall. The Barlaimont bastion threatened to be lost due to a possible assault after preparatory work by the opposing miners.
The governor of the fortress called a council of war. Since a relief army could no longer be expected and he feared looting and massacre after storming the city, he began to negotiate a surrender. This initially led to no result, whereupon the gunfire from both sides was more violent than before. The besiegers managed to break through at the secondary scenes, especially in the area of the castle. Ultimately, it was clear to the besieged that they could not hold out. On June 3, they raised the white flag and asked to negotiate. As a result, both sides stopped firing. The parties quickly agreed on an honorable handover.
Four days later, the crew was able to leave the city with 1,300 to 2,000 surviving soldiers, depending on the information, with horses and weapons under flags.
consequences
During the siege, the French artillery shelled the city day and night with more than 55,000 shots. The garrison had lost more than 2,700 dead, wounded and sick. 80 of the volunteer citizens died. The French are said to have lost 8,000 men. The siege was not only costly but also extremely costly. It cost about 373,000 livres.
After the city was conquered, the French marched to Trier , took the city and destroyed the fortifications. Then they moved into Kurköln with the approval of the Elector of Cologne .
After taking Luxembourg, Louis XIV had achieved his actual war goal and successfully sought peace. Vauban rebuilt the fortifications.
literature
- J. Coster: History of the Luxembourg Fortress from its inception to the London Treatise. Luxembourg 1869, pp. 114-138
- Stanley Sandler: Ground warfare. an international enzyclopedia. Santa Barbara, 2002, p. 515