Siege of Maastricht (1673)

Siege of Maastricht

Part of: Dutch War

Louis XIV at the siege of Maastricht (painting by Adam Frans van der Meulen )

date	June 13th to June 26th, 1673
place	Maastricht
output	Victory of France

Parties to the conflict
France	United Netherlands Spain
Commander
Louis XIV. Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban	Jacques de Fariaux
Troop strength
24,000 infantry, 16,000 cavalry, 50 guns	4500 Dutch infantrymen, 1200 Spanish cavalrymen

The siege of Maastricht took place during the Dutch War from June 13th to 26th, 1673. The French fought against a Dutch-Spanish occupation. The besiegers were led by King Louis XIV personally, but the actual siege was directed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban . For the first time he used new techniques of the siege war. The city eventually surrendered.

prehistory

Ludwig XIV attacked the Netherlands in 1672 and, with the help of his allies such as the Bishop of Münster Christoph Bernhard von Galen and the Archbishop of Cologne Maximilian Heinrich von Bayern, achieved great military successes ( Rampjaar ). Since the Dutch army was not up to the French, they avoided major battles. Most of the troops were concentrated in fortresses like Maastricht and others, which the French could not take without a long siege. The invasion was also slowed down considerably by the opening of the locks and the flooding of parts of the country ( Dutch waterline ). Meanwhile in the Netherlands the republican government under Johan de Witt had collapsed. William III. from Orange , which had thus come to power, threatened the French supply lines from Maastricht in December of that year.

For the following war year, Louis XIV planned to take the city of Maastricht as a key fortress. To cover from the Spaniards, 30,000 men were sent to Flanders under Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne . In a similar way, 30,000 men under Louis II. De Bourbon, prince de Condé, were supposed to ward off dangers from the German area. Louis XIV himself led an army of 48,000 men towards Maastricht.

Maastricht's fortifications had been continuously expanded since the 16th century. There were five hornworks , wide trenches that could be flooded and numerous external works ( demi-lunes ). The crew consisted of about 6000 Dutch and Spanish soldiers. These were about 3,000 fewer men than had been requested, but still significantly more than were available at the last siege in 1632.

course

The French troops reached Maastricht on June 11th and forced 7,000 farmers to build the siege. The actual organizer of the siege was Vauban, an experienced fortress builder. However, Maastricht was the first major city he besieged. He initially had circumvallation and contravallation lines built around the city. This work was finished on June 14th. Then he had trenches built parallel to the areas of the fortifications that he wanted to attack. Vauban decided to attack a horn factory in the southwest of the defenses. The guns were brought into position and on June 18 the bombardment began. He then had trenches dug in a zigzag pattern towards the fortifications. This shape of the trenches made it difficult for the besieged to hit the enemy when they moved between the parallels. Another parallel was created closer to the fortifications. From there, the guns could attack the walls from closer range. For a long time this technique was called parallels .

On June 24th the parallels were ready. On the day of John the Baptist , Louis XIV wanted to celebrate a mass in Maastricht Cathedral. He then ordered a charge. This was led, among other things, by the royal musketeers under Charles d'Artagnan de Batz-Castelmore . The counterattack drove the French off the ramparts. Only thirty were able to hold out until morning before they had to retire as well. The next morning, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth led the next attacks on the city. D'Artagnan was fatally wounded in one of these fights. Since the attacks were unsuccessful, Louis XIV ordered the fortifications to be bombarded again.

The governor of the city was eventually forced to surrender under pressure from citizens and soldiers.

consequences

Pierre Mignard : Louis XIV before Maastricht

Louis XIV, who led the troops without one of his known military leaders, recorded the fall of the city as a personal victory, which he used to further increase his reputation in his own country. The triumph was immortalized in numerous portraits and tapestries . After he had also occupied the Dauphiné and returned to Versailles in 1674 , great festivities were held. The technique of parallels, which Vauban used here for the first time, became the standard procedure for the siege of fortresses and remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century. In the Netherlands itself, the French troops were less successful and had to withdraw in part. Maastricht could also be held in the following siege in 1676 , remained in French hands until the end of the war, but was then returned in accordance with the terms of the Peace of Nijmegen .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Burke: The Fabrication of Louis XIV.Bath, 1994, p. 78.

literature

• Paul K. Davis: Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo. Santa Barbara, 2001, pp. 137-139

Web links

• Description of the siege (Engl.)