Siege of Ypres
| date | March 18-25, 1678 |
|---|---|
| place | Ypres , Spanish Netherlands , today's Belgium |
| output | French victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
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| Troop strength | |
| unknown | approx. 2000 men garrison |
| losses | |
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unknown |
unknown |
Dutch War (1672–1678 / 79)
Solebay - First Schooneveld - Second Schooneveld - Texel - Bonn - Maastricht - Sinsheim - Seneffe - Enzheim - Türkheim - Sasbach - Konzer Bridge - Stromboli - Augusta - Palermo - Kokersberg - Philippsburg - Maastricht - Valenciennes - Tobago - Cassel - Freiburg - Ypres - Rheinfelden - Saint-Denis
The siege of Ypres in the Spanish Netherlands took place between March 18 and 25, 1678 and was part of the Dutch War . It ended with the French taking the city.
foreplay
In October 1677 Maria , niece and possible successor of Charles II of England , married William of Orange , which led to rapprochement between England and the Dutch Republic, which had previously been at war against each other until 1674. Louis XIV decided to invade the Spanish Netherlands to forestall a possible British military operation against France.
The Dutch expected the attack against Namur , but Ludwig sent his troops to Ghent , took the city on March 9th and immediately afterwards turned against Ypres .
The siege
On March 18, under the leadership of the general and fortress builder Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban , the French began digging ditches near the citadel. The city was defended by a Spanish garrison under the command of Dom Francisco de Pardo, who flooded the area around the city. However, the French had already advanced so far that this could not stop them from further attack. The city was taken under constant fire with 22 large-caliber cannons and twelve mortars. After a week, the work on the storm trenches and the damage to the city walls had progressed far enough for Louis XIV to order the attack for the night of March 24th to March 25th. The city was quickly conquered and the defenders capitulated at dawn, but the citadel held out for another day. Then the remaining 1,600 men fit to fight and 600 wounded surrendered.
consequences
In April Vauban began to renovate and modernize the fortifications of Ypres to the form they still have today. Louis de Crevant, duc d'Humières , became governor of Ypres. In England, Charles II raised about 20 regiments to be shipped to Ostend , but then hesitated with the decision to declare war on France. Meanwhile, negotiations between France and the Dutch Republic began, leading to the peace of Nijmegen on August 10th.
literature
- Abel Hugo, France historique et monumentale: Histoire générale de France depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours , 1843.
- Camille Rousset, Histoire de Louvois et de son administration politique et militaire , Volume 2, 1862.
- Luc-Normand Tellier, Face aux Colbert: les Le Tellier, Vauban, Turgot-- et l'avènement du libéralisme , Édition presse de l'université de Quebec, 1987.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Histoire de Louvois et de son administration politique et militaire ... pp. 490–492
- ↑ France historique et monumentale ... p. 368.
- ↑ Histoire de Louvois et de son administration politique et militaire ... p. 493.
Web links
- Siege of Ypres, 1678 on fortified-places.com
Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 28 ″ N , 2 ° 53 ′ 8 ″ E