Outbreak of the Franco-Spanish War (1635)

Timeline

1. 1635Paris · FranceOn May 19, 1635, King Louis XIII of France formally declared war on Spain under the leadership of Cardinal Richelieu. Citing the Spanish army's detention of Frederick Christopher, Elector of Trier, as the trigger, France turned its years-long covert strategy of indirectly intervening in the Thirty Years' War through money and diplomacy into open military involvement, announcing France's full participation as a European great power.
2. 1635Spanish Netherlands · Low CountriesAfter the declaration of war, France, acting under a treaty concluded with the Dutch Republic in February 1635, jointly launched an offensive against the Spanish Netherlands with the Dutch. The Franco-Dutch forces advanced into Flanders, capturing towns such as Tirlemont, but due to poor coordination, epidemic disease, and cut-off supplies, they failed to achieve decisive results and withdrew within the year.