Battle of Valenciennes

Timeline

1. 1656Outside Valenciennes · Spanish NetherlandsFrench marshals Turenne and La Ferté began besieging the Spanish Netherlands fortress of Valenciennes in June 1656, with about 20,000 men divided into two separate camps, tasked with suppressing the city's defenders while guarding against Spanish relief. Turenne commanded the main force for field defense, La Ferté the siege operations.
2. 1656Battlefield outside Valenciennes · Spanish NetherlandsIn the early hours of July 16, the Spanish relief army under Don Juan of Austria (illegitimate son of Philip IV and governor of the Netherlands) and the Grand Condé, Louis II de Bourbon, serving in the Spanish army, used morning mist to surprise the French's separated siege positions. La Ferté's camp was hit hard from both sides, the French were caught off guard, La Ferté himself was captured and his troops routed. Turenne's main force escaped but had to raise the siege and retreat.
3. 1656Spanish Netherlands · Low CountriesSpain's victory at Valenciennes temporarily checked French expansion and left the French on the defensive in the Netherlands. France promptly accelerated negotiations to bring England in as a military ally; after the Anglo-French alliance of 1657 the situation reversed, and in 1658 the Battle of Dunkirk (Battle of the Dunes) saw an Anglo-French coalition decisively defeat Spain, ending the Franco-Spanish War with the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees.