Battle of Sinsheim

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Battle of Sinsheim
Part of Franco-Dutch War
Turenne's command post at Sinsheim
Date 16 June 1674 Location Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Result French victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Turenne	Aeneas de Caprara
Strength
1,500 infantry, 6,000 cavalry[1]	1,500 infantry, 7,000 cavalry[2]
Casualties and losses
1,100[3]–1,500 killed or wounded[1]	2,000+ killed[3] [4] Unknown wounded 500 to 600 captured [5]

The Battle of Sinsheim took place on 16 June 1674, near Sinsheim in modern Baden-Württemberg, then in the Holy Roman Empire. Part of the 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War, a French army under Marshall Turenne defeated an Imperial force led by Aeneas de Caprara.

The war began in May 1672, when a French army invaded the Dutch Republic. In August 1673, the Dutch agreed an alliance with Emperor Leopold, opening a new theatre of operations in the Rhineland. For the 1674 campaign, Turenne was ordered to prevent Imperial troops entering the contested area of Alsace; facing a number of separate forces which outnumbered his in total, he sought to defeat his opponents piecemeal.

On 16 June 1674, Turenne intercepted a slightly larger Imperial detachment of around 8,500 men, on its way to join Alexander von Bournonville and their main army near Heidelberg. De Caprara managed to repulse the first two French assaults before withdrawing; although unable to prevent him linking up with von Bournonville, Turenne inflicted heavy casualties, and thereafter gained the strategic initiative in the campaign.