Luxembourg campaigns

Luxembourg campaigns
Part of the Eighty Years' War, Henry IV's succession and the Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598)
Date1st: 14 January – 10 February 1593
2nd: January–June 1595
Location
Duchy of Luxembourg and Prince-Bishopric of Liège
Result 1st: Spanish victory
2nd: Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch States Army
Duchy of Bouillon
Kingdom of France (1595)		 Army of Flanders
Prince-Bishopric of Liège (1595)
Commanders and leaders
Philip of Nassau
La Tour d'Auvergne
Héraugière (1595)
Henry IV (1595)		 Mansfeld
Verdugo (1595)
La Motte (1595)
Ernest (1595)
Strength
Dutch at Sankt Vith 1593:
500 infantry[1][2]
1,200 cavalry[1][2]		 Unknown

The Luxembourg campaigns were two military campaigns by the Dutch Republic and the Duchy of Bouillon against the Spanish Southern Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War in 1593 and 1595. The first was undertaken by a Dutch States Army commanded by Philip of Nassau to the Duchy of Luxembourg in early 1593, with the aim of distracting the Spanish Army of Flanders to a different part of the Habsburg Netherlands, create confusion and block the importation of new pro-Spanish troops to the Low Countries via the Spanish Road.[3] Other goals were dealing economic damage to Spain, and supporting the Protestant claimant to the French throne Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) and the Protestant prince of Sedan and duke of Bouillon, Henry de La Tour d'Auvergne.[4]: 249 

The first campaign did not result in territorial gains, but did do damage to the Luxembourgish countryside,[4] and successfully managed to distract the Spanish army.[3] Two years later, a similar campaign to Luxembourg led to the temporary occupation of Huy in neutral Liège by the Dutch States in February–March 1595, but they were soon expelled and the Duke of Bouillon was also driven away from Luxemburg's border fortresses again.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bormann was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Stadtchronik was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Robert Jacobus Fruin (1861): Tien jaren uit den tachtigjarigen oorlog, 1588-1598
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Duyck was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference vdBroek was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pirenne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).