Siege of Leuven

Siege of Leuven
Part of the Eighty Years' War, the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659)

Relief of Louvain. Oil on canvas by Peter Snayers.
Date24 June – 4 July 1635
Location50°53′N 4°42′E / 50.883°N 4.700°E / 50.883; 4.700
Result Imperial-Spanish victory
Territorial
changes
Franco-Dutch invasion of the Spanish Netherlands defeated[1]
Belligerents
 Spain
 Holy Roman Empire
 United Provinces
 Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
Spanish Empire Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand
Spanish Empire Anthonie Schetz
Holy Roman Empire Ottavio Piccolomini
Dutch Republic Frederick Henry
Kingdom of France Marquis de Brézé
Kingdom of France Maréchal de Châtillon
Strength
Garrison: 4,000[2][3][4]
Relief force: 11,000[5]

50,000[2]


30,000 Dutch
20,000 French
Casualties and losses
700 At least 12,000 casualties[6][a]
Leuven is located in Belgium
Leuven
Leuven
Location within Belgium

The siege of Leuven (24 June – 4 July 1635) was an important siege in the Thirty Years' War in which a Franco-Dutch army under Frederick Henry of Orange and the French Marshals Urbain de Maillé-Brezé and Gaspard III de Coligny, who had invaded the Spanish Netherlands from two sides, laid siege to the city of Leuven, defended by a force of 4,000 comprising local citizen and student militias with Walloons, Germans, Spanish and Irish of the Army of Flanders under Anthonie Schetz, Baron of Grobbendonck.[4] Poor organization and logistics and the spread of sickness among the French, along with the appearance of an Imperial-Spanish relief army of 11,000 under Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand and Ottavio Piccolomini, forced the invading army to lift the siege.[7][8] This failure allowed the Spanish forces to take the initiative and soon the invaders were forced into a headlong retreat.[1]

  1. ^ a b Israel p. 70
  2. ^ a b Guthrie p. 181
  3. ^ Collin de Plancy p. 128
  4. ^ a b Ayres p. 127
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Luna y Mora293 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Wilson 2009, p. 560.
  7. ^ Parrott p. 74
  8. ^ Israel p. 69


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