Siege of Philippsburg (1644)

Siege of Philippsburg
Part of the Thirty Years' War

Painting of the siege by Jean-Baptiste Le Paon (1769)
Date25 August – 12 September 1644
(2 weeks and 4 days)
Location49°14′13″N 8°27′17″E / 49.2370°N 8.4548°E / 49.2370; 8.4548
Result French victory
Belligerents
 France  Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of France Duc d'Enghien
Kingdom of France Vicomte de Turenne
Kingdom of France Duc de Gramont
Holy Roman Empire Caspar Baumberger
Strength
5,000 men[1] 500 men[1]

The siege of Philippsburg (25 August – 12 September 1644) was a French siege of the Rhine fortress of Philippsburg during the Thirty Years' War. After the battle of Freiburg in early August, the French under the Duc d'Enghien refrained from attacking the city and marched north to besiege the imperial-held Philippsburg instead. The place fell after a two-week siege.

With Philippsburg and the subsequent capture of Mainz, the French took control of the northern Rhine valley, enabling them to launch offensives into the interior of Germany and against Bavaria, the emperor's most important ally. Afterwards, the Bavarian Elector Maximilian believed that the war could no longer be won by military means and urged Emperor Ferdinand III to conclude a separate peace with France.

  1. ^ a b Schott 1978, pp. 15–18.