Siege of Besançon
| Siege of Besançon | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Franco-Dutch War | |||||||
_(studio_of)_-_Siege_of_Besan%C3%A7on_by_Cond%C3%A9_in_1674_-_132_-_Fitzwilliam_Museum.jpg) Overview of the siege of Besançon; on the right, smoke from the cannons installed on Chaudanne by Vauban. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Spain  Holy Roman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Vauban De Revel |
Saint-Mauris Vaudémont | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 15,000–20,000 |
3,300 regulars 1,500 city militia | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 700–1,000 | Minimal | ||||||
The siege of Besançon took place from 25 April to 22 May 1674 during the
Siege works were supervised by the
Under the 1678 Treaties of Nijmegen, the province was annexed by France and Besançon replaced Dole as the regional capital.
Background
In the 1667–1668
In May 1672, French forces invaded the Dutch Republic and initially seemed to have achieved an overwhelming victory but by late July, the Dutch position had stabilised. Concern at French gains led to the August 1673 Treaty of the Hague between the Republic, Brandenburg-Prussia, Emperor Leopold and Charles II of Spain; in early 1674, Denmark joined the Alliance, while England and the Dutch made peace in the Treaty of Westminster.[2]
Forced into another war of attrition and with new fronts opening in Spain, Sicily and the
The siege
After the capture of Besançon in 1667, Vauban drew up plans for strengthening the defences; when it was returned to Spain in 1668, his design was adopted by the Italian engineer Precipiano. Spanish resources were stretched by the need to rebuild the defences of Dole and Gray, which were destroyed when the French withdrew in 1668; this meant work on the outer wall and citadel were only partially complete by 1674.[5]
As was the practice, the towns' defences were split between the outer 'City,' containing the main residential and commercial quarters, and the inner 'Citadel.' The garrison was commanded by a Spanish officer, Baron Francois de Saint-Mauris but overall command was held by an Imperial general, Prince Vaudémont, since Besançon was a
Operations began on 26 April, directed by Vauban who was familiar with the defences based on his earlier work. Besançon was located on the
Louis arrived in the French camp the next day; while he often attended sieges for purposes of prestige, he was rarely involved in operations.[7] At Besançon he helped supervise the emplacement of artillery batteries, exposing him to counter-battery fire from the town, one shot killing a nearby staff member. After this was completed on 6 May, the town was subjected to constant bombardment from five different locations and the Chamar quarter had to be flooded to prevent its loss after assaults on the nights of 6/7 and 8/9 May.[8]
The attackers suffered heavy casualties, which Vauban later complained were entirely avoidable and launched largely to impress Louis; however, the defenders were unable to respond effectively to the French bombardment and there was no hope of relief. By 13 May, several breaches had been made in the walls around the Arènes gate; the protocol of the time was that if a garrison fought on after a 'practical breach,' the attackers were entitled to sack and destroy the city. Following a meeting on 14 May, the town council asked for terms of surrender; these were granted by Louis, who entered the city on 15 May.[9]
The Citadel held out for another week, repulsing an assault on 20 May led by
Aftermath
On 27 May, Louis left Besançon and moved onto Dole, which was already besieged by d'Enghien; the town surrendered on 7 June, followed by Salins-les-Bains on 10th. With the conquest complete, many of the French troops were sent to join the Great Condé's army in the Spanish Netherlands and fought at the Battle of Seneffe in August.[12]
In 1676, the regional capital was moved from Dole to Besançon, which became the site of the Regional Parlement. The province remained unstable, with security threatened by guerrilla bands known as loups de bois, as well as Imperial troops campaigning in the Rhineland. The huge costs of the war led to conflict over taxes and expenditure; when the Besançon magistrates were ordered to repair damage caused by the recent siege, they refused, arguing it was the responsibility of the French Crown. When forced to comply, the work was carried out very slowly; similar arguments took place over supplying the French garrison.[13]
During the siege, Étienne Morel, a French Army surgeon, reportedly used a
See also
References
- ^ Lynn 1996, p. 113.
- ^ Davenport & Paullin 1917, p. 238.
- ^ Lynn 1996, p. 117.
- ^ Pujo 1991, p. 74.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 189.
- ^ a b Pujo 1991, p. 75.
- ^ Lynn 1996, p. 22.
- ^ De Périni 1896, pp. 70–72.
- ^ Dee 2009, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Dee 2009, p. 39.
- ^ Goode 2003.
- ^ Dee 2009, p. 40.
- ^ Dee 2009, p. 46.
- ^ Out on a Limb.
Sources
- Davenport, Frances Gardiner; Paullin, Charles Oscar, eds. (1917). European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies, Vol. 2: 1650-1697 (2018 ed.). Forgotten Books. ISBN 978-0483158924.
- De Périni, Hardÿ (1896). Batailles françaises, Volume V (in French). Ernest Flammarion.
- Dee, Darryl (2009). Expansion and Crisis in Louis XIV's France: Franche-Comté and Absolute Monarchy, 1674-1715: Franche-Comte and Absolute Monarchy, 1674-1715. University of Rochester Press. ISBN 978-1580463034.
- Goode, Dominic (2003). "Besancon". fortified-places.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- Lepage, Jean-Denis (2009). Vauban and the French Military Under Louis XIV: An Illustrated History of Fortifications and Sieges. McFarland & Co. ISBN 978-0786444014.
- Lynn, John (1996). The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714 (Modern Wars In Perspective). Longman. ISBN 978-0582056299.
- Out on a limb. "A History of Prosthetics and Amputation Surgery". Out on a Limb. Archived from the original on 2020-02-08. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- Pujo, Bernard (1991). Vauban. Albin Michel. ISBN 978-2226052506. (French);