Battle of Lens

The battles of Lens is the last of the battles of the Guerre Thirty Year old, a French victory over the troops Spanish are of Flanders, after the catch of Lens by the archduke Léopold-Guillaume de Habsbourg the August 17th 1648. The meeting takes place in a plain in the west of Lens, between Grenay and Liévin, the August 20th 1648.

Manpower

The Prince de Condé is with the head of an army composed as follows:

The Léopold archduke lays out as for him:

  • infantry: approximately 12.000 men including roughly 3.000 Tercio S (forming 16 battalions),
  • cavalry: approximately 8.000 men (training 58 squadrons),
  • artillery: forty parts,
  • total: approximately 20.000 men.

Unfolding

At the time to engage the battle of Lens, Condé exhorts his troops: “Friendly, remember Rocroi, of Freiburg, of Nordlingen. It is necessary for us to overcome or die. You will walk on only one line. You will preserve no matter what it costs your battle order of it. You will essuierez without drawing the first fire from the enemy. Then only you will be able to draw. ” Cop trick to fill his numerical inferiority: for that he pretends a retirement. The young person Archiduc orders with his cavalry to charge, but this one is pushed back with losses by a French counter-offensive. The cavalry, following this failure, panics and flees, leaving the Spanish infantry there. The Spanish infantry breaks the regiment of the Gardes-Françaises, but is circumvented by the cavalry. Remaining troops, abandoned as at the time of the Bataille of Rocroi a retreat they do not have any more but to beat too.

The battle is finished. Jean de Beck humiliated by the defeat prefers to die of a rather light wound to be made look after. Gramont tells that after having encircled Spaniards and to have cut them in part, it falls on Condé. They want to be embraced. But their still overheated horses of the battle try between-to devour themselves. The Spanish infantry goes without fighting. The Spaniards lose in Lens 8.000 men including 5.000 prisoners. It is the largest reverse of Spain for a long time.

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