Rocroi, Battle of

▪ French history

      (May 19, 1643), a military engagement of the Thirty Years' War in which a French army of 22,000 men, under the Duke d'Enghien (later known as the Great Condé (Condé, Louis II de Bourbon, 4e prince de)), annihilated a Spanish army of 26,000 men under Don Francisco de Melo, marking the end of Spain's military ascendancy in Europe.

      The Spanish army crossed the French border from the Netherlands and then stopped to besiege the small fortress of Rocroi, 55 miles (88 km) northeast of Reims. Enghien advanced rapidly, knowing that the Spaniards were expecting reinforcements. On May 18 both armies positioned themselves with the bulk of their infantry in the centre, flanked by two wings of cavalry. Early on May 19 Enghien led a successful cavalry charge of the French right against the Spanish left. The French cavalry of the left also attacked the Spanish right, against his orders, and was repulsed. The Spaniards then followed through by starting their assault on the French centre. Meanwhile, Enghien's cavalry turned to its left and cut its way through the middle of the enemy infantry, thus isolating the elite Spanish soldiers in the front ranks from their less steady German and Italian allies in the rear. Enghien's troops then reached the cavalry on the Spanish right flank, who were still engaged with the French in their front, and dispersed them. The 8,000 elite Spanish infantry were by now completely isolated, as Enghien's attack had broken up the rear ranks of supporting German and Italian infantry. Late in the day, when all the available French as well as the captured Spanish guns were turned on them, the Spanish asked to surrender. But as Enghien and his staff were coming to receive the surrender some Spaniards mistakenly opened fire. The enraged French hurled themselves on the Spanish infantry, killing more than half and capturing the rest. The Battle of Rocroi marked the decline of Spanish military power.

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