Battle of Cassel (1677)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cassel was fought on April 11, 1677, as a part of the Franco-Dutch War
. It resulted in a French
victory under Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
, assisted by the Duke of Humières
and Marshal Luxembourg, against the Dutch
under William III of Orange
, Stadtholder
of the Netherlands
. The battle took place near the city of Cassel, 30 km south of Dunkirk in present-day France.
A French army of 30,000 under Philippe of Orléans faced a Dutch-Allied army of the same number under William III, with each side aligned in classical manner. Infantry on the French right, led by the Duke of Humières, drove back the Dutch left. At the same time, an attack by the Dutch launched from their own right was fended off by the French left, where troops were commanded by maréchal Luxembourg. The Dutch were thoroughly beaten, but the French missed a real chance for a rout by delaying the pursuit in order to plunder William’s abandoned baggage. Even so, the victory was near complete: the Dutch lost upward of 8,000 killed and wounded, with 3,000 more made prisoner.
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
. It resulted in a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
victory under Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
, assisted by the Duke of Humières
Louis de Crevant, Duke of Humières
Louis de Crévant, Duc d'Humières was a Marshal of France and Governor of Compiègne, Bourbonnais and Lille.He was present at the Battle of the Dunes, and participated in the Franco-Dutch war under Turenne. He was made Marshal of France in 1668...
and Marshal Luxembourg, against the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
under William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, Stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The battle took place near the city of Cassel, 30 km south of Dunkirk in present-day France.
A French army of 30,000 under Philippe of Orléans faced a Dutch-Allied army of the same number under William III, with each side aligned in classical manner. Infantry on the French right, led by the Duke of Humières, drove back the Dutch left. At the same time, an attack by the Dutch launched from their own right was fended off by the French left, where troops were commanded by maréchal Luxembourg. The Dutch were thoroughly beaten, but the French missed a real chance for a rout by delaying the pursuit in order to plunder William’s abandoned baggage. Even so, the victory was near complete: the Dutch lost upward of 8,000 killed and wounded, with 3,000 more made prisoner.