Battle of Les Avins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Les Avins |
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| Part of Franco-Spanish War (1635–59) | |||||||
 Battle site; Spanish forces at left, French below |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Spain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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 Prince of Carignano Comte de Bucquoy Count of Feria (POW) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 26,500-34,000 | 14,000-16,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3,000 | 4,000-6,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Les Avins was a big fight that happened on May 20, 1635. It took place near a town called Les Avins, close to Huy in what is now Belgium. Back then, this area was part of the Bishopric of Liège.
This battle was the first major clash in the Franco-Spanish War, which lasted from 1635 to 1659. This war was also connected to the larger Thirty Years' War that was happening in Europe.
France had been helping the Dutch Republic in their long war to gain independence from Spain. However, France had avoided getting directly involved in the fighting. In February 1635, France and the Dutch agreed to split up the Spanish Netherlands. Then, in May, a large French army of about 27,000 soldiers marched into Liège. Their plan was to meet up with Dutch forces at Maastricht and then attack a city called Leuven.
But outside Les Avins, the French army unexpectedly met a Spanish force of around 16,000 soldiers. The French launched several direct attacks and eventually pushed the Spanish back, causing many casualties. The Spanish lost about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened: The Background
In the 1600s, Europe was often at war. A big rivalry was between the Bourbon kings of France and their powerful rivals, the Habsburgs, who ruled Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Many historians now believe that the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and the Dutch revolt (1568-1648) were all part of this bigger struggle between the Bourbons and Habsburgs. Understanding this helps us see why the Battle of Les Avins was important.
The Habsburgs controlled lands like the Spanish Netherlands (which is modern-day Belgium and parts of the Netherlands), Franche-Comté, and areas in the Pyrenees mountains. These lands surrounded France and made it feel trapped and open to attack. For a while, France was busy with its own problems, like the Huguenot rebellions (1622-1630). So, France looked for ways to weaken the Habsburgs without fighting them directly.
This included supporting the Dutch against Spain. France also paid Sweden to fight in the Holy Roman Empire, starting in 1630 when Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded Pomerania.
When the fighting between Spain and the Dutch started again in 1621, after a break, Spain first won some battles. But by 1633, the Spanish were losing ground. Some powerful people in Amsterdam wanted to end the war. Even though peace talks didn't work out, more and more Dutch people wanted peace.
At the same time, the Swedes suffered a big defeat at the Battle of Nördlingen in September 1634. This forced them to retreat. Also, many of their German allies left the war after the Treaty of Prague in 1635.
King Louis XIII of France and his main advisor, Cardinal Richelieu, became worried. They didn't want the Habsburgs to make peace and become even stronger in both the Empire and the Netherlands. So, they decided it was time for France to join the war directly. In February 1635, France signed an agreement with the Dutch to divide the Spanish Netherlands. In April, they made another agreement with Sweden called the Treaty of Compiègne.
The Battle Itself
A lot of the fighting in this war was about controlling the Spanish Road. This was a land route that connected Spanish lands in Northern Italy to Flanders (part of the Spanish Netherlands). Even though it wasn't used much for moving soldiers after 1601, it was still very important for trade. It also passed through areas that were key to France's safety.
At the start of 1635, France was threatening the Spanish Road in many places. They had 27,000 soldiers under Urbain de Maillé-Brézé in Picardy. They also had armies in other regions like Champagne, Lorraine, and the Valtellina. However, the French leaders soon realized how hard it was to supply over 100,000 soldiers. Also, their different armies weren't working together very well.
In May, King Louis XIII officially declared war on Spain. He said he was helping the Elector of Trier, whose lands were important for the Spanish Road and had been taken over by Spanish troops. The French army entered the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, which was the last part of the Spanish Road.
The French army was split into two groups. One was led by Maillé-Brézé, and the other by Châtillon. Their goal was to meet up with Dutch forces from Maastricht, led by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. After that, they planned to attack Leuven.
However, outside Les Avins, they met a Spanish army of about 16,000 soldiers. This Spanish force was led by Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, with help from his officers Bucquoy and the Count of Feria.
The Spanish had been told to just block the French, not to fight a big battle. But Carignano decided to fight the larger French army anyway. Even though the Spanish had fewer soldiers, they were more experienced. They also held a strong position, with their foot soldiers hidden behind hedges and their cannons ready to fire.
The French commanders argued about whether to attack. They decided that retreating would be more dangerous than fighting. Their cannon commander, Charles de La Porte, set up his guns to provide cover fire. Châtillon and Maillé-Brézé arranged their troops in the usual way: foot soldiers in the middle and cavalry (soldiers on horseback) on the sides. Then, they launched a direct attack.
On the right side, Maillé-Brézé's attack was first pushed back, and his troops suffered heavy losses. But they regrouped and attacked again. On the left and in the center, Châtillon attacked the Spanish cannons with 4,000 men. They eventually took over the Spanish positions because they had so many soldiers.
When the Spanish saw this, the French reserve of 5,000 soldiers arrived. The Spanish commander, Carignano, thought this was a whole new army. So, he ordered a full retreat. Most of the Spanish soldiers who were killed or captured happened during this retreat. Estimates say between 4,000 and 5,000 Spanish soldiers were lost, including prisoners. Among the prisoners was Charles of Austria, a nephew of Emperor Ferdinand, and the Count of Feria. We don't know the exact number of French losses, but they also suffered a lot during their attacks.
What Happened Next
When the news of the victory reached Paris, everyone was very happy. This made them overly hopeful about the rest of the war. However, the victory also caused problems between the French commanders. Châtillon complained that he was pushed aside so that Maillé-Brézé would get all the credit.
After joining up with the Dutch, the combined French and Dutch army had about 45,000 soldiers. But Frederick Henry, the Dutch commander, insisted on capturing Tienen, a town that wasn't very important strategically. Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, who governed the Spanish Netherlands, moved his forces to Leuven, leaving only 1,200 soldiers in Tienen.
When Tienen was captured on June 10, it led to a terrible event. The town was looted, over 200 civilians were killed, and many buildings were damaged, including Catholic churches. This made it impossible to win over the people of the Southern Netherlands, who were mostly Catholic. It also made the Spanish fight even harder. This was especially embarrassing for Richelieu, who was a Cardinal in the Catholic church.
Before railways, rivers were the main way to move large amounts of goods. Leuven was on the River Dyle, so capturing it was important for attacking Brabant. But by the time the French and Dutch army started the siege on June 24, many French soldiers had left because they didn't have enough food or pay. The French army was down to under 17,000 men.
When a Spanish force moved towards Leuven in early July, the siege was given up. On July 28, the Dutch lost their fortress of Schenkenschans. This made Frederick Henry pull his troops out of the Spanish Netherlands and march to help retake the fortress.
Images for kids
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Battle site; Spanish forces at left, French below
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Urbain de Maillé-Brezé (1597–1650); French commander
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Les Avins para niños
