Siege of Luxembourg (1794–1795) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Luxembourg |
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| Part of the Flanders campaign in the War of the First Coalition | |||||||
 Siège de Luxembourg 1794-1795 by Charles-Caïus Renoux |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French First Republic |
 Habsburg monarchy |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean René Moreaux Jean-Jacques Ambert Jacques Maurice Hatry |
Blasius Columban Freiherr von Bender |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 25,500 to 39,000 | 15,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 1,200 casualties 12,396, 819 guns captured |
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The Siege of Luxembourg was a long military attack by France on the Fortress of Luxembourg. This fortress was controlled by the Austrian Empire. The siege lasted from November 1794 to June 1795. It was part of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Even though the French army could not break through the strong city walls, the fortress had to give up after more than seven months. Luxembourg's strong defense made a French leader, Lazare Carnot, call it "the best fortress in the world, except Gibraltar." This is why Luxembourg City is sometimes called 'the Gibraltar of the North'.
After France captured Luxembourg, the Southern Netherlands (which included modern-day Luxembourg) became part of France. This happened on October 1, 1795. Most of Luxembourg became a French region called Forêts on October 24, 1795.
Contents
Why the Siege Happened
After taking Rheinfels Castle, the French army controlled most of the land west of the Rhine River. Only the fortresses of Mainz and Luxembourg were still held by the Austrians. The French government leaders wanted to capture both of these important places.
The French Army of the Rhine attacked Mainz. Meanwhile, the Army of the Moselle, led by General Jean René Moreaux, went to attack Luxembourg. The French really wanted to take Luxembourg. They hoped to find lots of food and war supplies there, which they badly needed.
Baron Blasius Columban Freiherr von Bender was in charge of Luxembourg. The city had 15,000 soldiers and 500 guns, cannons, and other weapons to defend it.
Before the Main Attack
On November 19, 1794, French soldiers met a large Austrian group near Liège. The French, even though they had fewer soldiers, won this fight.
On November 21, French troops found an Austrian outpost in the Grünewald forest. The French chased the enemy close to Luxembourg's cannons. The fight lasted until night, and the French won. They captured four cannons from the Austrians.
The Siege Begins
General Jean René Moreaux arrived on November 22. He placed his three army divisions around Luxembourg City. One division was on the road to Trier, another on the road to Arlon, and the third on the road to Thionville. The reserve troops were in Frisange.
The cannons of Luxembourg fired heavily at anything that came close. The French soldiers faced a harsh winter and did not have enough supplies. Many soldiers left their posts to find food in nearby villages. In late January, General Moreaux asked the Austrian commander, Field Marshal Bender, to surrender. But Bender refused.
The French officers also suffered from hunger. General Moreaux became sick and had to leave. He died on February 10. General Jean-Jacques Ambert took over command. However, the French government decided to send new troops and a new commander to finish the siege.
Three divisions from another French army, the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse, arrived. General Jacques Maurice Hatry became the new Commander-in-Chief. By mid-May 1795, nearly 39,000 French soldiers were surrounding Luxembourg.
On March 20, the two French armies switched places. The Austrians inside the city thought the French were leaving. They tried to attack the French, but they were pushed back.
In late April, General Hatry again asked the city to surrender, but the offer was refused. So, he started building a special battery (a group of cannons) on a nearby hill. This battery had mortars to bomb the city. To stop this, the Austrians tried a big attack on May 15, but they lost many soldiers and were forced back.
The Austrian commander realized that fighting back was useless. He ordered his cannons to fire constantly at the French positions. This lasted for 12 days. But the French cannons fired back, causing many casualties. The people living in Luxembourg asked Bender to surrender.
The Surrender
On June 1, an envoy (a messenger) was sent to General Hatry. On June 7, the surrender agreement was signed. On June 12, the 12,396 Austrian soldiers who were still in the fortress marched out. They were allowed to leave with military honors in front of 11,000 French soldiers. Many of the Austrian soldiers, especially those from Belgium, refused to follow the Austrians. They asked to join the French army instead.
The French army entered the city in triumph. Their first act was to plant a "tree of liberty" in the main square, the Place d'Armes. This tree was a symbol of freedom and the French Revolution.
What Happened Next
As they had hoped, the French found a huge amount of war supplies in Luxembourg. They captured 819 cannons, over 16,000 firearms, 4,500 swords, and massive amounts of cannonballs, bombs, grenades, and gunpowder.
Capturing the Fortress of Luxembourg allowed France to take over the Southern Low Countries. On October 1, 1795, most of Luxembourg became part of a new French region called the Département des Forêts. This region was created on October 24, 1795. After this, only the city of Mainz on the left bank of the Rhine River remained to be captured by France.
