The War of Devolution - from Quincy's Histoire Militaire

Map of War of Devolution, 1667-1668.

The following is a section from Volume 1 of the Marquis de Quincy's Histoire Militaire du Regne de Louis le Grand, from pages 276-290, detailing the 1667 War of Devolution between France and Spain, the first of Louis XIV's Wars in his personal reign. It was translated using Google, with some common-sense adjustments by myself.

1667 – The Flanders Campaign

[276]    The war of which we will give the details was undertaken on the occasion of the death of Phillip IV, the King of Spain. The design of the King was to put into the Queen’s hands the States which belonged to her, with this precaution that nothing would be undertaken which might infringe on the Treaty of the Pyrenees. To make the whole of Europe aware of the sincerity of his intentions, His Majesty published a manifesto containing the reasons which established the right of the Queen to the Spanish Netherlands; which, however, he did not publish until after having solicited the Queen Regent of Spain during the whole of the previous year to do justice to the claims of the Queen of France, and after she had refused to enter into any accommodation. To make clear the right that Marie-Therese, the Queen of France had over the Duchy of Brabant, over the Lordships of Mechelen [Malines], Antwerp, Upper Gelderland, Namur, Limburg and the places united beyond the Meuse, over Hainault, Artois, Cambrai, the county of Burgundy and the Duchy of Luxemburg, it should be known that this Princess was the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and Elizabeth of France by his first marriage, and that by the Costumes of the Duchy of Brabant and the other Lordships enunciated, the ownership of all these Fiefs which had been owned during the first marriage by Philip IV. and Elizabeth of France son Spouse, had belonged by a right of devolution to Marie-Therese of Austria and to Don Balthasar his brother, from the time of the dissolution of this marriage which occurred on the death of the Queen of Spain; the sole use of these Fiefs was reserved for the Catholic King. The right of devolution is hardly known except in the Duchy of Brabant and in the other Lordships and Fiefs of which we have just spoken: it was established in favor of the children of the first marriage, to prevent the death of the bride from prejudicing their interests, intended to protect them from this claim by the terms which had been put in the Marriage Contract of the King with the Queen; but unnecessarily, since all the renunciations which the Council of Spain had wished the Infanta of Spain to make in this Contract of Marriage, to all the rights that could belong to her in any way whatsoever, both on the succession of Elizabeth of France, her mother, which was already acquired by her, and on the Fiefs dependent on the Crown of Spain are destroyed and annihilated. [277] when one reflects on the essential nullities that are encountered there, either because the Queen was a minor at the time of her marriage, as well as the King her Husband, or because of the lack of her authorization, this Princess having ratified this pretended renunciation, when she was still in her minority, without having the liberty of person, either because it was made for a succession which had then fallen to her, or finally because the Queen had received no compensation. It truly appears from the Marriage Contract of this Princess, that the King of Spain her father gives her a fixed dowry of one hundred thousand écu d'or; but besides that at the time when this Prince died, this sum was still due to the Princess, his daughter, far from giving His Catholic Majesty an advantage, and establishing a right to him on her property, this Prince had not acquitted himself towards the Queen his daughter of all that belonged to him from the succession of the Queen the mother and of Don Balthasar his brother from the first marriage, since he owed her one hundred thousand écu d'or, and one hundred thousand écu d'or of jewels stipulated as her own by the Marriage Contract of Elizabeth of France, and the interest of all these sums since her death, while for her notional dowry, she was only promised six hundred thousand écus d'or. Here is the summary of the reasons given by the manifesto and which the King made public after the Court of Madrid had refused to render justice to him, and before doing so by force of arms.

The King being determined to march in person to Flanders, left in the month of May to go there after having taken his measures to be at the head of thirty-five thousand men counting two separate corps, one of which was to act under the orders of Marshal d'Aumont on the side of Dunkirk, and the other under those of the Marquis de Crequi. On leaving he left the Queen Regent, and composed a council for her, presided over by Chancellor Seguier and Marshal d'Etrees. The King having arrived at Aresnes, there reviewed the troops which were there, and returned to his army which was encamped near Charleroy, of which Marshal Turenne had made himself master. For the Spaniards had not had time to complete the fortifications which the Marquis of Castelrodrigo, Governor of the Low Countries, had demolished; His Majesty, having examined the situation, and consulted M. de Turenne on whose advice he complied, [278] decided to fortify this place, employed M. de Vauban there, and gave the government to M. de Montal.

Capture of Bergues

Marshal d’Aumont during this time besieged Bergues with his corps, which numbered ten thousand men. The Governor had at first appeared to want to defend himself, trusting in some foreign troops, and in some Protestant Spanish officers who had been in the place when it was invested; nevertheless, as soon as he saw that the troops of France had taken possession of the covered way and a ­demi-lune, he beat the chamade and surrendered by letter. Chevalier de Lorraine at the head of two hundred men showed great valor there by attacking the demi-lune which he won. The Comte de Lorges, Marshal de Camp, the Comte de Mailli, Colonel of the Normandy regiment made their mark on this occasion. The Duc de Rouanez, Lieutenant General and M. du Passage were wounded there.

Capture of Furnes

As soon as Marshal d'Aumont had provided for the defense of Bergues, he marched to Furnes, which he invested, and opened the trench on arrival. Don Jean de Tolede, who was its Governor, first pretended to want to defend this place by a few sorties which he caused to be made; but as soon as we were lodged on the counterscarp, and he saw that we were preparing to attack the demi-lune from the attacking side, on the third day after opening the trenches, he asked to capitulate.

Capture of Ath

The King during this time, having settled the fortifications that had to be made at Charleroi, set out on June 17 at the head of his army to go towards Ath, which the Spaniards abandoned on his approach. The burghers came to implore his clemency, and he received their firm loyalty, after having left them a garrison which they asked of him. He gave his orders to fortify this place; some demi-lunes and the covered way were repaired; and the walls, which were very wide and filled with water, were re-established, while waiting for the King to put the place in the state where it is today; it is rightly considered one of the most regular in the Netherlands.

Capture of Tournai

After the Marshal d'Aumont had made himself master of Furnes, he marched towards Armentieres, and in passing took Fort St. Francis which made hardly any resistance. He then detached twelve troops of horse, according to the orders he had received from [279] the King, to guard the Avenues de Tournai on one side; and he marched just as many infantrymen towards La Bassée. The King, who wished to lay siege to this place, had sent Monsieur to march with the troops of Lorraine to invest it on the other side. His Majesty arrived there on the 21st, and reconnoitered the place, accompanied by M. de Turenne. When he arrived at the quarter of Duras, he learned that two hundred and fifty men who from the garrison of Brussels had thrown themselves into Tournai, had been beaten by the Comte de Lorges, and that M. des Fourneaux had also defeated five hundred of the enemies, most of whom had been killed or captured. The King, wanting to provide for everything, passed through the district of the Marquis de Belfonds Lieutenant General, and after stopping on the banks of the Scheldt river above the square, he had a bridge of boats diligently built there to pass troops that the Marquis de Pegui had orders to post as they arrived, between the districts of Belfonds and Duras.

The next day, the 22nd of June, two false attacks were made, one on the left with the Guards, and the other at the head of the regiment of Picardy. The Maréchal de Grammont, as Colonel of the Guards regiment, attacked the covered way at the head of this regiment, and made lodgings there; his troops marched there in the open and without a trench. The King, who wanted to take part in the exertions of the siege to set an example for his troops, spent a few nights at the bivouac which had a regular roof, because there were no lines of circumvallation. The allies made a sortie on the 3rd, from which their troops were quickly repelled, and in which M. de S. Sandoux, Captain of the Guards, was wounded, the Duc d’Enghien, the Comte de Saint Paul, and Ducs of Foix and Créqui, the Marquis de Beuvron and the Comtes de Grammont, Persan and Nogent gave marks of valor there as volunteers. The besieged, having been surprised at the audacity with which their covered way had been attacked and taken, and apprehensive of being carried off by the assault, when the breaches were made by the batteries which were established on the covered way, sent deputies to the King on the part of the Clergy and the burghers, to offer to surrender the City, on condition that their Privileges be preserved; which having been granted, [280] M. de Boldom Lieutenant de Roy retired to the Castle with his garrison; but seeing that he was going to be forced to do so, he surrendered on the 25th of June. The capitulation was signed by the Marquis de Tresigni, Governor of the City. His Majesty entered Tournai the same day, preceded by the two Companies of Musketeers in blue cassocks adorned with silver and buff, followed by the Chevaux-legers of the Guard in red cassocks, enriched with six rows of gold braid and silver, all having white feathers, and part of the Guards. The King was accompanied by a large number of Princes and Lords magnificently dressed, and followed by other Gardes du Corps and his Gendarmes, all very nimble.

Capture of Douai

After the King had given the necessary orders to ensure this conquest, and for the construction of a citadel, he made his army take the road to Douai, which was invested on the first of July. His Majesty arrived there the next day, and went without losing time to reconnoiter the place. He perceived a body of cavalry which was not far from him. He detached two hundred men from the Colonel regiment under the orders of M. de Mazel, with a squadron to support him. The latter attacked this cavalry so vigorously that he pushed them right up against the counterscarp, notwithstanding the great fire of cannon and musketry which was fired upon him from the place. On the 3d, the trenches were opened in the evening in two places. It was pushed two hundred paces from the covered way, and they began to establish several batteries. The works were carried on the following days with so much diligence, the troops being animated by the presence of the King, who went to visit them every day, that on the 6th they were in a condition to attack the covered way. The Marquis de Castelnau, at the head of his regiment, attacked it with such valor that he drove out the enemies, and made himself a good lodging there. The Governor immediately hoisted a white flag to ask for capitulation, and the hostages having been sent on both sides, the articles were signed the next day. This great place and the Fort de l'Escape only held out for four days with open trenches.

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Capture of Courtrai

While the King was occupied in the conquest of Douay, the Marshal d'Aumont had orders to besiege Courtrai; [281] he made himself master of it on the third day of the attack.

Capture of Oudenarde

He then marched to Oudenarde, which he invested on July 28, on the Scheldt side while the Count of Lillebonne with the troops of Lorraine made the investiture of the other. Marshal d'Aumont had the trench opened on the 29th on the prairie side by the regiments of Champagne and Castelnau, and had a battery of five cannon established there, while the Count of Lislebonne made another attack on his side. The next day, the 30th, ten pieces of cannon were emplaced for one attack and fourteen for the other. These batteries had such a great effect that the Governor asked to capitulate at the time that the King, who was encamped half a league away, arrived to visit the trenches; the Governor was forced to make himself a prisoner of war with his garrison, which was five hundred men. The King left a strong garrison, and appointed as Governor M. de Rochepaire, who had commanded there before the peace.

Capture of Alost

After this conquest, the King made M. de Marigny, Captain of the Guards, leave with a detachment of all the infantry corps. The latter joined a flying cavalry camp commanded by the Count of Duras: the Count presented himself in front of Alost located on the Deuze river: the bourgeois on his approach opened the gates to him.

The King then left for Compiegne, and a few days later he returned to Flanders to put into execution the project he had formed; he passed through Arras, and went to Douai, which he entered with the Queen. Their Majesties were received there in the most gallant and magnificent manner by the inhabitants of this City who wanted to show their joy at having become the subjects of so great a Prince.

Capture of Lille

The enterprise that the King meditated was the siege of Lille; an enterprise so difficult at the present juncture that M. de Turenne and M. de Louvois wanted to dissuade him; it is true that the Spaniards had made little resistance in the attack on all the places which the King had just taken from them. But as they had had time to recover from their first attack, they had taken measures to put this great City under cover; there was a brave and reputable Governor, a good garrison, provisions, munitions of war to make a strong resistance; the army of the King was greatly [282] diminished by the garrison which had been obliged to place in all the places conquered, and by the losses which had been incurred there. The Comte de Marcin, who commanded the Spanish troops in Flanders and who had been excepted from the general amnesty, had collected a body of six thousand men with whom he hoped to bring help into this place. The City of Lille was very large and needed well-extended lines to close all the avenues. These difficulties which were represented to the King were not able to prevent him from finishing such a glorious campaign, by a conquest whose difficulties and resistance would increase his glory.

All the preparations ordered for this enterprise being in order, the King detached the Marquis d'Humieres with a body of cavalry which invested this place on August 28 on one side, while the Comte de Lillebonne with the troops of Lorraine, and the Comte de Lorges closed the passages of another. The Count of Croüi was its Governor, its garrison was two thousand infantry and eight hundred horses of regular troops, not to mention a large number of townsmen who had taken up arms.

The King arrived on the 10th in front of Lille and had work done on the circumvallation lines there. By their extent they were badly furnished with troops; moreover, he learned that the Spaniards were assembling to try to throw help into the place. He therefore summoned the Marquis de Crequi with his flying camp; and hardly had he arrived than he sent him to occupy the passages by which he thought they might come.

As soon as the King arrived at the camp, he was always on horseback to secure the quarters and hasten the lines. The Count de Croüi on his side had the suburbs, which were very beautiful, burnt down, and after having made the townsmen take an oath, he saw them complimenting the King and begging him to inform them on which side his quarters were, in order to prevent them from being fired upon. His Majesty had them thanked for their civility and told him that his quarters would be in the whole camp of his army. We were occupied in perfecting the lines and in assembling all the fascines and the materials necessary for the opening of the trench, which was dug on the night of the 18th to the 19th in two places.

The King having settled that two attacks should be made, the first and the second battalion of the Gardes Francais made the opening to the right and pushed [283] the trench eight hundred paces from the Covered Way. The regiments of Picardy and Orleans mounted an attack from the left. There were many good people who remained there as volunteers. On the morning of the 19th the besiegers sallied out to attack the guards; but they were repulsed by this regiment and by the volunteers and escorted back to the covered way. A battery of twenty-five pieces of cannon was commenced that day, which was called the Royal battery. On the night of the 19th to the 20th, the third and fourth battalions of the Gardes Francais cleared the trenches to attack from the right, and the Auvergne regiment and another battalion from the left. The besiegers made a second sortie on the morning of the 20th, which succeeded no better than the first; they worked all night and all day to get the big battery ready.

On the night of the 20th to the 21st, two battalions of the Gardes Suisses mounted the trench on the right and two other battalions on the left. The large battery began to batter the place at daybreak on the 21st, and it destroyed in a short time the defenses of the place and dismounted all the batteries of the besieged except for one of four pieces of cannon which was in a mill and which killed many gunners and workers. On the 22nd, the enemy again made a sortie which first put the laborers to flight, and gave them the means of completing some headwork, but the troops of the trench having marched there, promptly made them withdraw.

The night of the 22nd to the 23rd, as well as that day, were employed in pushing the trenches that were pushed on the night of the 23rd to the glacis, and within range of attacking the covered way, and making arrangements for this action. The French Guards, the Regiments of Picardy & Orleans were commanded; they made this attack at midnight on the 25th with great vigor, and after some resistance the besieged abandoned it, and the troops lodged there. The day of the 25th was employed in extending the lodgings on which batteries were established during the night on the counterscarp to beat the demi-lune and the body of the place in breach. On the 26th the besieged sallied out with a detachment of infantry and cavalry; but they retired after a slight skirmish lest they be cut off, as the troops in the trench were preparing to do. In the evening, [284] the demi-lunes being open and the descents of the ditch being made, the two Companies of the Musketeers of the King were ordered to attack that of the right, and the French Guards that of the left; they were carried off with great valor after a very stubborn combat which cost a considerable world; but the besieged having finally been driven, good lodgings were established there, which were improved, and the communications of which were made during the night of the 26th to the 27th; which obliged the Count of Croüi to make a pounding on the 27th to ask to capitulate; the articles having been settled and signed, the garrison left on the morning of the 28th to the number of seventeen hundred infantry and eight hundred horses, who were taken to Ypres. During the course of this siege the King did not fail one day to go to the trenches; he found himself in person at the attacks of the covered way and the demi-lunes, he encouraged the troops so much by his presence and by his example, sparing neither his care nor his vigils, which they did beyond their duty, and obliged a City so great as to submit on the eighth day of the trenches. The King made his entry there on the same day as the allies left it, and received the oath of fidelity from the Magistrates and the Bourgeois to whom His Majesty granted the confirmation of their Privileges. The Marquis de Bandeville, Guidon of the Gens-d'armes d'Orléans was killed in the trench by a cannon shot.

The Cavalry Combat

As soon as Lille was surrendered, the King received news that the Comte de Marcin and the Comte de Lignes were advancing to throw help there, not knowing that this place had been in trouble. His Majesty detached the Marquis de Crequi & de Belfonds with a large body of Cavalry to join them, and having himself crossed the City of Lille he followed them with part of his Cavalry to support them; M. de Marcin hearing of this march thought he ought to avoid the fight, the more so as he had just learned that Lille had surrendered. He therefore made up his mind to retire; but the Marquis de Crequi having joined his rearguard composed of 4 squadrons, attacked it with such vigor that he defeated it entirely, while the Marquis de Belfonds, supported by the King, attacked their large corps which M. de Marcin had advance to the aid of the rear guard; he was similarly beaten; they were made in this fight fifteen [285] hundred prisoners were taken from them, and eighteen standards and five pairs of kettledrums were taken from them.

The King appointed the Marquis d'Humieres Lieutenant General as Governor of Lille and Flanders Françoise. He left the command of the troops to Monsieur de Turenne, returned to Arras to rejoin the Queen there, and thus ended such a fine campaign; it was noticed there that in executing his great projects with all the wisdom and conduct that always ensure good success, he spared no more his health than his courage, and as he knew that it was as beautiful to make himself loved as to make himself feared, in this view he caused such great order and such fine discipline to be observed by his troops in all the places he took in Flanders and even in the low country, that the Peoples found much sweetness in their change of master.

While the troops of France were occupied in the siege of Lille, the enemies seized the town of Alost which the French had abandoned. M. de Turenne marched there after the departure of the King, seized it and had it razed.

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Although the conquests of the King in Flanders put Spain in no condition to oppose their progress, His Majesty was good enough to give his hands to the mediation of some powers of Europe [286] who entered into an accommodation; he consented at the end of the year to the following propositions, which the Dutch undertook to have accepted by the Court of Spain.

His Majesty was satisfied, for the rights due to the Queen by the death of the King of Spain, (provided, however, that the Spaniards consented thereto before the month of March next) of the cession which they would make to him in good form of all the places. that the arms had occupied during the last campaign. That if the Spaniards preferred to treat with him for an exchange, His Majesty would stick to the possession of what they currently occupied in the Duchy of Luxembourg, Cambrai, & Cambresis, Douay, Aire, St. Omer, Bergues & Furnes with all their dependencies; that Charleroi, whose fortifications had been restored, would be razed; that all the other conquests not included in the first project proposed, would be restored to the Spaniards; that if they preferred to cede to Her Majesty Franche-Comté, than the Duchy of Luxembourg, She would receive the cession and the exchange; that the States General of the United Provinces, in consideration of which His Majesty had greatly diminished his pretensions, promises him to employ their offices with the Spaniards, to carry them before the end of March following the acceptance of the alternative, namely, of the cession of Luxembourg, or of Franche Comté; & that in case of refusal on the part of the Spaniards, the States would join their forces with those of the King, to oblige them to give their hands to Peace. It was not up to the Dutch that this project of accommodation should not be accepted; but the Court of Spain, having found the conditions exorbitant, preferred to see itself constrained by force, than to subscribe to them voluntarily.

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[288]

1668 – The Franche-Comté Campaign

The King having been unable to oblige Spain to come to an accommodation, and to do her justice on the pretensions of the Queen, resolved to compel them there by force of arms, and not to wait for spring to attack them. The Dutch, fearing that France would not complete the conquest of the rest of Flanders, and apprehending the neighborhood of a young and violent Prince, obliged England and Sweden to take the side of Spain, and formed their treaty which was called the Triple Alliance, the plan of which was decided on the 23rd of January, signed on the 7th of February & confirmed on the 25th of April.

Capture of Besancon

The King having resolved to march towards Franche-Comté to conquer this Province, his intention was to give the command of the troops which were to be employed there to the Prince of Condé, who since his return to France had remained in his Government of Burgundy, while M. de Turenne had distinguished himself very much in the Low Countries. M. de Louvois took umbrage at the marks of confidence and esteem that the King bestowed on this great man, doing nothing in relation to war enterprises without consulting him and deferring to his advice. This is why this Minister, supported by M. le Tellier, his father, persuaded the King to use the Prince for this expedition, on the pretext that being in Burgundy at the time, he was more within reach. It was intended thereby to create for M. de Turenne a formidable rival in a Prince who, moreover, had such a great reputation in war: the King having made this choice, sent orders to the Prince de Condé to assemble the troops which were within reach of Franche-Comté & to enter this Province.

This Prince presented himself on the 6th of February before the City of Besançon, capital of this Province located on the Doux river. When he arrived, he summoned this great city to submit to the King, the inhabitants testified first that they wanted to do so, and even to receive His Majesty; but as in an imperial city; [289] Monsieur le Prince having made them understand that their city had ceased to be an imperial city by the treaty of Munster, and that it would be preserved in all its privileges if they were not long in surrendering; they surrendered themselves to the King under no conditions the next day, and handed over to the King's troops the City and the citadel on the 6th of February.

Capture of Salins

The Duke of Luxembourg was detached at the same time to take control of Salins, whom he summoned on his arrival, and who surrendered the same day as Besancon.

The King meanwhile had left Paris; he arrived at Dijon, then went to the head of his troops and marched in front of Dol, where he arrived on the 10th of February; he immediately enjoined the Comte de Chamilly Marechal de camp to summon the Bourgeois to surrender, with a promise to preserve their privileges for them if they voluntarily submitted, with the threat of giving them no quarter if they rose again; On their reply, which was proud, the King decided to lay siege to this place in due form; he conferred with M. le Prince on the manner of attacking it, and the trench was opened on the 12th in three places and pushed forward before the attacks had reached the glacis the following two days. On the 15th, the counterscarp was attacked, which was obstinately defended, but carried with great valor by the Regiment of Guards; the Marquis de Fouvilles, Captain of this Regiment, was lost there. The next day the King who wanted to spare this City sent the Count de Grammont to represent to Parliament the necessity of surrendering, or of being exposed to the license of an army commanded by a King 'that the Victoire accompanied everything, and that His Majesty would preserve all their privileges for the inhabitants, which determined the Parliament and the City to enter into composition; they gave hostages to the Count of Grammont who led them to the King. The capitulation was signed on the 14th, and the Spanish garrison fortified it the next day.

Capture of Gray

The King after this conquest marched without wasting time before the City of Gray. The next day, the 15th, His Majesty caused the trench to be opened there. On the 16th and 17th the inhabitants, seeing that they could not resist such a strong army, asked to capitulate; the Châteaux of Joux and Sainte Anne had been attacked and taken at the same time by M. de Luxembourg whom [290] the King had detached; which made the King master of all the County which he conquered in less than a month's time and in the harshest season of the year.

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Map of French gains in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1668.

Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle

The King, before undertaking the conquest of Franche-Comté, had given notice of it to the Dutch by a letter of the 22nd of January; His Majesty pointed out to them that it was with a view to bringing the Court of Spain to peace that he had refused until then; they again employed their mediation to bring the Spaniards to the accommodation which France desired. The King promised to keep to the conditions which he had previously proposed, provided they were accepted in the month of May, and England having entered with the States-General into the guarantee of the Treaty according to the convention which went to St. Germain-en-Laye in April with these three Powers, M. de Croissy whom the King had sent to Aix-la-Chapelle where the Ministers of Spain and Holland had gone, did not find there is no difficulty in concluding the Treaty which was signed there on the 2nd of May. It contained in substance that the Most Christian King would retain the places occupied by his arms during the campaign of last year with their dependencies, affiliations & annexes in the same subjection, & with the same rights as the Catholic Kings had possessed them. before this assignment; that after the publication of the peace His Most Catholic Majesty obliged himself to withdraw the troops which were in all the places of Franche-Comté and to restore really and in good faith to the Catholic Monarch all the County of Burgundy, without reserving or retaining anything, not intending to revoke anything of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

Soli Deo Gloria!