Siege of Namur (1692)

Siege of Namur (1692)
Part of the Nine Years' War
Siege of Namur, June 1692 by Martin Jean-Baptiste le vieux
Date 25 May–30 June, 1692 Location Namur, Spanish Netherlands (Present-day Belgium) 50°28′N 04°52′E / 50.467°N 4.867°E / 50.467; 4.867 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Spain  Holy Roman Empire  Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
King Louis XIV Marquis de Vauban Duc de Boufflers	Duke of Barbançon Menno van Coehoorn
Strength
120,000 151 guns	~6,000
Casualties and losses
7,000 killed or wounded	4,000 killed or wounded

The Siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and was part of the French grand plan (devised over the winter of 1691–92) to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the war. Namur, sitting on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, was a considerable fortress, and was a significant political and military asset. French forces, guided by Vauban, forced the town's surrender on 5 June, but the citadel, staunchly defended by Menno van Coehoorn, managed to hold on until 30 June before capitulating, bringing an end to the 36-day siege. Concerned that King William III planned to recapture the stronghold, King Louis XIV subsequently ordered his commander-in-chief, the duc de Luxembourg, to join battle with the Allies in the field, resulting in the bloody Battle of Steenkerque on 3 August.

As in 1691, five large armies were created for the five major fronts of the war: Flanders, the Moselle, the Rhine, Piedmont, and Roussillon. To these was added a further force in Flanders to attack what was to be France’s major goal for 1692, the important Sambre–Meuse fortress of Namur. The capture of the fortress would not only give control of the vicinity to France, but it might also inspire the Dutch to make peace; if its capture did not lead to immediate talks, however, it would nevertheless be an important pawn at any future negotiations.

To deter William from marching to the town’s relief, Louis arranged for a simultaneous landing in England to assist King James II in his attempt to regain his throne. This force consisted of 12,000 Catholic Irish troops, released after the conclusion of the Irish war under the terms of the Treaty of Limerick, supported by a similar number of French troops. However, an essential preliminary to the invasion was the acquisition of naval supremacy in the English Channel.

...
Wikipedia