Page 53 - History of War - Issue 25-16

ROCROI

The French and Spanish arranged their
armies in almost identical formations
on marshy ground near Rocroi

“THE FATIGUED FRENCH TWICE ATTACKED THE SQUARES, BUT BOTH
ASSAULTS ACHIEVED NOTHING BUT BLOODSHED”

efeated, but with their
g stopped, the time was
hough the substantial Spanish
t of 6,000 men had appeared near
tleield, they wisely stayed away as
uld see that the battle was lost.
roi had been a bloody encounter with
iicant casualties. The Spanish lost 7-8,000
en dead or wounded with another 7,000 taken
prisoner, while the French lost about 4,000
troops or more. Though the clash did not end
, the Thirty Years’ War, in the short term France
he was saved from invasion. For the French, it was
rally a highly symbolic victory as it was one of the few Images: Alamy, Jose Cabrera, Corbis, Mary Evans
his major battleield defeats of a Spanish army in
ish could more than a century. The defeat of the tercios in
and retain their particular was regarded as a great triumph – the
esumptuous Spanish could never replace their elite infantry,
e Melo to make for and after Rocroi, Spain became a declining
commander of the power for the rest of the war. It was now the
in no position to bargain French who would dominate European affairs.

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