Siege of Le Catelet (1636)

Siege of Le Catelet
Part of the Franco-Spanish War
Date 2–5 July 1636 Location Le Catelet, France Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Maréchal de Châtillon	Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Siege of Le Catelet (1636) is a siege that took place from July 2 to the 5th of July. A Spanish army led by Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand would capture the fortress in only three days, the fastest siege within the 1636 campaign. This siege is a leadup to the Crossing of the Somme campaign led by Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand and his Imperial allies.

Le Catelet was one of the strongest fortresses in France. It had surrounding artillery batteries and a multitude of redoubts. It was an extremely well-fortified position with a large garrison, yet, it fell in Spanish hands within just three days. This would be largely accredited to the exploding shells used by the Spanish army, a recent innovation yet unfamiliar to the French. The garrison thereafter was forced into a surrender from heavy artillery fire submission. This siege would lead to a chain of events within the 1636 campaign which saw Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand succeed in a variety of areas and most importantly, help launch the upcoming Crossing of the Somme campaign.

The worrying advance of the Cardinal-Infante would alert Louis XIII, forcing him to return to Paris to face the Spanish threat.

See also

• Siege of Le Catelet (1595)

References

• Israel, Jonathan Irvine (1997). Conflicts of empires: Spain, the low countries and the struggle for world supremacy, 1585-1713. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 1-85285-161-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=1I5siIARE8kC.