The siege of Dunkirk in 1658 was a military operation by France and the Commonwealth of England intended to capture the fortified port city of Dunkirk, Spain's greatest privateering base, from a Spanish garrison strengthened with English Royalists and French Fronduers. Dunkirk (Dutch for 'Church in the dunes') was a strategic port on the southern coast of the English Channel in the Spanish Netherlands that had often been a point of contention previously and had changed hands a number of times. Privateers operating out of Dunkirk and other ports had cost England some 1,500 to 2,000 merchant ships in the past year. The French and their English Commonwealth allies were commanded by Marshal of France Turenne. The siege would last a month and featured numerous sorties by the garrison and a determined relief attempt by the Spanish army under the command of Don Juan of Austria and allied English Royalists led by Duke of York and rebels of the French Fronde under the Great Condé that resulted in the battle of the Dunes.
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Siege of Dunkirk (1658) in the context of Early modern warfare
Early modern warfare is the era of warfare during early modern period following medieval warfare. It is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive, including artillery and firearms; for this reason the era is also referred to as the age of gunpowder warfare (a concept introduced by Michael Roberts in the 1950s).
Fortification techniques evolved rapidly due to the development of artillery. Firearms revolutionized warfare, diminishing the role of aristocracies and heavy cavalry. Early firearms, like arquebuses and muskets, gradually replaced bows and crossbows, leading to the introduction and decline of plate armor as firearms became more effective. Flintlock muskets became dominant by the 1690s, and the invention of the bayonet combined pikes and muskets, transforming infantry into the most crucial military force. Warfare also saw a shift towards larger armies and more devastating conflicts. The rise of centralized states and bureaucracies supported the new, massive armies, while the use of mercenaries declined. Military formations adapted to these changes. Infantry relied on columns, lines, and squares for battle, while cavalry transitioned to lighter roles focused on scouting and flanking. Despite the decline in heavy cavalry's dominance, cavalry charges remained effective under specific conditions, particularly against undisciplined infantry. The Age of Sail (usually dated as 1571–1862) was a period roughly corresponding to the early modern period and gunpowder dominated the era's naval tactics, including the use of gunpowder in naval artillery.
Siege of Dunkirk (1658) in the context of The Battle of the Dunes
The Battle of the Dunes (French: La Bataille des Dunes) is an 1837 history painting by the French artist Charles-Philippe Larivière. It depicts the Battle of the Dunes, fought on 21 June 1658 outside Dunkirk. It was one of the final actions of the long-running Franco-Spanish War, ending in a decisive victory for the French and their English Republican allies. As British Royalist exiles fought alongside the defeated Spanish, it also functioned as one of the final clashes of the War of the Three Kingdoms. The painting portrays the Anglo-French commander, the Viscount of Turenne, leading a charge. In the distance is the besieged Dunkrik.
The painting was ordered in 1836 by Louis Philippe I for the newly restored Palace of Versailles. Louis Philippe commissioned a number of works glorifying French history. It was exhibited at the Salon of 1837 at the Louvre in Paris. Today it hangs in the Galerie des Batailles at Versailles.
Siege of Dunkirk (1658) in the context of Battle of the Dunes (1658)
The Battle of the Dunes (French: Bataille des Dunes, Spanish: Batalla de las Dunas), also known as the Battle of Dunkirk, took place on 14 June 1658, near the strategic port of Dunkirk in what was then the Spanish Netherlands. Part of the Franco-Spanish War and concurrent Anglo-Spanish War, a French army under Turenne, supported by troops from the Commonwealth of England, had besieged Dunkirk. Led by John Joseph of Austria and Louis, Grand Condé, a Spanish force supported by the Royalist Army in Exile and French Fronde rebels attempted to raise the siege but suffered a severe defeat.
Despite this victory, both the French and Spanish were financially exhausted by the long running war and negotiated the Treaty of the Pyrenees in November 1659. England retained possession of Dunkirk until 1662 when the port was sold to France by Charles II.