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The
siege of Philippsburg
was a siege of the fortress of
Philippsburg
during the
Franco-Dutch War
.
History
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]
In French hands since 1644 - with
Breisach
, it was then their only bridgehead on the east bank of the
River Rhine
and so
Vauban
had fortified it. This made it a constant threat to the
Holy Roman Empire
's west flank and at the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War it became the jumping off point for several French incursions into the Palatinate and Neckar area. The garrisons of its outlying towns of Kißlau, Schwetzingen and Bruchsal were destroyed in spring 1676 and the Empire decided to lay siege to the fortress itself.
Charles V, Duke of Lorraine
began the siege with a 40,000 strong imperial force on 23 June.
The French commander Charles de Faultrier du Fay had just under 2,800 men and a French relief effort failed, leading to du Fay's surrender on 17 September. Only 1,500 French troops survived but these were allowed to march out with full military honours. 3,000 imperial troops were put in place to garrison the fortress, which remained in Imperial hands until its French recapture in
1688
.
Citations
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References
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External links
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