Historical Context
On June 14, 1658, in Dunkirk, one of the most important battles of the Spanish-French War (1635-1659), known as the Battle of the Dunes, was fought. This conflict pitted an allied Anglo-French army, led by Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, against the Tercio de Flandes of the Spanish monarchy, commanded by John Joseph of Austria. This battle was decisive to determine the final outcome of the war.
The Development of the Battle
The Hispanics, who went to Dunkirk to help the square besieged by the Anglo-French army, arrived exhausted and without artillery. Instead, the Anglo-French, who had been stationed in front of the walls of Dunkirk for weeks, appeared on the battlefield in full condition. After two hours of intense fighting in the dunes of Leffinckoucke, the battle was decided in favor of the Anglo-French. The Hispanics suffered heavy losses, with 6,000 troops killed or captured, representing 40% of their army.
Consequences of the Battle
The Battle of the Dunes was a disaster for the Hispanics and marked the end of the supremacy of the Hispanic Tercios on the battlefields and in the occupied countries. This defeat was one of many that the Tercios had suffered in Flanders and Catalonia for decades, imposing a landscape of terror and suffering among the civilian population. In addition, the result of this battle had a significant impact in the international context, since it marked the relief in the continental leadership of the Hispanic monarchy in favor of the French monarchy.
The End of the Spanish-French War
A year and a half after the Battle of the Dunes, on November 7, 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed between the chancelleries of Madrid and Paris. This treaty put an end to the Spanish-French War and meant the mutilation of Catalonia, as well as the transfer of the continental leadership of the Spanish monarchy in favor of the French monarchy.