Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, early modern

Battle of Valenciennes

Battle of Valenciennes was a siege conducted on 18 May 1656 at Valenciennes, in what is now France; it lasted 59 days. It was part of the Franco-Spanish War, which ran from 1635 to 1659. The recorded result: Spanish victory. Recorded strength: 24,000–30,000 against 22,000.

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Siege of Valenciennes in 1656
Siege of Valenciennes in 1656. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought18 May 1656lasted 59 days
WhereValenciennes, France50.358N, 3.523E
OutcomeSpanish victory
BelligerentsKingdom of FranceagainstSpain
Part ofFranco-Spanish War1635 to 1659

Where it sits in the Franco-Spanish War

Siege of Hirson, 1636Siege of Le Catelet, 1636Siege of La Capelle, 1636Crossing of the Somme, 1636First siege of Corbie, 1636Siege of Leucate, 1637Battle of Mombaldone, 1637Siege of Breme, 1638Siege of Fuenterrabía, 1638Battle of Getaria, 1638Battle of Vado, 1638Battle of Santoña Bay, 1639Battle of Cádiz, 1640Sieges of Aire-sur-la-Lys, 1641Battle of La Marfée, 1641Battle of Honnecourt, 1642Battle of Barcelona, 1642Battle of Rocroi, 1643Siege of Thionville, 1643Siege of Cartagena, 1643Battle of Cartagena, 1643Siege of Roses, 1645Battle of Orbetello, 1646Battle of Charenton, 1649Action of 23 November 1650, 1650Bataille de Rethel-Beaulieu, 1650Capture of the galleon Lion Couronné, 1651Siege of Conhac, 1651Siege of Étampes, 1652Battle of the Faubourg St Antoine, 1652Siege of Mouzon, 1653Battle of Bordeaux, 1653Battle of Bordils, 1653Capture of Fort Rocher, 1654Battle of Arras, 1654Siege of Pavia, 1655Battle of Valenciennes, 1656Siege of Alessandria (1657), 1657Siege of Dunkirk, 1658Siege of Bergues, 165816361658Battle of Valenciennes, 1656
40 placed engagements of the Franco-Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date18 May 1656
to 16 July 1656
PlaceValenciennes, France
50.358N, 3.523E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength24,000–30,00022,000
Casualties and losses6,000
Commanders
Battle of ValenciennesBattle of ValenciennesSiege of ValenciennesSiege of ValenciennesSiege of ValenciennesBattle of Valenciennesduel of ValenciennesSiege of ValenciennesBrusselsLilleAntwerpenRouenReimsBruggeAmiensCalais100 km50.358N, 3.523E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between 1455 and 1918.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1656

Battle of Valenciennes is one of 1,470 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q716922, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Valenciennes (1656), revision 1372289367, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.