Battle of Lens
1648 CE.
Shown on the map at 50.432°, 2.833°.
The Battle of Lens (20 August 1648) was the last major battle of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). A French force commanded by Louis, Grand Condé defeated a Spanish army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. The battle cemented the reputation of Condé as one of the greatest generals of his age. Over the four years following the decisive French victory at Rocroi against the Spanish Army of Flanders, the French captured dozens of towns throughout northern France and the Spanish Netherlands. Archduke Leopold Wilhelm was appointed governor of the Spanish Netherlands in 1647 to strengthen Spain's Habsburg alliance with Austria, and began a major counteroffensive the same year. The Spanish army first found success recapturing the fortresses of Armentières, Comines and Landrecies. The Prince de Condé was recalled from a failed campaign in Catalonia against the Spanish and appointed commander of the 16,000-man French army opposite the Spanish army of the Archduke and General Jean de Beck, the governor of Luxembourg. Condé captured Ypres but then the 18,000-strong Spanish-German force laid siege to Lens.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Lens, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.