Battle of Cassel (1677)

Battle of Cassel
Part of Franco-Dutch War
Battle of Cassel, April 1677
Date 11 April 1677 Location Cassel, France Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Dutch Republic Spain
Commanders and leaders
Duke of Luxembourg Philippe of Orléans Duke of Humières	William of Orange Count Waldeck Prince of Nassau-Usingen
Strength
30,000–35,000[1][2]	30,000–35,000[3][4]
Casualties and losses
3,200–4,400 dead or wounded[5]	7,000–8,000 dead or wounded[1][5] 2,500–3,000 captured[1][5]

The Battle of Cassel, also known as the Battle of Peene, took place on 11 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Cassel, 15 km (9 mi) west of Saint-Omer. A French army commanded by the duc de Luxembourg defeated a combined Dutch–Spanish force under William of Orange.

At the start of 1677, peace negotiations opened at Nijmegen; France already held most of the positions in the Spanish Netherlands that Louis XIV of France considered necessary for a defensible border. This would be completed by taking St-Omer and Cambrai, which he wanted to capture as soon as possible, allowing him to negotiate from a position of strength. While William could not save St-Omer, he was determined to fight for Cambrai, leading to the battle outside Cassel.

After initial cavalry attacks by both sides were repulsed, a fierce struggle began between the two sets of infantry. The French infantry on the right drove back the Dutch left, which was then scattered by a French cavalry assault. Meanwhile, an Allied attack launched from their own right was fended off by the French left. In the centre, the Dutch nearly broke through the French lines, before being thrown back by a cavalry charge led by Philippe of Orléans. His flanks crumbling, in late afternoon William ordered a retreat.

Although the French missed an opportunity for a rout by delaying their pursuit to plunder the Allies' abandoned baggage, Cassel was one of the most comprehensive victories of the war. Saint-Omer and Cambrai surrendered shortly afterwards, followed by a number of other towns.