Battle of Saint-Denis French history [1678] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Saint-Denis-1678 Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Saint-Denis-1678 Feedback Written by Jacob F. Field Jacob F. Field is an early modern historian based at the University of Cambridge. Jacob F. Field Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 16, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents

　　William III See all media Date: August 14, 1678 (Show more) Location: Belgium Mons (Show more) Participants: Dutch Republic France Spain (Show more) Context: Dutch War Treaties of Nijmegen (Show more) Key People: François-Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duke de Luxembourg William III (Show more) See all related content → Battle of Saint-Denis, the last battle of the Franco-Dutch War, fought on August 14, 1678, just days after the Dutch and France had signed a peace treaty. France had not made peace with Spain, so when France besieged Mons, in what is now Belgium, a Dutch-Spanish army engaged in battle. France triumphed, but was forced to abandon the siege.

　　The war had gone well for the French after the Battle of Agosta in 1676, and peace negotiations had begun that year. On August 10, 1678, the Dutch and the French made peace by signing the Treaties of Nijmegen. France had delayed making peace with Spain so it could capture Spanish-held Mons. The Dutch military commander, Prince William of Orange (later William III, king of England), was eager that France should not gain such a strategically important town. So, despite having knowledge of the recent peace, William marched toward the French army of Marshal François-Henri, Duke of Luxembourg, which was blockading Mons.

　　Dutch War Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Anglo-Dutch Wars July 8, 1652 - April 1654; March 1665 - July 1667; 1672 - 1674; December 20, 1780 - May 1784

　　Siege of Maastricht June 6, 1673 - July 1, 1673

　　Battle of Saint-Denis August 14, 1678 keyboard_arrow_right Luxembourg moved to challenge Orange and entrenched his army in two positions: in the abbey of Saint-Denis and in Castean, a ruined fortress. When battle started on August 14, the Dutch-Spanish army made good early progress and captured both French positions. During the fighting, two bullets pierced William’s armor, but he was not seriously injured. The French managed to recover their ground and force the allies back to their starting positions after eight hours of battle. Only determined resistance from 8,000 English and Scottish troops fighting for the allies prevented William’s army from being encircled completely. The next morning, Luxembourg decided to raise the siege, and his army withdrew back to France. William had not secured a victory, but his action had saved Mons from capture. France and Spain made peace the next month.

　　Losses: Dutch-Spanish allied, 4,000 of 45,000; French, 4,000.