Filters:
People: Charles Bent
Topic: Namur, Siege of
Location: Hvar Split-Dalmatia Croatia

Namur, Siege of

Years: 1692 - 1692

The Siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, is a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and is part of the French grand plan (devised over the winter of 1691–92) to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the war.

Namur, sitting on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, is a considerable fortress, and is a significant political and military asset.

French forces, guided by Vauban, force the town's surrender on June 5, but the citadel, staunchly defended by Menno van Coehoorn, manages to hold on until June 30 before capitulating, bringing an end to the 36-day siege.

Concerned that King William III plans to recapture the stronghold, King Louis XIV subsequently orders his commander-in-chief, the duc de Luxembourg, to join battle with the Allies in the field, resulting in the bloody Battle of Steenkerque on 3 August.

"Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft."

— Winston Churchill, to James C. Humes, (1953-54)