Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Besançon

Siege of Besançon was a siege conducted on 19 April 1674 at Besançon, in what is now France; it lasted 33 days. It was part of the Franco-Dutch War, which ran from 1672 to 1678. The recorded result: French victory. Recorded strength: 15,000–20,000 against 3,300 regulars; 1,500 city militia.

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Le siège de Besançon 1674 - Peintre attitré de Louis XIV - école Flamande (1674) - Louis XIV reprend la Franche-Comté et Besançon par la guerre à Charles II de Habsbourg d'Espagne après 201 ans de règ
Le siège de Besançon 1674 - Peintre attitré de Louis XIV - école Flamande (1674) - Louis XIV reprend la Franche-Comté et Besançon par la guerre à Charles II de Habsbourg d'Espagne après 201 ans de règ. Adam Frans van der Meulen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 April 1674lasted 33 days
WhereBesançon, France47.243N, 6.022E
OutcomeFrench victory
BelligerentsKingdom of FranceagainstSpain; Holy Roman Empire
Casualties and losses700–1,000andMinimal
Part ofFranco-Dutch War1672 to 1678

Where it sits in the Franco-Dutch War

Siege of Nimègue, 1672Siege of Doesburg, 1672Siege of Groenlo, 1672Siege of Coevorden, 1672Siege of Groningen, 1672Battle of Woerden, 1672Siege of Charleroi, 1672Siege of Maastricht, 1673First battle of Schooneveld, 1673Siege of Bonn in 1673, 1673Siege of Besançon, 1674Battle of Sinsheim, 1674Invasion of Martinique, 1674Battle of Seneffe, 1674Battle of Entzheim, 1674Battle of Mulhouse, 1674Battle of Turckheim, 1675Battle of Stromboli, 1675Battle of Salzbach, 1675Battle of Konzer Brücke, 1675Battle of Stromboli, 1676Battle of Augusta, 1676Siege of Philippsburg, 1676Siege of Bouchain, 1676Battle of Palermo, 1676Siege of Maastricht, 1676Siege of Valenciennes, 1677First Battle of Tobago, 1677Siege of Saint-Omer, 1677Siege of Cambrai, 1677Battle of Cassel, 1677Battle of San Leonardello, 1677Siege of Freiburg, 1677Second Battle of Tobago, 1677Action of 1678, 1678Siege of Ypres, 1678Battle of Rheinfelden, 1678Battle of Saint-Denis, 167816721678Siege of Besançon, 1674
39 placed engagements of the Franco-Dutch War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 April 1674
to 22 May 1674
PlaceBesançon, France
47.243N, 6.022E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength15,000–20,0003,300 regulars; 1,500 city militia
Casualties and losses700–1,000Minimal
Commanders
  • Charles Henri, Prince of Commercy
Siege of BesançonSiege of BesançonBattle of BesançonBattle of DournonSiege of Sainte-AnneFight at PesmesSiege of PesmesBattle of BesançonBattle of DournonSiege of Sainte-AnneFight at PesmesGenevaBaselLausanneFreiburgLuzernMulhouseTroyesRoanne100 km47.243N, 6.022E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1674

Siege of Besançon is one of 1,553 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 1,495 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3485843, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Besançon, revision 1370739559, 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.