Battle of Lens 1648: Condé Beats the Spanish

The Battle of Lens marked the climax of a decade-long war between France and Spain. Both nations were exhausted after years of conflict across Spain, France, Flanders, Italy, and Germany. The struggle would culminate in a pitched battle near the city of Lens, Flanders, in the summer of 1648.

By 1648, the Spanish had neutralized the Dutch, allowing them to focus on a major offensive against the French, who had long occupied key cities in Flanders. The newly appointed governor, Archduke Leopold William, brother of Emperor Ferdinand III of Habsburg, took command of an army of nearly 20,000 troops. Opposing him was the Prince of Condé, a skilled leader who inspired resilience in his forces.

Both armies engaged in strategic marches and counter marches, attempting to outmanoeuvre each other and capture key cities. Condé successfully took Ypres, but the Archduke seized Lens. Condé rushed to reclaim the city but arrived too late. However, all was not lost for France - ever the strategist, Condé boldly deployed his army on the open plain, determined to decide not only the fate of the campaign but also his own prestige and the outcome of the war.