Amiens: 1597
Henry IV finally ended the seemingly endless conflicts by successfully defeating the Spanish in Picardy
Henry IV and his English mercenary allies attempt to seize this stronghold from Spain
France’s religious wars tore the country apart and these bitter civil conflicts resulted in the accession of the Protestant Henry IV to the French throne in 1589. The first Bourbon monarch had to fight the powerful ‘Catholic League’ for many years and even converted to Catholicism in 1593 in order to secure his crown. Henry’s public conversion meant that the vast majority of his Catholic subjects accepted him as king but defiant members of the League continued to oppose him with considerable Spanish support.
In early 1595 Henry discovered a Spanish plot to invade France and occupy several Atlantic ports as well as supporting Charles, Duke of Mayenne. As head of the Catholic League, Mayenne was based in Burgundy with a dwindling but defiant army but on 17 January, Henry went on the offensive and declared war on Spain. Known as the “Francospanish War” or the “Ninth War of Religion”, Henry’s declaration was a pointed gesture that transformed the remnants of the League into traitors because of their alliance with a traditional enemy of France. The war was also designed to assure suspicious Huguenots that Henry’s conversion had not bound him too closely to Catholic policies.
Despite the domestic politics, Henry’s actual war was with the Spanish. Juan Fernández de Velasco initially invaded
France from Italy with 12,000 men but Henry defeated him at the Battle of Fontainefrançaise on 6 June 1595. Pope Clement VIII then granted Henry absolution a few months later, which increased his legitimacy among his Catholic subjects.
Nevertheless between 1595-96, the Spanish achieved successes in northern France by seizing Le Catelet, Doullens, Cambrai and Calais. By early 1597, their next target was the capital of Picardy – Amiens.
From walnuts to peace
As a Catholic League stronghold, Amiens had only recently submitted to Henry who had agreed not to install a royal garrison.
The city was still used as a military depot, which made Amiens a tempting target for the nearby Spanish garrison at Doullens and a surprise attack was launched on 11 March 1597. An advance party seized the Montrescu Gate while disguised as peasants who were transporting wagons of wood and walnuts. The walnut wagon was deliberately spilled directly underneath the gate’s portcullis and in the ensuing confusion hundreds of hidden Spanish soldiers managed to break into the city.
Amiens had fallen virtually without a fight and Henry was dismayed when he heard the news in Paris. He nevertheless raised funds and ordered the construction of a siege train before sending Charles, Duke of Biron to Amiens with 3,000 men to prepare the siege. The king designed the siege works himself and placed them around the north side of Amiens to prevent more Spanish troops from arriving. Archduke Albert of Austria, Governorgeneral of the Spanish Netherlands, raised a relief force of 28,000 men but by June
1597 Henry had gathered an army of 30,000 soldiers and largely conducted the siege himself. He also had 45 siege guns in his lines although the defenders of Amiens launched a series of sorties that caused significant damage on 17 July.
The French besieged Amiens into
September when Albert advanced to relieve the garrison. By this time Mayenne had made peace with Henry and was now serving in his army. It was Mayenne who suggested that Henry fortify an important position at Longpré and as the Spanish approached the fortifications the French were able to repulse them with heavy losses.
Following this failed assault, Albert planned another attack the following day but Spanish morale was low and neither side was willing to risk a major battle outside Amiens.
Albert’s force retreated back to the
Spanish Netherlands on 16 September but the garrison held out for a further nine days until it surrendered. On 25 September Henry triumphantly entered the city on horseback while holding the royal sceptre. He granted the Spanish an honourable capitulation and 5,000 of the garrison’s soldiers filed past the king while their officers saluted him as a conqueror.
Henry’s decisive victory at Amiens eliminated the Spanish threat and enabled him to subdue Brittany where the last remnants of the Catholic League came to terms with him on 20 March 1598.
This ended the conflict and on 13 April Henry issued the Edict of Nantes, which effectively brought the French Wars of Religion to an end for the first time in 36 years.
“HENRY’S DECLARATION WAS A POINTED GESTURE THAT TRANSFORMED THE REMNANTS OF THE LEAGUE INTO TRAITORS BECAUSE OF THEIR ALLIANCE WITH A TRADITIONAL ENEMY OF FRANCE”