The Battle of Rocroi 1643: Clash of Seventeenth Century Superpowers

The Battle of Rocroi (19 May 1643) is famous for the French victory over the Spanish Tercios. The Duc d’Enghien, only 21 years old, defeated a Spanish army commanded by Francisco de Melo. The victory has traditionally been attributed to the military genius of the young Duke, to the superiority of the French cavalry and to the decline of Spanish tactics: the Tercios were no longer invincible. Thus, the date of 1643 established a historical milestone, a paradigm shift in military history: the...