ROCROI, a town of northern France, in the department of Ardennes, 22 m. N.N.W. of Charleville by rail, and within 2 M. of the Belgian frontier. Pop. (1931) 914. The place, originally called Croix-de-Rau or Rau Croix, was fortified in the 16th cen tury and besieged by the imperialists in 1555• Invested by the Spaniards in 1643, it was relieved by Louis II., the duke of Enghien (afterwards the Great Conde). Captured in 1658 by the same duke for Spain, it was not restored to France till the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659. In 1815 Rocroi was besieged by the allies. As a fortified place Rocroi commands the Ardennes plateau between the valley of the Meuse and the headwaters of the Oise. The present fortifications, constructed by Vauban, form a penta gon and entirely close in the town.
1643 (see THIRTY YEARS' WAR) the Spaniards, under Melo, invading France through the Ardennes, laid siege to Rocroi. The town lay in a small plain, surrounded by woods and marshes, and could only be approached through a narrow defile. Contrary to the advice of his cautious lieutenant, Marshal de 1'Hopital, the young duc d'Enghien, later known as prince de Conde (q.v.), though his army was inferior, decided to attack the Spaniards before the town. Either taken by surprise or deliberately courting battle, Melo omitted to block the defile and Enghien, covered by a vigorous display of cavalry under the dashing Gassion, led his army through it in safety and formed up on a low ridge facing the Spanish lines. His infantry, commanded by Espenan, was in the centre, cavalry under Gassion on the right, cavalry under la Ferte on the left, a small reserve under Sirot in rear-altogether 16,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry, with 12 guns. The Spanish army, now concentrated on a parallel ridge facing the French, was similarly organized, 18,000 infantry in the centre under the veteran Fontaine, cavalry on the right under Isembourg, on the left under Albuquerque-27,000 men and 18 guns. Melo also expected a reinforcement of 6,000 men under Beck. Evening was approaching when la Ferte, wishing to out shine the more favoured Gassion, suddenly led his wing forward without orders, designing, perhaps, to throw a relief into Rocroi. Enghien instantly ordered him back, and Melo surprisingly allowed him to return untouched. Night fell without further action. On May 19 the French army stood to arms at 3 A.M., Enghien, like Henry of Navarre, donning a hat adorned with white plumes instead of an armoured helmet. A deserter had reported that a battalion of musketeers was in ambush in a wood on the French right. Enghien sent a regiment of infantry to dislodge them, while cavalry, moving round behind the wood, caught them as they retired and cut them to pieces. Relieved of this danger, Enghien set himself to his main task. He himself led eight squadrons against Albuquerque's front, while Gassion with a similar force attacked his left flank. Albuquerque's force melted away before the simultaneous onslaught, and Enghien, ordering Gassion to pursue, swung his own squadrons against the left of the Spanish infantry. Meanwhile la Ferte, though ordered not to commit himself till the right attack had developed favourably, had again disobeyed. He led a ragged attack against Isembourg,
was completely defeated, himself and his guns captured, while his men fled, hotly pursued by the Spaniards. Fortunately Sirot's reserve stood firm and threw off Isembourg's attack. Espenan also had advanced against the Spanish infantry, but seeing la Ferte's disaster, drew off. At this critical moment Enghien with his cavalry struck the second line of Spanish infantry in the rear and, dispersing them, swept on to attack Isembourg's victorious cavalry. Taken completely by surprise, Isembourg's men fled, leaving their own and la Ferte's captured guns in Enghien's hands. There now remained only the front line of the Spanish infantry, the famous tercios viejos, standing in square upon the ridge. Beck, however, was approaching and the battle might yet be lost ; col lecting horse and foot Enghien led them to the attack. The Spaniards stood motionless till the French were within 5o paces; then the front face of the square opened and 18 guns belched death at the oncoming French; crashing musketry joined their roar and the attackers fell back with terrible loss. Twice Enghien renewed the attack, only to be beaten off, but the Spanish ammu nition was running low, their losses were heavy, the recaptured French guns were brought into action, Sirot came up with his reserve and Gassion from his pursuit. Realizing that further resistance was hopeless, the Spanish officers signalled their desire for quarter ; Eng:,ien stepped forward to receive their surrender, but the Spanish infantry, misunderstanding his intention, opened fire upon him. Infuriated at this apparent treachery, the French hurled themselves upon the square and, overwhelming it, massa cred the gallant Spaniards almost to a man. Beck, warned of his danger, retreated and the victory was complete. The price of it was 2,000 Frenchmen killed and as many wounded, but 8,000 Spaniards lay dead upon the field, and 7,000 more, nearly all wounded, were prisoners in the hands of the French. Rocroi marked the beginning of the long period of French military glory which was ended only by Marlborough and Eugene.
(1857-191o), French-Swiss novelist, was born at Nyon, in Switzerland, on March 31, 1857. He studied at Lausanne and Berlin, and in 1878 found his way to Paris. In 1881 he dedicated his novel, Palmyre Veulard, to Zola, of whom he was at this period a disciple. A series of novels of similar tendency followed. In La Course a la mort (1885) he turned to the analysis of moral motives. He is at his best in presenting cases of conscience, the struggle between passion and duty, and the virtues of renunciation. Le Sens de la vie (1889), one of his most famous books, is in the nature of a complement to La Course a la mort. Of his many later works, La Vie privee de Michel Teissier (1893), translated as The Private Life of an Eminent Politician (1893) is justly famous. He was an ardent student of Rousseau, and his play Le Reformateur (1906), is based on an episode in Rousseau's life. He died in January 1910.