In Dec. 1641 there began at Munster and Osnabruck in West phalia the peace negotiations which, after eight more years of spasmodic fighting, were to close this ruinous war. In 1642 Tors tensson crossed the Elbe and besieged Leipzig. The imperialist army, which was joined by the Saxons when their country was again the theatre of war, marched to the rescue. But Torstens son defeated them with enormous loss in the second battle of Breitenfeld (Nov. 2, 1642). But, although the Austrians feared an advance on Vienna itself, the victors waited for the fall of Leipzig and then took up winter quarters. The Bavarians had advanced into the lower Rhine region in order to support, in concert with the Belgian army of Spain, a fresh outbreak in France (Cinq-Mars' conspiracy). But the Spanish were at tacked and defeated before the Bavarians came up, at Hulst (Jan. 17), whereupon the Bavarians took shelter under the guns of the fortress of Julich.
On the northern frontier of France, Harcourt, the brilliant com mander of the Italian army, failed to prevent the Spaniards from capturing Lens and La Bassee, and another army was defeated and routed at Honnecourt (May 26). The Spaniards in the Milanese lost fresh ground. Louis XIII. himself conquered Roussillon. Richelieu crushed the conspiracy of Cinq-Mars by executing its leaders, and Marshal de la Motte-Houdencourt held Catalonia and defeated Leganez at Lerida (Oct. 7th).
The Due d'Enghien.—Bef ore the next campaign opened, Louis and Richelieu were dead. One of the last acts of the king was to designate the young duc d'Enghien, son of the incapable Conde, general of his northern army. It was no small matter to put in command a youth of 21, who might prove not merely in experienced but also incompetent. But Enghien's victory was destined to be the beginning for the French army of a long hege mony of military Europe. Melo, the Spanish general, had selected the Meuse route for his advance on Paris. On it he would meet only the places of Rocroi and Rethel. The young duke learned at the same moment that Louis XIII. was dead and that the Spaniards had invested Rocroi. With the resolution and swift ness which was to mark his whole career, he marched at once to offer them battle, though all the generals of the old school were for delay. The battle took place on May 19, 1643, in a plain before Rocroi. Melo's cavalry was routed, and nearly all the infantry, the best regiments in the Spanish army, stood their ground and were annihilated.
But even Rocroi, under the existing conditions of warfare, was decisive only in so far as, by the destruction of Spain's superiority in Belgium, it saved France from further danger from the north. The thorough establishment of the French on the Rhine and the need of co-operating with the Swedes were considered by the young general to be more important than fighting Melo in front of Brussels, and in spite of the protests of the Regent and Mazarin, he decided to attack Thionville. Taking a leaf out of Melo's
book, he threatened Brussels in order to draw all the defenders thither, and then suddenly turned eastward. Enghien arrived on June 18, and on Aug. 8, Thionville surrendered.
Beyond the Rhine Guebriant was mortally wounded in the siege of Rottweil, and Rantzau, taking over the command, allowed himself to be surprised in the act of dispersing into winter-quar ters, and was defeated at Tiittlingen on the headwaters of the Danube (Nov. In the East the campaign had as usual turned more upon sub sistence than upon military operations. Torstensson swept through Bohemia and Moravia, his steps dogged through the devastated country by Gallas, until he reached Briinn. Thence, however, he suddenly retreated to the shores of the Baltic. For Christian of Denmark had declared war on Sweden, and threatened to isolate the Swedish forces in Germany. Torstensson, therefore, wintered in Holstein. In Italy and Spain there was no event of any im portance.
In 5644 Gaston of Orleans began the conquest of the Dunkirk region in July, and Melo, having no army to oppose him, re mained inactive. In Italy there happened nothing serious, while in Spain La Motte-Houdencourt lost Lerida, and was imprisoned by Mazarin in consequence. But the Rhine campaign is memor able for the first appearance of Turenne at the head of an army and for the terrible battle of Freiburg.
Freiburg.—In Suabia Mercy's Bavarians were left to oppose Turenne, who spent the first months of the year in restoring dis cipline and confidence in the shaken Weimar army. But Mercy was still considerably superior in strength, and, repulsing Turenne's first inroad into the Black Forest, besieged Freiburg. Turenne made one cautious attempt at relief, then waited for reinforce ments. These came in the shape of Enghien's army, and Enghien as a prince of the blood took over the supreme command. But both armies together numbered hardly 17,000 men when Enghien and Turenne united at Breisach on Aug. 2. On the 3rd they crossed the Rhine and attacked Mercy's position, which was of great natural and artificial strength, in front and flank. Three separate battles, which cost the Bavarians one-third of their force and the French no less than half of theirs, ended in Mercy's re treat (see FREIBURG) on Aug. 1o. Enghien did not follow him into the mountains, but proceeded to the methodical conquest of the middle Rhine fortresses, leaving Turenne and the Weimar army at Spire.