Siege of Namur
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The siege of Namur refers to a number of sieges throughout history of the Belgian city of Namur.
The city and citadel of Namur has, at all times, held a strategic position in the heart of Europe. First of all as a command centre of an important earldom in the Middle Ages, it was then besieged by all the Great Powers of Europe between the 15th and 19th century.
Most noteworthy are the sieges 1692 and 1695.
In 1692 Louis XIV moved to take Namur, taking personal command of the army. An additional force under Marshal Luxembourg covered the siege. The king's chief engineer, Vauban was responsible for the siege operations.
The Citadel of Namur fell June 30, 1692 following a month long siege. The garrison, commanded by Coehoorn, capitulated and marched out with the honours of war.
Vauban added more structures to the Citadel, but to no avail. For in 1695 William III of Orange and Coehoorn recaptured the place for the Allies after a siege which lasted two months. Boufflers only surrendered to his besiegers after he had lost 8,000 of his 13,000 men. The allies lost more than 12,000 men at the siege.
[edit] The main sieges, from the 15th to the 20th century.
- 1488 The people of Namur against the States of Burgundy.
- 1577 Don John takes the Citadel by surprise.
- 1692 by the French (Louis XIV and Vauban).
- 1695 by the Allies (Dutch + English + Brandenburgers + …).
- 1746 by the French.
- 1792 by the French.
- 1794 by the French.
- 1830 by the Belgian revolutionaries.
- 1914 by the Germans
