THIRTY YEARS’ WAR FRENCH

Cardinal-Infante. This was, however, weathered with some difficulty.

In this early stage of France’s involvement, its only really effective army was the mercenary German army of Bernhard von Sachsen-Weimar operating within Germany on the Rhine.

With most of France’s war now taking place on its own soil, there were additional financial hardships to be faced by the people. Richelieu had banked on the war being fought outside of France, where the armies could be billeted and obtain supplies from the local, enemy, populations, as was the norm in the Thirty Years’ War, and so remove this burden from the state. As this proved impossible, in addition to the manpower needed to keep the armies up to strength, large sums of money were needed to pay them and Bernhard’s army, which could only be obtained by additional taxation and loans.

Despite the heavy financial burden, the French managed to maintain armies on three or more fronts simultaneously, including opening a southern theatre of war by invading Spain itself to draw resources away from the Low Countries. In addition, the prolonged fighting toughened the French armies and brought through a number of talented generals, the chief amongst whom

were Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, and Louis II Bourbon, Prince de Condé. It was then Duc d’ Enghien (he Prince de Condé on his death in 1646), who beat veteran Spanish Army of Flanders at Rocroi in 1643.This victory, whilst over-rated in French mythology, was a significant moment in the

French officer

development of the French army, and probably marks the beginning of the ascendancy of France over Spain on the battlefield.

By the mid-1640s French armies were starting to campaign in Germany on a regular basis. Firstly that of Turenne, who had taken command of the Armee d’Allemagne, based around the Bernhardine troops which had transferred to French service on the death of Sachsen-Weimar, and then also armies under Condé.These beat the Imperialists in the battles of Freiburg in 1644 and Allerheim (also known as the second Battle of Nördlingen) in 1645, although both were bloody affairs, with the French losing huge numbers of casualties. Condé, especially, was very cavalier with the lives of his troops, although he always shared their dangers, leading from the front.Turenne was more sparing with their lives, but often had to serve under Condé who, being a Prince of the blood, outranked him.

In 1642 Richelieu, the architect of France’s policy for the war, died and was followed in 1643, five days before the battle of Rocroi, by Louis XIII. The new king, his son Louis XIV, was a minor aged five. His mother, Anne of Austria, became regent. Control of policy was effectively in the hands of Richelieu’s successor, the Italian Cardinal Mazarin. Despite the change of regime, there was no change in French policy.

In 1648 the Peace of Westphalia brought the Thirty Years’ War to a close. However, it did not include the French war with Spain, which was to continue for another decade. Also, just as the Peace of Westphalia was being signed, a series of civil wars known as the Frondes broke out in France.

This list covers French armies from the entry of the French into the mainstream of the Thirty Years’ War in 1635 until the Peace of Westphalia and the outbreak of the Frondes in 1648.

BUILDING A CUSTOMISED LIST

USING OUR ARMY POINTS

Choose an army based on the maxima and minima in the list below. The following special instructions apply to this army:

•Commanders should be depicted as Chevaux-légers.

•If any regimental guns are used at least as

many Superior battle groups must have them as Average battle groups.

•Battle groups without pike are not allowed regimental guns.

•Superior quality infantry, Horse or Determined Horse cannot be used with Catalan War special campaigns options.

•Catalan tercios do not count as tercios as defined in the rule book.