The crossing enabled Spanish and Imperial forces to threaten Paris by capturing the fortress of Corbie, spreading panic across the French capital.
Key Facts
- Date
- 5 August 1636
- River crossed
- Somme, near Bray-sur-Somme
- Subsequent objective
- Fortress of Corbie, two leagues upriver of Amiens
- Allied commander
- Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano
- French commander
- Louis de Bourbon, Count of Soissons
- Effect on Paris
- Widespread panic among the population
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Franco-Spanish War and the broader Thirty Years' War, the Spanish Army of Flanders and allied Imperial forces launched an offensive into French territory in 1636, seeking to press Spain's strategic advantage against France and advance toward Paris.
On 5 August 1636, allied Spanish and Imperial troops under Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, lieutenant of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, crossed the Somme river at Bray-sur-Somme despite fierce resistance from French forces commanded by Louis de Bourbon, Count of Soissons, successfully driving the French back toward the Oise river.
Following the crossing, the allied army invested the strategically vital fortress of Corbie near Amiens over the ensuing weeks. The fall of this stronghold alarmed the French court and spread widespread panic among the population of Paris, exposing the vulnerability of the French heartland to Spanish attack.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria.
Side B
1 belligerent
Louis de Bourbon, Count of Soissons.