Key Facts
- Duration
- June – September 1638 (~3 months)
- French force size
- 27,000 men plus warships
- Shells fired
- 16,000 into the walled city
- Survivors in city
- ~300, mostly women and children
- Relief date
- 7 September 1638
- Annual commemoration
- Alarde parade, 8 September
Strategic Narrative Overview
A French army of 27,000 men commanded by Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, Bernard de La Valette, and Admiral Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis besieged the city for roughly two months. French forces fired approximately 16,000 shells into Hondarribia, reducing it to near ruin and leaving only about 300 survivors inside the walls. Despite massive bombardment and overwhelming numbers, the garrison refused to surrender, holding out until relief arrived.
01 / The Origins
The siege arose from the broader Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), itself a theatre of the Thirty Years' War. France, under Cardinal Richelieu, sought to weaken Habsburg Spain by attacking its territories along the Pyrenean frontier. Hondarribia, a fortified Basque city on the Bay of Biscay, was a strategically important coastal gateway into Spain, making it a prime target for a French offensive in the summer of 1638.
03 / The Outcome
On 7 September 1638, a Spanish relief force led by Juan Alfonso Enríquez de Cabrera, 9th Admiral of Castile, broke the siege and defeated the French army. The French withdrew in disarray, and recriminations followed: Admiral de Sourdis blamed La Valette for refusing to press the assault. Hondarribia was awarded the honorific title 'Muy noble, muy leal, muy valerosa y muy siempre fiel,' and the relief is commemorated annually on 8 September.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, Bernard de La Valette, Duke d'Épernon, Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis.
Side B
1 belligerent
Juan Alfonso Enríquez de Cabrera, 9th Admiral of Castile.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.