Battle of Tuttlingen

Battle of Tuttlingen
Part of the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)
Johann de Werth's Überfall bei Tuttlingen by Karl von Blaas (oil on canvas, 1866)
Date 24–25 November 1643 Location Tuttlingen (present-day Germany) Result Imperial-Bavarian-Spanish victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire Electorate of Bavaria Spain	Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
Franz von Mercy Johann von Werth Juan de Vivero	Josias Rantzau (POW)
Strength
15,000[1]–22,000[2]	15,000[1]–18,000[2] 10 guns
Casualties and losses
1,000[2]	7,000[2]–10,500[1] 10 guns

The Battle of Tuttlingen was fought in Tuttlingen on 24 November 1643 between the French army in Germany led by Marshal Josias Rantzau, composed of French soldiers and the so called Weimarans or Bernhardines, German troops once in service of Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. They were defeated by the forces of the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria and Spain led by Franz von Mercy. Technically, Mercy led a military force composed of his Bavarian army, supported by Imperial, Spanish, and Lorrainer troops. The French army was wiped out in a surprise attack in heavy snowfall along with French strategic gains since 1638. The French court suppressed the defeat and it remains largely unknown today, even among historians of the war.