Dunes, Battle of the, France, 1658

The Battle of the Dunes (French: Bataille des Dunes, Spanish: Batalla de las Dunas), also known as the Battle of Dunkirk, took place on 14 June 1658, near the strategic port of Dunkirk in what was then the Spanish Netherlands. Part of the Franco-Spanish War and concurrent Anglo-Spanish War, a French army under Turenne, supported by troops from the Commonwealth of England, had besieged Dunkirk. Led by John Joseph of Austria and Louis, Grand Condé, a Spanish force supported by the Royalist Army in Exile and French Fronde rebels attempted to raise the siege but suffered a severe defeat. Despite this victory, both the French and Spanish were financially exhausted by the long running war and negotiated the Treaty of the Pyrenees in November 1659. England retained possession of Dunkirk until 1662 when the port was sold to France by Charles II.