Battle of Renty

Battle of Renty
Part of the Habsburg-Valois War
Henry II remitting the Order of Saint-Michel to Marshall de Tavannes after the Battle of Renty, on 13 August 1554.
Date 12 August 1554 Location Renty, France Result French victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire	France
Commanders and leaders
Charles V of Habsburg	Francis, Duke of Guise

The Battle of Renty was fought on 12 August 1554, between France and the Holy Roman Empire at Renty, a northern French secondary theatre of the Italian Wars. The French were led by Francis, Duke of Guise, while the Imperial forces were led by Emperor Charles V of Habsburg.

On 8 August, the French appeared at Renty. The Spanish cavalry charged the French infantry forcing a retreat, while their infantry were in the Bois Guillaume. The French infantry were rallied by Gaspar de Saulx-Tavannes who charged,^[1] while the Spanish infantry were pushed out of the woods by Gaspard de Coligny, and routed by Francis, Duke of Guise.^[2]

Aftermath

Duke Francis had already forced the emperor to abandon the Siege of Metz in 1552. King Henry II of France had occupied the city according to the terms of the Treaty of Chambord he had signed with several Protestant Imperial princes. The French repelled Charles' 1554 invasion, the emperor abdicated two years later and King Henry II ultimately retained the Three Bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun.

References

1. Ardant du Picq (2006). Battle Studies. Translators John N. Greely, Robert C. Cotton. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4264-2311-6.
2. Eugene Bersier (2009). Coligny: The Earlier Life of the Great Huguenot. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-110-25053-0.