Battle of Freiburg

The Battle of Freiburg, fought over three days on 3, 5, and 9 August 1644, took place during the Thirty Years' War, near Freiburg im Breisgau, now in Baden-Württemberg. A French relief army of 16,000, led jointly by Condé and Turenne, sought to recapture the town, which had recently surrendered to a Bavarian force under Franz von Mercy. In one of the bloodiest battles of the war, both sides incurred heavy casualties, with neither gaining a clear advantage.

Having captured Freiburg on 28 July, Mercy placed his men in strong defences on the hills outside the town. The French assaulted these positions on 3 and 5 August, and although they made little progress, the Bavarians were short of supplies. On 9 August, Mercy learned a detachment under Turenne was marching into his rear to cut off his supply lines, and ordered a general retreat, leaving a garrison in Freiburg. Apart from a brief skirmish with Turenne's cavalry next day, they withdrew in good order, despite abandoning their baggage train and several guns.

Nevertheless, Freiburg convinced Maximilian of Bavaria to open peace negotiations, and he ordered Mercy to suspend offensive operations. This allowed Condé and Turenne to take control of most of the northern Upper Rhine.