The Battle of Fontaine-Française occurred on 5 June 1595 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France

Henry IV of France

Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....

 and troops of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and the Catholic League

Catholic League (French)

The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...

 commanded by Juan Fernández de Velasco

Juan Fernández de Velasco, 5th Duke of Frias

Juan Fernández de Velasco, 5th Duke of Frías was a Spanish nobleman and diplomat.Juan Fernández de Velasco was the son of Íñigo Fernández de Velasco; and of Maria Angela de Aragón y Guzmán El Bueno. He inherited his father's title of Constable of Castile, and was present at the signing of the...

 and Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...

 during the eighth and final war (1585-1598) of the French Wars of Religion

French Wars of Religion

The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...

.

Background

In early June 1595, Don Juan Fernández de Velasco (governor of Milan

Governors of the Duchy of Milan

The Governor of Milan ruled the Duchy of Milan as a representative of the King of Spain and the Archduke of Austria and...

 and Constable of Castile

Constable of Castile

Constable of Castile was a title created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, to substitute the title Alférez Mayor del Reino. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King, and his responsibility was to command the military in the absence of the ruler.In 1473 Henry IV...

) crossed the Alps with an army of 12,000 men from Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

. In the Bishopric of Besançon he was joined by Charles of Mayenne (chief of the Catholic League). Together they moved on Dijon

Dijon

Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

 in order to take the city. Warned of their movements, Henry IV raced to Troyes

Troyes

Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...

 with 3,000 men that he was able to gather.

The battle

The battle took place on June 5 at Fontaine-Française

Fontaine-Française

Fontaine-Française is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

. That morning, Henry IV accompanied his scouts. They encountered the Spanish troops by accident, and – as at the Battle of Eu the year before – Henry attacked them with light horse

Light cavalry

Light cavalry refers to lightly armed and lightly armored troops mounted on horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the riders are heavily armored...

. Against all odds, he surprised them and forced them to retreat temporarily.

After this charge, Henry decided to recruit local inhabitants (largely peasants) and to arm them with scythes and any metal object that might shine in the sunlight. He regrouped them on a hill with military troops, thus attempting to ruse the opposing force into believing he had a larger army.

Meanwhile, Fernández de Velasco was convinced that Henry was waiting for reinforcements, and observing the troop movements from afar, came to believe that Henry's forces had superior numbers. He decided to retreat.

Aftermath

The French royal victory marked an end to the Catholic League, although the Eighth War of Religion would not come to a complete end until the signing of the Peace of Vervins

Peace of Vervins

The Peace of Vervins was signed between the representatives of Henry IV of France and Philip II of Spain, on 2 May 1598, at the small town of Vervins in Picardy, northern France, close to the territory of the Habsburg Netherlands...

on 2 May 1598 and the Spanish ceding of captured French towns.