The Battle of Renty was fought on 12 August 1554, between

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

Renty Renty (; vls, Renteke) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Renty lies about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Saint-Omer, on the D129 road, by the banks of the river Aa. Population ...

, a northern French secondary theatre of the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

. The French were led by

Francis, Duke of Guise Francis de Lorraine II, the first Prince of Joinville, also Duke of Guise and Duke of Aumale (french: François de Lorraine; 17 February 1519 – 24 February 1563), was a French general and statesman. A prominent leader during the Italian War of ...

, while the Imperial forces were led by Emperor

Charles V of Habsburg Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...

Aftermath

Duke Francis had already forced the emperor to abandon the Siege of Metz in 1552. King

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

had occupied the city according to the terms of the

Treaty of Chambord The Treaty of Chambord was an agreement signed on 15 January 1552 at the Château de Chambord between the Catholic King Henry II of France and three Protestant princes of the Holy Roman Empire led by Elector Maurice of Saxony. Based on the terms ...

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 The Three Bishoprics (french: les Trois-Évêchés ) constituted a government of the Kingdom of France consisting of the dioceses of Metz, Verdun, and Toul within the Lorraine region. The three dioceses had been Prince-bishoprics of the ...

of Metz, Toul, and Verdun.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Renty, Battle of Battles involving the Holy Roman Empire Battles involving France 1554 in France Conflicts in 1554 Military history of the Pas-de-Calais