[Plan of Fuenterrabía/Hondarribia] Plan de Fontarabie

Scarce large plan of Fuenterrabía (Hondarribia), made shortly after the siege of San Sebastián by the Duke of Berwick in 1719. Throughout the first stage of the reign of Philip V, a series of campaigns were organised in Italy in order to recover those territories that had been ceded by the Crown of Spain after the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. This policy redistributed the alliances, and France broke with Philip V to join England. Various fronts opened in Europe, among them that of the northern border of Spain, in Fuenterrabía. The plan shows an episode of the siege of the city during the night of 27 to 28 May 1719, which marked a turning point in the battle. That night, the French troops managed to surprise the Spanish defences, weakening their positions and leading to the capitulation on 16 June. This plan was published shortly after the assault in Paris in order to celebrate this military victory. It was not inserted in an atlas or a book, which explains its scarcity on the market.