Battle of Rocroi

The 21-year-old Duke of Enghien, later known as the Grand Conde, led a French army to a stunning victory over the Spanish Army of Flanders at Rocroi. The battle destroyed the legendary Spanish tercios, the pike-and-shot infantry formations that had been considered invincible for over a century. The Spanish infantry fought to near-annihilation in a heroic last stand, but their destruction marked the end of Spanish military supremacy in Europe and the rise of France as the continent's dominant military power.