COSSACKS’ VICTORIES NEAR DUNKIRK IN 1644—1646
The Thirty Years' War that embraced Europe between 1618 and 1648 was the largest scale military conflict in history up to the early 20th century. The majority of the European states of the time took part in it in this or that way. One of the most dramatic events of the Thirty Years' War was the combat near Dunkirk that lasted for about ten years. It was during at that battle that the three-thousand unit of Zaporizhzhian Cossacks, headed by B. Khmelnytskyi and I. Sirko, distinguished themselves. The Cossacks demonstrated well-expected outstanding military skills and courage.
The reason for the Zaporizhzhians'appearance near Dunkirk was that in 1635 France joined the Protestant coalition and there appeared the need to knock out the Spanish garr
