The Eighty Years War (1568-1648)
Oranje-blanje-bleu "Prinsevlag"
In 1572 the orange-white-blue flag was first mentioned when the town of Brill (Den Briel) was liberated. The red-white-blue flag was first mentioned in 1596.
Background
As a result of wars, marriages and political maneuvering most of the region currently known as Belgium and The Netherlands were in the hands of the Dukes of Burgundy. Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor was the ruler of this region by 1515. By the mid 16th century the Hapsburg controlled Netherlands was comprised of 3 million people with 300 cities in 17 provinces, the southern three Walloon speaking and the northern 14 speaking Dutch. The representative assembly for the Netherlands was the States General (“Staten-Generaal”), first called into being by Philip the Good in 1464. Antwerp was one of the economic centers of Europe and the place from which the gold bullion coming from the New World was exchanged. The Hapsburg-Valois Wars with France ended in 1559 with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis making the movement of people and ideas easier in Western Europe. One of the ides on the move was Calvinist Protestantism out of Geneva. It found particular support from the numerous lower class, lesser noble and townsfolk in the Netherlands.
Timeline
Some of the events of the French Wars of Religion, 30 Years War and War of
Three Kingdoms are included, as they had considerable bearing on the
events occurring during the 80 Years War.
1510-1550 Antwerp becomes a center of Lutheran Protestantism
1522 The spread of Lutheran Protestantism in Netherlands leads to
the establishment of an Inquisition
“To enter their houses and to examine the abundance of furniture and all kind of utensils, all equally neat and well kept, causes great pleasure and even greater astonishment, for indeed, there is not perhaps in the whole world anything like it.”
– Luigi Guicciardini, on homes in the Netherlands, 1540
1540-1550 Increase in Anabaptist Protestantism in the Netherlands
1550-1560 Increase in Calvinist Protestantism in the Netherlands
1550 “Edict of Blood” establishes death penalty for Protestant
heresies.
October 1555 Emperor Charles V, a Burgundian who spoke Flemish,
abdicates and the Hapsburg Empire is divided, with Spain and the
Netherlands passing to Charles's son Phillip II.
"The Spaniards seem wise, and are madmen; the French seem madmen, and are wise."
– Charles V
1555 Phillip II appoints William of Orange, one of Charles V’s
favorites as provincial governor (“Stadthouder”) of Holland, Utrecht and
Zeeland. The Count of Egmont was appointed Stadthouder of Flanders and
Artois.
June 1557 8,000 English soldiers land at Calais to join Hapsburg
forces against France
July 1557 Joint Hapsburg-English force besiege Saint Quentin.
French move to raise siege.
July 1557 French Huguenots begin attending meetings armed to
prevent arrest by royal or ecclesiastical officials
10 August 1557 French relief column routed by cavalry force under
command of Count Egmont
28 August 1557 Sack of Saint Quentin by Hapsburg-English force.
1558 William of Orange persuades the States-General to grant
Phillip II a 9 year subsidy in exchange for the granting of liberties and
removal of 3,000 Spanish mercenaries.
1559-1565 Steady increase of Calvinist influence from the German
States and France in the Netherlands
June 1559 Treaty of Cateau Cambresis between France and Hapsburgs.
7 August 1559 Phillip II’s last visit to the Netherlands. Margaret
of Parma appointed his Regent.. Antoine Granvelle appointed President of
the Council of State.
1561 Spanish troops depart Netherlands
1562 Reorganization of Bishoprics in the Netherlands and
centralization of their control. Granvelle appointed Primate of the Church
of the Netherlands.
July, 1561 Royal edict authorizes imprisonment and confiscation of
property upon all who attend any Huguenot public or private worship
service. Beginning of new influx of refugees to Kent from Low Countries,
Picardy, Artois and Flanders.
January 1562 French royal Edict of January grants limited legal
recognition to Huguenots
1 March 1562 French Catholics massacre Huguenots at Vassy.
2 April 1562 Huguenots under the Duc de Conde capture Orleans and
are reinforced with 7,000 German mercenaries.
April-May 1562 Huguenots occupy Tours, Blois, Anger, Beaugency,
Lyon and other towns across France
April 1562 Huguenots massacred at Sens
28 May–26 October 1562 Huguenot town of Rouen is besieged by
Catholic forces. Garrison of townspeople reinforced by 200 Scots and 300
English mercenaries. Garrison wiped out and the city is sacked for three
days as payment to French Catholic soldiers and mercenaries.
27-30 July 1562 English garrison of La Harve besieged by French
Catholics, surrender and depart for England.
May-November 1562 Huguenot towns besieged by Catholic forces under
Duc De Guise
July 1562 Huguenots massacred at Tours
19 Dec 1562 French Catholic victory at Dreux. Constable Montmorency
captured by Huguenots and Duc De Conde captured by Catholic forces. Total
forces engaged estimated to be 30,000 with casualties estimated to be
10,000.
March 1563 Peace Edict of Amboise allows freedom of conscience and
legal Huguenot worship outside of specified French towns.
October 1563 Elizabeth I provides money and troops to Huguenots in
exchange for the occupation of LaHavre and Dieppe. Pope Pius IV provides
Duc De Guise with 2,500 mercenaries. Phillip II provides troops for use in
province of Guyenne on the Spanish border.
March 1564 Peace treaty between Charles IX and Elizabeth I.
November 1565 Resignation of William of Orange, Count of Horn,
Lamoral of Egmont from the Council of State over persecution of
Protestants and loss of influence over selection of Bishops.
Spring 1566-Spring 1567 The Year of Miracles (Annus Mirabilis) in
the Netherlands
5 April 1566 Louis of Nassau and Count Brederode, with 400 of their
fellow nobles presented the Compromise of Breda to Margaret of Parma
requesting suspension of the Edict of Blood and Inquisition.
18-30 April 1566 Iconoclast Fury (beeldenstorm) results in the
defacing of Catholic Churches throughout the Netherlands
June 1566 Synod of Antwerp leads to mass gatherings of Calvinists
in Flanders, Brabant, Zeeland, Valenciennes and Holland by armed
participants.
August 1566-January 1567 Iconoclast fury in southern Flanders leads
to Calvinist control of the cities of Tournai and Valenciennes. Both
cities are besieged by Egmont, surrender, and the ringleaders are executed
23 August 1566 Margaret of Parma agrees to the Compromise of Breda
and allows Protestant worship in all places where it is already taking
place.
2 September 1566 William of Orange negotiates agreement allowing
for Protestant churches inside cities.
13 March 1567 Battle of Oosterweel. Calvinist rebel “Beggar” army
(geuzen leger) defeated.
March-August 1567 Duke of Alba’s army moves up “Spanish Road” from
Italy to Brussels. Charles IX raises army of 6,000 but does not disband it
after Alba arrives in Brussels.
22 August 1567 Duke of Alba arrives in Brussels with an army of
9,000 to quell unrest in preparation of Phillip II’s personal intervention
in the crisis.
5 September 1567 Duke of Alba establishes a special court called
the “Council of Troubles” (Raad van Beroerten) referred to as the “Council
of Blood” (Bloedraad) in the Netherlands, consisting of local judges but
under his absolute control. By 1573 12,000 cases were tried resulting in
1,000 executions and 9,000 confiscations.
9 September 1567 Arrest of Egmont, general, former companion to
Alba and Phillip II, and his fellow Protestant sympathizer, Horn.
November 1567 Battle of St Denis ends Huguenot siege of Paris.
Huguenot force under Duc de Conde reinforced with German force under John
Casimir, son of Count Frederick III the Elector Palatinate.
30 December 1567 Margaret of Parma resigns and departs Brussels
1567-68 Approximately 60 thousand flee the Netherlands for
neighboring German states and England
March 1568 Peace Edict at Longjumeau between Catholics and
Huguenots. Huguenot practices are restricted and Catholic forces are not
disbanded.
March 1568 Huguenot forces besiege Chartres. Siege abandoned after
two weeks.
20 April 1568 French Huguenot force, under the Seigneur of Villars
defeated by Spanish force at Dalheim.
May 1568 Louis of Nassau invades the State of Groningen and
establishes the Sea Beggars (“Watergeuzen”) to support him.
23 May 1568 German rebel force of 2,500 horse and 7,00 foot under
Louis of Nassau defeats the army of the Count of Aremberg comprised of the
Tercio of Sardinia, and several companies of Germans and Walloons at
Heiligerlee near Groningen.
The Battle of Heiligerlee. Etching. Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
June 1568 Siege of Groningen. Rebels lift siege at the approach of Parma’s army and moves to and establish a defense at Jemmingen.
“Nunc aut nunquam, Recuperare aut mori” (Freedom for the Fatherland and conscience)
inscription on Louis of Nassau’s colors
5 June 1568 Egmont and Horn are executed for high treason in Brussels.
The Battle of Jemmingen, 21st of July, 1568. Etching. Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
21 July 1568 Rebel and Huguenot force under Prince Louis of Nassau
routed at Jemmingen along the river Ems. Count Adolf of Nassau killed.
August 1568 Formal Treaty between William of Orange and the
Huguenot leaders, the Duc De Conde and Admiral Coligny.
October-November 1568 William of Orange invades from Trier and
retreats into Huguenot controlled France without engaging Alba’s forces.
December 1568-January 1569 Louis of Nassau leads Rebel army into
France to assist Huguenot forces but is forced to retreat back into
Germany.
January 1569 Wofgagn of Bavaria, the Duke of Zweibrucken leads
mercenary army into France to assist Huguenot forces
February 1569 William of Orange gives Sea Beggars their first
Letters of Commission. They are based in Emden, La Rochelle, a Huguenot
controlled port in France, and Dover in England.
13 March 1569 French Catholic victory over Huguenots at Jarnac. Duc
de Conde captured and killed.
March 1569 Duke of Alva forces the States-General to enact a 10%
sales tax (the Tenth Penny) and a 5% sales tax on property (the Twentieth
Penny) to provide funds that he, not the States-General, would control.
March 1569 Duke of Alba presides over book burning at Tournai
April- July 1569 Siege of Navarreny by Catholic forces. Siege
lifted by Huguenot force under Gabriel de Montgomery
June 1569 Huguenot army under Admiral Coligny defeats Catholic
force at La Roche L‘Abbille
July- September 1569 Huguenot siege of Poitiers. Huguenot forces
depart before city falls.
3 October 1569 French Catholic victory over Huguenots and rebels at
Moncountour
November- December 1569 French Catholic siege of Saint-Jean
D’Angely. City surrenders.
January 1570 Phillip II announces state of war with England and
Elizabeth I is excommunicated by the Pope.
1570 Gillain de Fiennes appointed Admiral of the Sea Beggar Fleet
by William of Orange in an effort to impose discipline.
"Long live the Beggars! Christians, ye must cry. Long live the Beggars! pluck up courage then. Long live the Beggars! if ye would not die. Long live the Beggars! shout, ye Christian men."
Beggar's Song (1570)
January-June 1570 Sea Beggars disrupt shipping and conduct raids along the coast of Friesland and Groningen
“I know well that the king wants to sign the peace which he wants to give us, with the tip of his sword”
– Admiral Coligny, December 1570
June 1570 Huguenot army defeats Catholic forces at Arnay-le-Duc
8 August 1570 Peace Edict of St Germain between Catholics and
Huguenots. As part of the agreement, Huguenots permitted to occupy the
fortified cities (“places de surete”) of La Rochelle, Cignac, Montauban
and La Charitie for two years. Freedom of conscience and some freedom of
worship in specific twons and nobles homes for Huguenots allowed.
1570 Scottish Brigade under command of Sir Walter Scott enters
rebel service
1570-1573 Confiscation and sale of Catholic moveable property,
buildings and land used to finance Rebel army and reimburse towns for war
related losses.
March 1571 Massacre of Huguenots at Rouen
March 1572 Sea Beggars ejected from England
April 1, 1572 The Spanish garrison of Brill (Den Briel) called away
to reinforce the French border. Planning initially to conduct a raid with
600 Waloon, Dutch, Scots and English Sea Beggars, Count Lumley de la Marck
occupies the town.
7 April 1572-February 1574 Siege of Middleburg by Sea Beggars and
Rebels.
April 1572 Count Bossu Alba’s Governor of Holland and Utrecht,
surprises garrison of townspeople in Rotterdam and his Walloon and Spanish
forces sack the city.
1572 With the taking of Brill, the improvement in the political
fortunes of the Prince of Orange and the funds provided by Sea beggar
activity, large number of mercenaries from Scotland, France and England go
into Dutch service. Conduct of Duke of Alba’s soldiers causes a large
number of cities to accept a garrison from the Prince of Orange.
April-July 1572 Veere, Vlissingen, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Alkmaar,
Haarlem and most of the towns of Walcheren Island join the revolt and all
proclaim William of Orange Stadhouder.
May 1572 Louis of Nassau with German, English and Huguenot force
take Valenciennes in France.
Sea Beggar captain Nicolaes Ruychaver, 1575
24 May-19 September 1572 Siege of Mons
31 May – Louis of Nassau with German, English and Huguenot force
take Mons in France
July – Mons besieged
17 July – Relieving force of French Huguenots defeated
9 Sept – Relieving force under William of Orange defeated
19 Sept – Mons surrenders and garrison marches out under terms and
retreats into Germany. Tercio of Lombardy sacks town.
21 June 1572 Famine in Scotland causes Scottish Privy Council to
approve the raising of companies in Scotland, ” in order that the idle men
and soldier be not drawn to any desperate necessity, but may have
commodity to serve and pass to the wars in Flanders.”
July 1572 Sluys and Bruge captured by Huguenot and English forces.
July 1572 Senior Pacheco is sent by Duke of Alba to be governor of
Flushing and is executed by the townspeople. 400 Wallon soldiers for
Middleburg are refused entry and the Sea Beggars and Wood Beggars
(Bozgeuzen) converge with a force of 400 soldiers to help defends the
city. Captain Thomas Morgan arrives at Flushing with three hundred English
mercenaries. Three companies of Huguenots under Captains Henri, Tristan
and Vitran arrive at Flushing as well. Tseraerts appointed Governor by
Prince of Orange. Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrives with 10 companies of
English mercenaries.
July 1572 English and Huguenot forces capture Sluys but are driven
out of Brugge but are driven off.
19 July 1572 First State meeting of rebel provinces at Dortrecht
23 July 1572 Rebel force of 17,000 German mercenaries and Waloons
under William of Orange take Roermond.
"I agree to the scheme, provided not one Huguenot be left alive in France to reproach me with the deed”
– on the St Bartholemew Day’s massacre, Charles IX, King of France
24 August-6 October 1572 St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of the
Huguenot’s in Paris during Henri of Navarre’s wedding to Princess
Marguerite of Valois, sister to Charles IX, the King of France.
1000,000-75,000 Huguenots massacred throughout France and military support
for the rebels halted.
26 August 1572 Prince of Orange crosses River Maas and main towns
of Brabant, Mechelen and Oudenaarde, welcome him.
1 October 1572 Mechelen sacked for three days by unpaid Spanish
soldiers as an example to towns that support William of Orange.
October 1572 Deist and Dendermonde purchase their safety for eight
thousand florins each
October 1572 English mercenaries besiege and fail to take Goes
October 1572 Blockade established of entire coast of Netherlands
with high fees required for trade in only non-military goods with the
Spanish and low fees for trade with ports friendly to the rebels.
1 November 1572 Zutphen sacked by Spanish soldiers
22 November 1572 Naarden surrenders without resistance and is
sacked by Spanish soldiers
“It is bewildering that your Majesty has so much trouble in getting financial support from your Subjects while the Hollanders and Zeelanders are ready to sacrifice their lives and property for a rebel like Orange.”
– Duke of Alba to Phillip II, February, 1573
4 December 1572-12 July 1573 Siege of Haarlem. City defended by a
garrison of 3,000 Scots, French, Germans and Waloons, 600 armed citizens
of the city and a regiment of 300 women commanded by Vrau Kenau Hasselaer.
Dec – Relief column commanded by De La Marck routed. De La Marck
captured and executed
Dec-Jan – Resupply of garrisons by French, Scots, English and
Waloon forces across frozen lake from Sassenhiem
February – Spanish forces breech out wall only to find inner wall
March-April – Garrison conducts repeated sallies
April – Final attempt by William of Orange to relieve garrison
fails
12 July – City surrenders and is ransomed for 24,000 guilders.
Garrison of 1,800 English, Scots, and Huguenots killed.
11 February-6 July 1573 French Catholic Siege of Huguenots port of
La Rochelle. Huguenots surrender town.
1573 William of Orange joins Protestant Reformed Church
"They earn their meals through the mouth of a cannon”
– William of Orange, 26 February 1573, describing the Sea Beggars
1573 States of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht acknowledge the Prince
of Orange as Stadthouder. States granted right to meet when they want as
well as input on decisions concerning religious policy and treaties.
May 1573 Queen Elizabeth I and Duke of Alba agree not to support
rebels in each others countries. Mercenaries and equipment still flow from
England to rebels.
August 1573 Spanish garrison of Haarlem mutinies. Mutiny put down
after 18 days and mutineers executed.
“Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie”(At Alkmaar began the victory)
Dutch Saying
Execution of the Defenders of Haarlem
21 August- 8 October 1573 Siege of Alkmaar. Spanish forced to raise the siege after dykes are cut flooding the surrounding countryside.
“The burgeysys of Harlem were sente for too fyle the dytch whom poore men founde hyt so whote an ocupacion that they shoolde end theyr lyves all in that order, they cravd comasion at Doone Fredericks hand who aunswerd them that ht was farr more honorable for them to dye in so noble a pesse of sarvis as that was lyke men than to be stranglyd upon a gibett lyke dogs acordynge to theyr desert”
– Use of civilians of Haarlem at Seige of Alkmaar, Walter Morgan, 1573
August 1573
De Valdez and his Spanish tercio de la Ligue and several companies of
Walloons occupy The Hague and attempt to raid the countryside and seize
surrounding villages and towns. Garrisons in surrounding towns comprises
of French, Walloon, Dutch, Scots and English forces force his withdrawal
back into Spanish held territory.
September 1573
An army of 1.200 Flemings, French, Scots and English under de Poyet
capture Gertruidenberg.
10 October 1573 Battle of Zuider Zee between the Sea Beggars under
Cornelis Dirckszoon, and the Spanish. Sea beggar victory with most of
Spanish fleet, including the flagship “Inquisition” run aground. The
battle leaves the Scheldt Estuary in Sea Beggar hands.
Blockade of Middleburg by Sea Beggars
29 January 1574 Spanish fleet fails in attempt to relive the siege
of Middleburg
21 February 1574 Spanish garrison of Middleburg surrenders. Spanish
soldiers given safe conduct to Spanish held territory.
February 1574-1576 Admiralty prize court operates at Flushing.
Piracy ends and States establish regular navy.
April 1574 Elizabeth I and Don Luis Requensen agree on expulsion of
each others rebels for their respective countries.
14 April 1574 Spanish victory at Mook over a force attempting to
relieve siege of Lieden. Louis of Nassau, Henry of Nassau and Duke
Christopher son of the Elector Palatine killed.
April 1574 Elizabeth I and Don Luis Requensen agree on expulsion of
each others rebels for their respective countries.
26 April 1574 Spanish forces in Antwerp mutiny
"Here is my sword; plunge it, if you will, into my heart, and divide my flesh among you to appease your hunger; but expect no surrender as long as I am alive."
– Burgomiester of Leiden, 1574
26 May- October 1574 Siege of Leiden. Garrison consists of five
companies of Burgher Guard
July – Dykes along the Meuse and Yssel river broken to prevent
infantry attack on city walls
3 Oct – Water levels rise permitting Sea Beggar ships to approach
and eliminate Spanish positions around city. Spanish forces flee as city
is relieved.
The Grote Markt during the Antwerp sack by spanish 1576.
17 November 1574 Alva replaced as Governor General by Don Luis
Requensen who offers a general pardon and withdraws the “Tenth Penny” tax
on behalf of Phillip II. No compromise offered for religious freedom
February 1575 Leiden University founded out of gratitude the the
city and to meet the increasing need of Calvinist pastors
1 March 1575 Don Luis Requensen dies
January -2 July 1576 Seige of Zierikzee. Garrison surrenders to
Spanish.
April 1576 Don Juan, brother of Phillip II, appointed to serve as
Phillip II’s new Governor General.
6 May 1576 Peace Edict of Beaulieu between French Crown and
Huguenots grants for the first time free exercise of Protestantism and the
building of churches outside Paris. Henry II refuses to live up to the
agreed terms.
27 May 1576 Louis De Boisot, Admiral of Holland and Zeeland, fails
in attempt to relieve Zierikzee
June 1576 Spanish capture Maastricht
4 November 1576 Namur sacked by Spanish forces
4 November 1576 Spanish mutineers seize and sack Antwerp in what is
described as the Spanish Fury (Spaanse Furie).
8 November 1576 As a result of the Spanish Fury, the States-General
agrees to the Pacification of Ghent (Pacificatie van Gent) calling for
removal of all Spanish soldiers and unity to expel all foreign forces from
the Netherlands. William of Orange retains titles.
December 1576 Elizabeth I makes loan to States General on the
condition of cessation of negotiations with France. English concern over
Spanish support of Mary Queen of Scots halts collaboration with Don Juan.
February 1577 Ceasefire declared, the Perpetual Edict, and
States-General recognizes Don Juan as Phillip II’s Governor General.
28 April 1577 Spanish forces leave the Netherlands
May 1577 Siege of La Charite by Catholic French forces under the
Duc De Anjou. Huguenots surrender city.
June 1577 Siege of Issiore by Catholic French forces under the Duc
De Anjou. Huguenots surrender city.
11 June 1577 Don Juan flees Brussels
24 July 1577 Spanish forces return and take Namur
August 1577 Elizabeth I sends 600 Scots soldiers to support rebels.
William of Orange, Adriaen Thomasz. Key, c. 1579
August 1577 Elizabeth I provides funds to Huguenots
6 September 1577 States General invites Prince of Orange to
Brussels to advise them.
8 October 1577 States army besieges Namur
7 December 1577 Don Juan declared an enemy of the state by the
States General.
January 1578 William of Orange becomes leader of the Netherlands
government.
31 January 1578 Battle of Gembloux Rebel defeated by Army of Don
Juan of Austria. Scots Brigade decimated.
February 1579- April 1580 Huguenot and Catholic Peasants join
forces and revolt in France against local Catholic administrators and
nobles.
7 July 1578- January 1579 Elizabeth I subsidizes an army raised by
Count Palatine, John Casimir in support of rebels. Army enters Gelderland,
refuses to fight the Spanish, occupies Ghent and eventually leaves.
1578 Amsterdam, Kampen and Deventer state their support for rebels.
1 August 1578 States army defeats Spanish army at Mechelen.
Scots/English force under John Norris present.
1 October 1578 Don Juan dies and is replaced by his deputy, the
Duke of Parma, as Phillip II’s Governor General.
January 1579 Seven provinces (Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland,
Groningen, Overijsel, and Gelderland), sign the Union of Utrecht forming
the Republic of the United Provinces with William of Orange as king. The
Republic's lands also include Drenthe (one of the 17, but without the
autonomous status of the others), and parts of Brabant, Limburg and
Flanders, governed directly by their States-General. Each of the provinces
had a high degree of autonomy, co-operating with each other mainly on
defense and on the international level in general, but keeping to their
own affairs elsewhere. Central power is placed in the hands of the Council
of State. Prince of Orange forces issue of universal religious toleration
but fails. Catholicism only permitted in some states.
January 1579 Southern provinces (Hainault, Artois, Waloon Flanders,
Namur, Luxembourg and Limburg) sign the Union of Arras and accept the
authority of Spain. Catholicism is the only accepted religion.
“Persuade yourself that 500 of either English, Scottish, Burgundian, Walloons, French, Italians, Albanese, Hungarians, Poles or Spanish is worth 1,500 Almains”
– On German soldiers, Sir Roger Williams, 1618
February-29 June 1579 Siege of Maastricht by Spanish forces.
Townspeople as well as States army garrison involved in defense.
1579 Peace Conference sponsored by Emperor Rudolph II at Cologne
fails
17 May 1579 Southern provinces reconciled with Phillip II at he
Peace of Arras, and offer military help to the Spanish
June 1579 Five Scottish companies occupy Brussels on behalf of
William of Orange
July 1579 Mechelen and ‘s Hertogenbosch surrender to the Spanish.
November 1579 Duke De Conde seizes Catholic town of La Fere
March 1580 Count Rennenberg, Stadhouder of Friesland, Groningen,
Drenthe and Overijssel goes over to Spanish side.
May 1580 Henri of Navarre seizes Catholic town of Cahors
27 June-28 August 1580 Spain army under the Duke of Alba invades
Portugal, sacks Lisbon and Phillip II seizes the throne
August 1580 Prince of Orange declared an outlaw by Phillip II
November 1580 Peace of Felix between Huguenots and Catholics allow
Huguenots to maintain their towns for 6 more years.
1580 Count Renenberg, Stadhouder of Friesland, Drenthe and
Overjissel returns cities of Groningen, Oldenzaal, Coevorden and Delfzijl
to Spanish control.
A jeton from Dortrecht, 1580
1. William of Orange as a mouse freeing the Belgian lion (“Gnawing the
lion’s collar, the mouse liberates”)
2. Phillip II holds out the branch of peace to the Belgian lion
with a collar behind him while the Pope looks on (“Offering to be bound,
the lion refuses”)
23 January 1581 William of Orange and the States General invite Duke of Anjou, brother of the King of France Henry III to serve as head of state for the United Provinces in an effort to insure French support against Spain.
“As it's known to each person, that the Monarch of the Land is placed by God over his subjects, to preserve those, and protect them from all injustice, inconvenience, and violence, like a Sheppard to the preservation of his Sheep: And that subjects are not created by God for the needs of the Monarch ... but the Monarch for the subjects' sake ... And thus when he does not do so ... should be taken not as a Monarch, but as a Tyrant”
The Bill of Abandonment
26 July 1581 The States-General 26 adopts Bill of Abandonment (de
Acte van Verlatinghe), declaring the rule of Phillips II was no longer
valid.
1581 Capture of Tournai, Oudenaarde and Maastricht by Spanish
1581 Ghent occupied by the Scots Brigade
10 February 1582 Duke of Anjou arrives at Flushing, without the
army promised by him and Henry III, to assume control of the United
Provinces.
April 1582 Spanish forces capture Oudenaarde
August 1582 Spanish forces capture Lier
1582 Steenwijk captured by Spanish
December 1582 French army of 10,000 under the command of Marshal
Biron arrives and is quartered outside Antwerp.
Frisan Coin, 1580. David and Goliath Siege Preparation
17 January 1583 Duke of Anjou’s attempt to seize Antwerp with
French soldiers defeated by armed citizens. Attempts to seize Bruges and
Ostend fail as well but Aalst, Vilvoorde and Dunkirk fall to French. Duke
of Anjou and his army flee Anwerp for Vilvoorde.
February 1583 Prince of Orange becomes head of government for the
United Provinces
March 1583 Towns occupied by army of Duke of Anjou returned to
United Provinces. Duke of Anjou returns to France but his army remains and
Marchal Biron appointed supreme commander of the States army.
10 June 1583 Duke de Anjou dies leaving Henri of Navarre heir to
the French throne
September 1583 Zutphen captured by Spanish
1583 Dunkirk, Nieuport, Lindhoven, Steenbergen and Sas-van-Gent
captured by Spanish
December 1583 Marchal Biron and his army return to France.
July 1584 Formation of the Catholic or “Holy” League made up of
French Catholics determined to make sure Henri of Navarre does not become
King of France
March 1584 Ypres captured by Spanish
May 1584 Bruges captured by Spanish
10 June 1584 Duc de Anjou dies leaving Henri of Navarre as next in
succession to the French throne
10 July 1584 William of Orange assassinated. His last words are “My
God, have mercy on my soul and on these poor people.” Brussels, Ghent and
Nijmegen surrender to the Spanish.
August 1584 Dendermonde captured by Spanish
August 1584- 17 August 1585 Siege of Antwerp
September 1584 Ghent captured by Spanish
December 1584 Treaty of Joinville between Phillip II and the Duc De
Guise’s Catholic League. Spain subsidizes Catholic League. Duc de Guise
promises help in returning Cambrai to Spain.
July 1585 Edict of Nemours makes practice of Protestant faith
illegal in France. Henri III allies himself with the Catholic League.
August -10 March 1585 Siege of Brussels. City captured by Spanish
August -19 July 1585 Siege of Mechlin. City captured by Spanish
Portrait of Maurice, Prince of Orange, Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, c. 1609 - c. 1633
18 August 1585 William of Orange’s oldest son, Maurice of Nassau,
becomes Stadhouder of Holland and Zeeland in 1585, of Gelderland,
Overijssel and Utrecht in 1590 and of Gronigen and Drenthe in 1620.
20 August 1585, Under the Treaty of Nonsuch negotiated by John
Oldenbarneveldt for the United Provinces, Elizabeth I sends the Earl of
Leicester be Governor General of the United Provinces with 5,000 - 6,000
troops to relieve Antwerp. English agree to provide 6 hundred thousand
florins a year and gain control of the port cities of Flushing, Rotterdam,
Enkhuizen, and Brill as security for repayment.
Spetember 1585 Pope Sixtus V excommunicates Henri of Navarre and
the Duc de Conde, barring them from inheriting the French crown.
October 1585 English troops promised in the Treaty of Nonsuch begin
arriving
December 1585 Earl of Leicester arrives in United Provinces
“These towns which together with The Brill will be such a strength to you that you may rule these men, make war or peace as you list, even to make peace with the King of Spain so as to restore his authority here again”
– On the occupation of towns in Holland, Earl of Leicester to Elizabeth I
January 1586 Earl of Leicester appointed Governor General of United Provinces
Siege of Grave 1586
1586 Venlo captured by Spanish
June- July 1586 Sluis captured by Spanish. Of the original garrison
of 1600 English, Flemings and Waloons, less that 700 surrender.
1586 Leicester takes Doesburg
1586 English garrison of Geertruidenberg sells town to Spanish
April 1586 Leicester announces restrictions on Holland’s trade with
Southern Provinces causing division in the Council of State and States
General.
August 1586 John Oldenbarneveldt appointed Lands Advocate of
Holland and Keeper of the Great Seal, as such, he is the leading statesman
of the United Provinces. In partnership with Maurice of Nassau and Louis
of Nassau who control majority of army, he opposes Leicester’s effort to
split the United Provinces.
22 September 1586 Battle of Zutphen. English force defeated.
November 1586 Leicester departs for England
November 1586 English garrisons of Grave, Deventer and a fort near
Zutphen are bribed and turn them over to the Spanish
18 February 1587 Mary Queen of Scots executed in England.
June 1587 Leicester returns with additional troops
July 1587 Leicester announces to States General that Elizabeth I is
in negotiations with the Duke of Parma and invited United Provinces to
participate
August 1587 Elizabeth I and the King of Denmark funs an army of
20,000 mercenaries raised by John Casimir of the Palatinate. Army invades
French Lorraine in support of Huguenots.
September 1587 Leicester attempts to capture Leiden and fails.
English soldiers in States General army reluctant to obey orders.
20 October 1587 Huguenot army of Henri of Navarre defeats Catholic
League army under the Duc de Joyeuse at Coutras. Joyeuse killed.
26 October 1587 German mercenary army of John Casimir defeated by
Catholic army at Vimry
October 1587 Leicester departs United Provinces
November 1587 Catholic League army under Duc de Guise defeats
German mercenary army under John Casimir of the Palatinate at Chartres
8 December 1587 John Casimir’s army surrenders and is escorted out
of France
January 1588 Leicester submits resignation as Governor General.
12 May 1588 “The Day of the Barricades” in Paris. Popular uprising
in favor of Duc De Guise and the Catholic League challenges Henri III’s
power. Henri III forced to flee the city for Chartres.
May- August 1588 Fleet of United Provinces blockades coast to
prevent Spanish forces in Netherlands linking up with the ‘Great Armada”
July 1588 Henri II of France recognizes Cardinal De Bourbon as heir
the throne. Duc de Guise named commander of all royal forces.
19 July 1588 William of Orange's son, Maurice of Nassau, appointed
Captain General of the Army of the states in Flanders and Brabant. He also
commands armies paid for by the States of Holland and Zeeland.
31 August 1588 Maurice of Nassau appointed Captain-General and
Admiral- General of the United Provinces.
23 December 1588 Duc de Guise and the Cardinal de Guise are
assassinated by Henri III.
1589 Maurice of Nassau becomes Stadholder of Utrecht, Gelderland
and Overysel.
26 April 1589 Henri III and Henri of Navarre sign a truce in order
to join forces against the Catholic League
June 1589 Royalist Catholic and Huguenot forces besiege Catholic
League forces under the Duc de Mayenne in Paris
10 April 1589 English garrison of Geertruidenberg bribed and the
city is turned over to the Spanish
July 1589 Henri III of France is assassinated and names Henri of
Navarre as his successor.
21 September 1589 Huguenot army of 5,000 victory over Catholic
League and Spanish army of 24,000 at Arques
21 September 1589 English expedition under Lord Willoughby arrives
in France to support Henry of Navarre.
23 September 1589 Henri of Navarre reinforced with 1200 Scots and
4,000 English mercenaries.
1 November 1589 Huguenot attack on Paris but army withdraws due to
lack of artillery
21 November 1589 Huguenot leader, Henri of Navarre becomes Henry IV
of France
1590-1597 Spanish troops driven out of the United Provinces.
1590 Breda taken
1591 Zutphen, Deventer forts along the Ijssel River, Delfzijl,
Hulst and Nijmegen taken
1592 Gronigen joins and Seenwijk and Coevorden taken
1593 Geetruiden taken
1594 Gronigen taken
1597 Rheinburg, Grol, Oldenzall and Encschede taken
1597 Spanish defeat at the battle of Turnhout
14 March 1590 Huguenot/Royalist army of 10,000 victory over
Catholic League and Spanish army of 17,000 at Ivry
April 1590 English provide 5,000 mercenaries to support Henry IV
7 May-9 September 1590 Huguenot/Royalist forces besiege Catholic
League Paris
25 July 1590 The States-General decrease the power of the Council
of State and assumes role as the “sovereign institution” of the United
Provinces
3 September 1590 Duke of Parma invades France and raises siege of
Paris with an army of 26,000. Spanish garrison installed.
8 October 1590 Huguenot/Royalist siege of Rouen
28 November 1590 Duc de Mayenne and Catholic League forces enter
Paris
May 1591 English expedition of 3,000 English soldiers under Sir
John Norris arrives in France to support Henry IV.
15 August 1591 English expedition under Earl of Essex sent to
France to support Henri IV
October 1591- 22 May 1592 Siege of Rouen by Henri IV
October 1591- January 1592 English and French forces establish
siege
January 1592 – English forces recalled to England
April 1592 – Duke of Parma invades France and raises siege
25 July 1592 Henri IV of France takes Catholic communion
2 December 1592 Duke of Parma dies at Arras
27 February 1593 Henri IV crowned king of France at Chartres
March- June 1593 Siege of Gertruydenberg by Spanish forces. Scots
Brigade with 1500 troops present
1593-1594 Brussels government truce with Huguenot leader, Henri of
Navarre
1593-94 Peasant revolts in France
1594 Spanish mutineers take over the village of Zichem, raising
“contributions” towards their own upkeep as far a way as Brussels, a 50
mile distance.
1594 Archduke Ernest, brother of Rudolph, Holy Roman Emperor
becomes Governor General of the Southern Provinces.
22 March 1594 Henri IV enters Paris
1594 Groningen captured by Spanish
1594-99 Garrison of Bommel by Scots Brigade
January 1595 Henri IV declares war on Spain
1595 Archduke Ernest dies. The Count of Fuentes replaces him
1595 Spanish capture Cambrai from France
June 1595 The French defeat the Spanish supported Holy League in
Fontaine-Francaise in Burgundy
August 1595
Henri IV receives absolution from Pope Clement VIII
“There are three things everyone says and knows to be false, that Elizabeth the Queen is a virgin, that I am good Catholic and that Cardinal Albert is a good general”
– Henry IV of France
January 1596 Archduke Cardinal Albert appointed Governor General of
Spanish Netherlands
1-22 April 1596 Siege of Calais. Spanish army besieges French
garrison
17 April – Maurice of Nassau sends fleet to lift siege but is
blockaded before approaching city
21 April Elizabeth I offers assistance if Calais is surrendered to
England
22 April Calais falls and 5,000 man garrison and the townspeople
are massacred
31 June-1 July 1596 A joint English-Dutch fleet raids Cadiz in
Spain destroying what was to become a second Great Armada to attack
England. Fleet consists of 57 ships, and a total of 6,000 soldiers, 2,000
from the army of the United Provinces commanded by Sir Francis Vere and
consisting of Dutch, German, Waloon, Scots and Irish soldiers.
31 June-18 August 1596 Siege of Hulst. Spanish force 15,000 defeats
garrison of 5,000 under command of Count Solms, commander of Zeeland State
Regiment.
31 October 1596 France and England recognize the Republic of the
United Provinces. Republic expected to field an army of 8.000 and turn
over 4,000, including the five English Regiments, for service in France.
22 January 1597 Battle of Turnhout. The 800 man Army of Maurice of
Nassau defeats 5,000 man force commanded by Count Varax. Maurice’ s force
consists of Vere and 8 companies of English, Docray with 8 companies of
English, Murray with 8 companies of Scots and Kloetingen and La Corde
with12 companies of Dutch and Zeelanders. Hohenlo commanded the cavalry.
The force of Italian, Spanish, German and Waloon veterans wiped out.
1597 States Army captures Reinberg
March 1597 Sack and capture of Amiens by Spanish.
March- 19 September 1597 Siege of Amiens. Spanish driven out of
Amiens
“You must show your teeth to the Spaniard, if you wish for a quiet life”
– Henry IV
13 April 1598 Henry IV signs Edict of Nantes granting freedom of
worship, control of several cities and freedom to hold office to French
Huguenots.
2 May 1598 Spanish peace treaty with France (Treaty of Vervins)
1598 Philip II cedes the southern states of the Netherlands to
Archduke Albert of Austria and his wife Isabella.
1598 Francis Mendoza, Admiral of Aragon appointed military
commander of Spanish forces
1598 Mendoza invades Holy Roman Empire States of Clever, Juliers,
Munster and Berg with army of 8,000 Spanish, Italian, Wallon and German
soldiers
11 October – capture of Burik
15 October – capture of Rheinberg
30 October – capture of Rees
2 November – capture of Emmerich
“Never before was it written or heard of that so great an extent of country could be defended with so few troops, that an invasion of so superior a hostile force could be prevented, especially as it appeared that all the streams and rivers were frozen”
– Elizabeth I on Maurice of Nassau, 1598
October-November 1598 Maurice of Nassau adopts defensive strategy,
preventing Aragon’s invasion of United Provinces
1598-99 Spanish Garrison of Antwerp mutinies
13 September 1598 Phillip II dies
25 February 1599 Edict of Nantes allows limited freedom of religion
and participation in society to Huguenots and a separate military presence
for eight years in specific cities.
September 1599 Archduke Albert arrives at Brussels
June 1600 States Army victory at the battle of Nieuwpoort. Francis
Mendoza captured. Scots Brigade present
July 1600 Spanish army mutinies
5 July 1601-20 September 1604 Siege of Ostend. The besieging army
numbers approximately 20,000. The besieged force consists of about 8,000
initially under the command of Sir Francis Vere. There are English, Scots,
Dutch, Flemings, Frenchmen and Germans in the garrison force.
7 January 1602 – Spanish forces attempt to take Ostend by storm.
The defenders open a sluice which brings seawater into the attackers'
trenches, drowning many and sweeping others out to sea. 1602- Estimated
that 4000 men died in the forts year of the siege within Ostend and
probably twice as many in the trenches of the besieging force. September
1604- The States General grant permission to surrender. 20 September 1604
The articles of capitulation grant the defenders full military honors.
Garrisons marches out, flags flying and drums beating.
July 1601 Siege of Rheinberg by Maurice of Nassau. Spanish
defeated.
July 1601 Capture of Meurs by Maurice of Nassau and States Army.
20 March 1602 Dutch East Indies Company established
June 1602-August 1602 3,500 Spanish and Italian mutineers occupy
village of Hoogstraten
July 1602 Van Der Berg and a Spanish army attempt siege of
mutineers at Hoogstraten but retreat at approach of States Army
July 1602 Maurice of Nassau enters Hoogstraten
August 1602 Mutineers permitted to operate independently and are
given Grave to garrison
July 1602-August 1602 Siege of Grave by States Army. Spanish
defeated.
July 1602 Francis Mendoza exchanged for all States Army prisoners
held by the Spanish.
3 October 1602 A joint English-States fleet under Sir Robert Mansel
and Admiral Obdam destroys Spanish fleet in the English Channel
24 March 1603 Elizabeth I of England dies and James VI of Scotland
ascends to the throne of England as James I.
May-August 1604 Siege of Sluis by States army. Sluis falls.
1604 Spanish peace treaty with England (Treaty of London)
1607 A Dutch fleet under Admiral Jacob Van Heemskerck destroys
Spanish fleet off of Gibraltar
1609-1621 Twelve-Year Truce between Spain and the United Provinces.
Maurice of Nassau opposes the truce but is forced to accept it by Stares
General and Grand Pensionary, Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. Religious and
political issues cause conflict resulting in Maurice of Nassau arresting
his opponents in 1618. Oldenbarnevelt charged with treason for negotiating
the treaty with Spain and supporting religious toleration for Catholics
and protestants other than Calvinists. He is sentenced to death and was
hung on 13 May 1619.
February 1618 On the death of his elder brother Philip William,
Maurice of Nassau becomes Prince of Orange
1619 Hugo Grotius (Huigh de Groot), Dutch jurist and humanist
supports Oldenbarneveldt against Maurice of Nassau and is condemned to
prison for life.
May-June 1621 Siege of Huguenot city of St Jean D‘Angely by
Royalist forces. Huguenots defeated
August-September 1621 Siege of Huguenot city of Mauntauban.
Royalist forces withdrawn
1621 Archduke Albert dies and Isabella, his wife becomes Governor
of Spanish Netherlands
1621 Phillip III of Spain dies and his son Phillip IV becomes king
1621 Grotius escapes and flees to Paris
August–October 1622 Siege of La Rochelle by Catholic Royalists.
Huguenots surrender.
1622 Siege of Bergen-op-Zoop. Spanish siege lifted. City defended
by Scots Brigade. Army of Ernst Von Mansfeld helps lift siege and goes
into the service of the United Provinces.
19 October 1622 Peace Edict of Montpellier leaves La Rochelle as
the last Huguenot city in France.
December 1623 Peit Heyn captures and occupies the port of Bahia,
Brazil
1624 Alliance between United Provinces and France
1625 In Paris, Grotius writes “Concerning the Law of War and Peace”
('De jure belli ac pacis') ,accepted as the first definitive text on
international law.
1625 Charles I of England marries Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis
XIII and English support for Huguenots ends
1625 Spanish commander Ambrosio Spinola conquers Breda
1625 Maurice of Nassau dies
1625 Frederick Henry, younger brother of Maurice, succeeds as
Stadtholder of the five provinces of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel
and Gelderland, and as Captain and Admiral-general of the United
Provinces.
Frederick Henry Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau
“Piet Hein, Piet Hein, Piet Hein zijn naam is klein (his name is short) Zijn daden benne groot (his deeds are big) Hij heeft gewonnen de Zilvervloot” (he has won the Silver Fleet
– Lyrics of Popular Dutch Contemporary Song
1627 United Provinces capture Grol
August-October 1627 Siege of Huguenot city of La Rochelle. City
capitulates.
May 1628 Piet Heyn captures Spanish treasure fleet in the port of
Havanna.
1628 Siege of La Rochelle, a Huguenot stronghold, by the King of
France
1628 Piet Heyn appointed Admiral General of the United Provinces
1629 Piet Heyn killed in sea battle with Spanish at Dunkirk
May-September 1629 Siege of Hertogenbosch by States army. Scots
Brigade present. City Surrenders.
16 June 1629 Peace Edict of Alais ends Huguenot military and civic
presence in Catholic France.
July 1629 Spanish army captures Amersfort in Utrecht
19 August 1629 Capture of Wesel by States Army forces Spanish
withdrawal from Utrecht
1630
Gustavus II Adolphus King of Sweden lands in Germany
1630 Mecklenburg
1630 Demmin
1630 Greifenhagen
1631 Kolberg
1631 Frankfurt On Oder
1631 Werben
1631 Breitenfeld
1631 Wurzburg
1631 Mainz
1632 Lech
1632 Furth
1632 Alte Veste
16 November 1632 Gustavus II Adolphus killed at the battle of
Lutzen
June 1632 Capture of Venlo, Straelen, Sittard and Roermond
10 June-22 August 1632 Siege of Maastricht by States army. City
surrenders.
13 April 1634 United Provinces and France sign a subsidy treaty
stipulating no negotiations with Spain for one year
September 1634 Cardinal Infante Ferdinan brother of Phillip IV
defeat Swedish Army at Nordlingen, Ferdinan appointed Governor of Spanish
Netherlands and moves his army to Brussels.
1636 Maarten Tromp appointed Admiral General of the United
Provinces
1637 Capture of Breda
1637-1639 Spanish Netherlands conduct raids on United Provinces
shipping from the port of Dunkirk
1639-1640 Bishops Wars between Scotland and England
21 October 1639 Spain sends an armada to Flanders, with 20,000
troops, which is defeated by Admiral Maarten Tromp in the Battle of the
Downs
1640 Catalonia revolts against Spain and joins France
1640 Portugal wins independence from Spain
1640 France captures Arras from Spanish Netherlands
1641-1649 Ireland in rebellion
1641 Cardinal Infante Ferdinan dies
1641 William, son of Frederick Henry, is married to Mary Stuart,
eldest daughter of Charles I.
August 1642 Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham to raise an
army against Parliament
1642 States General declares United Provinces neutrality in the War
of Three Kingdoms
23 October 1642 inconclusive battle of Edgehill between English
Royalists and Parliamentarians
1642-1646 Frederick Henry provides support to Stuart cause in the
form of arms and transportation despite the will of the States General
1643 French defeat the Spanish at the Battle of Rocroi. 2 July 1644
English Parliamentarian and Scots Covenanter victory over English
Royalists
1644 States army captures Sas van Gent
1644 Alliance between United Provinces and France renewed
1644 French capture Mardick and Gravelines in Spanish Netherlands
1644-1645 Scottish Civil War
1645 States army captures Hulst
14 June 1645 English Royalist defeat by Parliamentarians at Naseby
May 1646 Charles I’s army is destroyed and he goes into Scottish
custody
1647 Frederick Henry died and is succeeded by his son William.
31 January, 1648 Treaty of Munster establishes a permanent peace.
William II Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau
Reforms of Maurice of Nassau to the Staatse Leger
Beginning in 1589 Maurice of Nassau sough to reform the Army of the States
General. This process began with the use of constant drilling of the
soldiers in the handling of their individual weapons and in the movement
of formations. The drill book The Exercise of Armes, drawn by De Geyn in
1608, depicts graphically the individual musket and pike drill introduced
by Maurice of Nassau. Soldiers were taught to count the different
movements in unison in battle to aid in coordinated formation movement as
well as, in the case of musketeers, to allow for effective volley firing.
Infantry formations were 10 ranks in depth and each half regiment of would
have 250 pike men flanked on either side by 80 musketeers. This formations
would, in turn be flanked by cavalry ands supported by a second and third
echelon in a checkerboard pattern. The words of command for the army,
comprised of Dutch, German, French, Scottish, and English soldiers were
shared by all soldiers regardless of nationality. Commands of preparation,
in addition to commands of execution, were introduced as well. Soldiers
were expected to dig their own defensive positions and local civilians
were, for the first time, not forced or paid to dig for the army. Cavalry
drills were not introduced but lancers were dispensed with and all cavalry
were armed with carbine (harquebus) and or pistols.
The willingness of the soldiers to accept the innovation of constant
drill and to drill during the winter months, during which there had
typically been no activity, was, in all probability, based on the
knowledge that they would be paid on a regular basis. This made it
possible for the soldiers to be worked harder and prevent them from being
the burden on the population and danger to civilians that the irregularly
paid Spanish, Italian, German and Southern Province soldiers fighting
against the United Province were.
A Description of the uniforms and equipment of the troops arriving in the Low Countries
“There is a description of these soldiers, in Kervyn de Lettenhove’s Les Huguenots et les Geux, Tome III, PG 46. which states that the harquebusiers maintained the uniforms they had worn in England: blue cassocks with yellow and red facing, and red crosses. However wile some of these regular troops wore uniforms, most of the mercenary companies would not have adopted any particular colours. In general, equipment would have remained functional, with musketeers and harquebusiers clothed in fustian doublets, chain mail jackets, and sometimes corselets and steel helmets, carrying a sword and dagger. The pikemen might have been more heavily armed, wearing steel corselets and metal pouldrons, vambraces and tasses and most certainly a steel cap. However for the sake of mobility, this equipment was often limited to a breast and back plate, and in the low countries there were few pitched battles that warranted the use of heavy armor. Many of the mercenary companies were very poorly clad, and existed in extreme discomfort pending payment for their services; arms and equipment were often in short supply.”Appendix C, Page 52, The Expedition in Holland, 1572-1574 from the manuscript of Walter Morgan
Pictures from Jacob De Gheyn’s Exercise of Arms, 1607
Origin of the term “beggars” (geuzen)
On the 5th of April 1566 Louis of Nassau and Count Brederode, both nobles sympathetic to the Protestants of the Netherlands, along with 400 of their fellow nobles presented the Compromise of Breda to Margaret of Parma, the illegitimate sister of King Phillip of Spain and his regent in the Netherlands. The Compromise was a request for an end to the work of the Inquisition and a removal of Spanish occupying forces for the Netherlands. The regent was at first alarmed at the appearance of so large a body, but one of her councilors, Berlaymont, was heard to exclaim, “What, madam, is your highness afraid of these beggars” (“ces gueux”)? At a meeting held by some 300 confederates at the Hotel Culemburg three days later, Brederode in a speech declared that if need be they were all ready to become beggars in their country’s cause. The French word for beggar is gueux which was rapidly transformed into geuzen and became the proud title of those who opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands and “Vivent le geux” was heard on the streets of the Netherlands.
The “geuzenpenning”, an original Dutch medal in the Rijksmuseum with the image of Phillip II, cups to drink the health of a charitable donor, and a beggars bowl.
The “geuzenpenning”, an original Dutch medal in the Rijksmuseum with the image of Phillip II, cups to drink the health of a charitable donor, and a beggars bowl.
Typical Spanish Flag
Organization of the Spanish Tercio
A tercio is a regiment of ten companies under a field marshal (maestre de campo). Each company consisted of approximately 300 men, with two of the ten companies made up of musketeers and the rest of pike. The tercios fought in squares with all the pike in the center and the muskets surrounding the pike on all sides.
Example French Catholic Flags
Example French Catholic Flags
Role and Rights of Women in 16th -17th century Holland
“The man is head of the family, but the woman is the neck, that allows the head to move”
an old Dutch Saying
Calvinist Doctrine expected obedience of the wife towards the husband and the daughter towards her father. Dutch women, however, had unique rights. The Dutch legal system in the 17th century allowed a woman to institute legal proceedings against somebody, even against her husband. If she was unmarried and had not reached the age of adulthood (25) she needed a guardian. An unmarried pregnant woman could persecute the alleged father in a paternity procedure. She could force him to marry her and if he was already married she could demand a dowry, payment of childbirth costs and an allowance for the child. Women were also able to own property.
Sources:
- Arnold, Thomas, The Renaissance at War ( London, 2001)
- Benedict, Phillip, ed., Reformation, Revolt and Civl War in France and the Netherlands, 1555-1585 (Amsterdam, 1999)
- Caldecott-Baird, Duncan, ed. The Expedition in Holland, 1572-1574 from the manuscript of Walter Morgan (London, 1976)
- Collins, D.C., Battle of Nieuport 1600, two new pamphlets and a ballad (Oxford, 1935)
- Davies, D.W., ed., The Actions of the Low Countries (NY 1964)
- Duke, Alastair, Reformation and Revolt in the Low Countries (London, 2003)
- Enthoven, Victor From Sea-Beggar to Admiralty, The Dutch Navy after Lepanto (Royal Netherlands Naval College)
- Geyl, Pieter, History of the Dutch Speaking Peoples (London, 1961)
- Greengrass, Mark, France in the Age of Henri IV (NY, 1995)
- Grant, James, The Scottish Soldier of Fortune (London, 1890)
- Holt, Mack P., The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 (Cambridge, 1995)
- Kamen, Henry, The Duke of Alba (New Haven, 2004)
- Knecht, Robert, The French Civil Wars (Essex, 2000)
- Limm, Peter, The Dutch Revolt, 1559-1648 (NY, 1989)
- Marshall, Sherrin, Women in Reformation and Counter Reformation Europe (Indianappolis,1989)
- Motley, John, The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1555-1584 (manybooks.net)
- Motley, John, The History of the United Netherlands,1584-1609(manybooks.net)
- Oman, Charles, A History of the Art of War in the Sixteenth Century (London, 1999)
- Parker Geoffey, The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 1567-1659 (NY, 2004)
- Parker, Geoffrey, The Grand Strategy of Phillip II (New Haven, 1998)
- Parker, Geoffrey, The Thirty Years War (New Haven, 1998)
- Swart, K.W., William of Orange and the Revolt of the Netherlands, 1572-1584 (Aldershot, 2003)
- Van Der Hoven, Marco, ed. Exercise of Arms, Warfare in the Netherlands (1568-1648), (Leiden, 1998)
- Van Gelderen Martin, The Political Thought of the Dutch Revolt, 1555-1590 (Cambridge, 1992)
- Wedgewood, C.V., William the Silent (NY, 1944)
- Wedgewood, C.V., The Thirty Years War, (London, 1938)
- Wilson, Charles, Queen Elizabeth and the Revolt of the Netherlands, (London, 1970)