Sack of Lier

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Sack of Lier
Part of the Eighty Years' War

The Relief of Lier by the troops of Antwerp and Mechelen (17th century), Flemish school.
Date14 October 1595
Location
Lier, Duchy of Brabant, Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium)
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
 Dutch Republic Spain Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Charles de Heraugières Alonso de Luna
Gaspar de Mondragón
Gerard de Hornes
Antoni van Berchem
Niklaes van der Laen
Strength
870[1] Garrison: Unknown
Relief: 250 regulars, 3,800 militia[2]
Casualties and losses
300[3]-700[4] Unknown

The Sack of Lier, also known as the Fury of Lier in the Southern Netherlands, took place on 14 October 1595 when a force of the Dutch States Army led by Charles de Heraugières, governor of Breda, took the town by surprise during the Eighty Years' War. Heraugières, who was known for his daring surprise attacks over Breda in 1590 and Huy in March 1595, had been instructed to capture Lier ahead a small elite force while the bulk of the Spanish Army of Flanders was deployed in northern France and the Lower Rhine. The possession of Lier would have provided the Dutch Republic an advanced base deep inside the Brabant, which would allowed the States troops to cut the communications between Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven and 's-Hertogenbosch, and to raid as far as Brussels.

Having marched from several border garrisons, the Dutch troops launched a swift attack on 14 October before dawn. A small force entered Lier across an unfinished ravelin before the Mechelen gate, neutralized the few guards of the said gate and that of Antwerp, and opened the way for the bulk of the force. The defenders, a mix of Spanish soldiers and civic guards, known as schutterij, were easily overran. Nevertheless, the governor of the town, Alonso de Luna y Cárcamo, had time enough to organize the defense at the 's-Hertogenbosch gate, also known as Lisper gate, and sent messengers to Antwerp and Mechelen calling for help. While the Dutch soldiers lost disciplane and plundered the town and desecrated its churches, the militias from Antwerp and Mechelen, reinforced by some regular troops, marched to relief Lier. After a stubborn fight, the schutterij and the Spanish troops drove the Dutch soldiers from the town and killed or captured most of them.

Although a minor action, the relief of Lier was widely celebrated in the Southern Netherlands, specially because the role of the schutterij from Antwerp and Mechelen, who revealed themselves as loyal subjects of the Spanish Crown and an effective and essential force in the defense of the Catholic south against the northern Dutch Protestants. The success was publicized through printed accounts and commemorated by means of paintings, medals and other artworks.

Background

From 1579 to 1588, the Spanish Army of Flanders, led by the

circumvallation at the same time, so he ordered a retreat.[8]

Map of the vicinity of Antwerp and Mechelen with Lier and the Nete river, by Carel Allard.

Having secured Groenlo, Mondragón encamped his army near

marshes which could be flooded by opening locks in the Nete and Leibeek rivers, which confluded near the town, the Nete being formed by the confluence of the Grote Nete and the Kleine Nete.[10]

A dissatisfied resident of Lier, named Mertten de Meulaer, had informed the

Calvinist Walloon nobleman which had successfully undertaken daring surprise attacks over Breda in 1590 and Huy, in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, in March 1595.[1] The capture of Breda, in particular, had been considered a great achievement and celebrated across the Northern Netherlands in poetry, prints and songs.[13] To avoid suspicions and preventing Spanish spies from discovering the plan, Heraugières assembled a force of 750 foot and 120 cavalry soldiers from the border garrisons of Breda, Heusden, Geertruidenberg, Bergen op Zoom and Willemstad, which were instructed to march separately the night on 13 October to the village of Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor, the southernmost of the Zandhoven canton. There, Heraugières gave them a rest and issued his orders. After that, they marched silently to Lier.[1]

Action

The States assault and sack

Charles de Heraugières, governor of Breda (1590), anonymous portrait.

The Dutch force arrived to the vicinity of Lier on 14 October while it still was dark, between 4 a. m. and 5 a. m. Heraugières dispatched a vanguard under Captain Van Boetselaer to ford the moat between the Antwerp and Mechelen gates, which they did waist deep in water without being discovered thanks to the darkness.[14] An armed burgher guarding the wall heard a splash in the water, but, probably fearing to be mocked for believing in a folk tale known as The water devil, he did not inform his officer. When the clock of the town hall stuck 5 a. m. and the guard was replaced, the Dutch assailants scaled an unfinished ravelin which was being erected to protect the Mechelen gate and stabbed the new sentinel, a man called Coenraert Perre, before he could give the alarm.[15] Then Van Boetselar and his men quickly overran the guard post next to the gate, where they killed 12 schutterij,[11] while his lieutenant did the same in the Antwerp gate.[14] Meanwhile, Perre, who had been left for dead, recovered consciousness and, albeit badly wounded, was able to reach the main guard post in the Markt square and gave the alarm.[16]

While Heraugières entered Lier across the Mechelen gate with the main force, the Spanish governor, Captain

Carthusian monastery.[17] Besides this, the lock in the Nete river, in the northern side of the wall, was closed to prevent the Dutch from entering the town from there. The battle in the Markt, nevertheless, had been decided in favour of the attackers. Several buildings in the square, and also in the Antwerp and Mechelen streets, were on fire. The schutterij tried to entrench themselves in the town hall, but they were ultimately overrun.[18]

Captain Luna withdrew his men along the Den Bosch, Rauwbroek and Brouwery streets to the 's-Hertogenbosch gate, where he was able to regroup his force and stop the Dutch push. Heraugières ordered the gate and Carthusian monastery to be carried by assault. His men, however, were met by a heavy musketry fire and fell back.[18] Captain Arnold van Buren led a section of Dutch soldiers across the walls to attack the gate from outside, but he was killed by a musket shot and his soldiers retreated to safer positions to harass the Spanish from behind. The attack over the Monastery succeeded, but then the Dutch soldiers lost discipline as they found many wine barrels in the monastery's cellar and got drunk. Heraugières was unable to restore order, and the States troops spread out around the town in search of booty. The Calvinist soldiery looted the Lier town hall and many of the town's churches and private houses. The religious images were destroyed or damaged, and the church ornaments were taken as booty.[19] Some soldiers dressed themselves in priestly garments and mocked the Catholic liturgy in other ways.[20] Heraugières had to content himself to ensure that all the gates were closed and the Spanish defenders remained under harassment.[21] To do this, three cannons were taken from the city walls to fire upon the entrenched positions, although the Spanish had also one piece, as Luna had ordered sergeant Diego Mateo to carry one falconet, two barrels of powder and a number of cannonballs to the 's-Hertogenbosch gate.[22]

Spanish relief

Soon after the Dutch assault had begun, the Italian

citadel of Antwerp during the absence of the latter– about the attack.[23] A force was quickly assembled to march in relief of Lier. Mondragón took 250 Spanish soldiers from the garrison of the citadel and assumed the overall command, though the bulk of the force was formed by 16schutterij companies ley by the schepens Antoni van Berchem, Jacob d'Assa and Gillis de Mera, and jonkheer Anselm van den Cryuce, administrador of the city. They were, in all, about 3,000 men. The 80 schutterij of Borgerhout led the way in command of jonkheer Josse Robyns, schout of Burgerhout.[24] Meanwhile, another messenger arrived to Mechelen by 8 a. m. having crossed the Nete at the Anderstad castle. The governor of the city, Gerard de Hornes, baron of Bassignies, was just in command of an Walloon infantry company, but he was joined by 800 schutterij under Niklaes van der Laen, burgomaster of Mechelen, his brother Jan, Lord of Schriek en te Grootloo, and ridders Jan van Wachtendonck, Ladislaus van Gottignies, Karel van Boevekerke and Jacob van Cranendonck.[25]

Rombout Heyns, flag bearer of the Mechelen gunners' guild in the 1580s, by Jan Verhoeven.

The relief force from Melechen marched directly to the Anderstad castle, from the towers of which they saw the royal flag over the 's-Hertogenbosch gate of Lier. Burgmaster Van der Laen ordered his second in command, a retired German soldier called Sebastiaen Cuyser, to build a pontoon bridge to allow the entire force to cross the Nete, which he did by taking two large boats from the nearby village of Duffel.[26] Having left a sizeable garrison at Anderstad, the bulk of the force advanced to the village of Donk and linked with the Antwerp force under Mondragón. Then they marched unopposed to Lier and were warmly received by Alonso de Luna and his men, who opened the 's-Hertogenbosch gate to let them in.[27] The Spanish and Walloon soldiers and the Flemish militia then launched a two-pronged attack over the States troops. A first, main column drove the Dutch from the inner 's-Hertogenbosch gate and pushed them to the Markt district while a second, auxiliary column rushed along the Rauwbroek y Kerk streets.[27] No prisoners were taken during the street fight.[28]

Lier captured and abandoned by the Dutch army, anonymous print.

The Dutch force was unable to mount a strong defense. The troops were either tired from the previous fighting or drunk, and many of them argued that it was better to escape with the booty than trying to hold the town. Heraugières organized the defense of the Markt square with his best soldiers, but they were soon pushed out of it and fell back to the fish market, located in an island between two bridges over the Kleine Nete. Heraugières left there a rearguard under Captain Van Boetselaer to cover the retreat. However, the Dutch officer was slain, and his men fled disorderly towards the Leuven gate.[29] The Dutch soldiers found their way blocked by a Catholic force under Van den Cruyce and d'Assa, who advanced along the outer wall and retook the Antwerp and Mechelen gates while other troops cleared the Carthusian monastery from an isolated pocket of Dutch soldiers. The Flemish schutterij seized the Leuven gate, flanked by three towers and provided with loopholes from where they opened fire on the approahcing Dutch troops.[29] On finding the Leuven gate closed, Heraugières' men panicked and lost cohesion. They fled across the Pettendonk, chased by the Catholic soldiers and militia, hoping to escape across the Mol watergate. The States troops, either on foot or in horseback, jumped into the Nete to save themselves. Heraugières was able to escape back to Breda followed by several officers and most of the cavalry, though losing their mounts in the process. Many Dutch soldiers drowned, and others were captured.[30]

The total loss of the Dutch force had been variely[check spelling] assessed. The Spanish officer and writer Carlos Coloma stated that 640 Dutch dead were counted on the streets of Lier and 60 prisoners were taken, and that it was later known that just 80 men returned to Breda with Heraugières.[4] The Dutch historian and merchant Emanuel van Meteren, on the other hand, reduced the number of casualties to 300, although adding that 'this loss was even greater because they were mostly veteran soldiers'.[3] Modern estimations set the Dutch losses at 500 men dead.[31][32] They were buried in two mass graves near the Mol watergate.[33] Among the casualties there were several officers. Two majors died: Van Boetselaer and Van den Broek, as well as captains Van Buren and Van Dorp, lieutenants Voet and Geyzelaers, ensign Greun, and Willem de Vos, adjudant of Heraugières, who had gained renown during the capture of Huy that March.[31]

Aftermath

News about the Catholic victory were quickly sent to Antwerp and Brussels. As Heraugières had previously reported the capture of Lier, the Dutch garrisons of Lillo and other Dutch forts in the vicinity of Antwerp fired several salvos to celebrate the taking of the town. However, they were soon silenced by three salvos from the 150 cannons of the citadel and the city walls of Antwerp. Next day, once the ravelin of the Mechelen gate had been repaired, the schutterij returned to their cities, where crowds of citizens rushed to welcome them.[4] The many bags and packages full of looted objects which the Dutch soldiers abandoned in the streets of Lier during their flight were ordered to be carried to the residence of Melchior van Cortbeemde, burgomaster of Lier, for the residents to claim back their stolen properties. However, few people followed the mandate, choosing instead to keep what they were able to seize during the confusion.[34]

Schutterij from Mechelen at the Anderstad Castle during the relief of Lier, detail from a painting by Jan II Ghuens.

Further south, the Count of Fuentes, who remained with the main army around Cambrai, having captured the city a few weeks before, was already in knowledge about the Dutch enterprise and had dispatched a force of 4,000 foot and 500 horse to relief Lier or, in case that it had fallen, to invest it until he arrived with a larger force.[35] They stopped their march between Mons and Valenciennes when informed about the Dutch defeat. News about the coup had also reached a number of soldiers who had mutinied and seized the town of Tienen as their base. Albeit rebellious to the army's command, they had sent 1,000 men to relief Lier, who knew about the victory on their way to the town and returned to Tienen.[35] According to Coloma, Fuentes joyfully received the news of the relief, as 'it perfectioned all the other events of that year'.[4] The string of defeats of the Army of Flanders following the loss of Breda in 1590 was stemmed in 1595 with the conquest of Cambrai and the victory over the French army at the Battle of Doullens, in the south, and the relief of Groenlo and the defeat of the States cavalry near Wesel, in the north. The loyal provinces then asked Fuentes to besiege Ostend, the last Dutch stronghold in the south, to put the raids by its garrison to an end. However, he declined, since he know that Philip II had appointed the Archduke Albert of Austria as governor and he wished to leave the Netherlands with his reputation intact.[36]

The relief of Lier was widely reported on its immediate aftermath as far as in Italy, where Bernardino Beccari in Rome and Pietro Diserolo in Verona printed accounts of the events.[37] Anthonis de Ballo and Rutger Velpius published accounts in Antwerp and Brussels, respectively. The first one reccounted the events from the perspective of the Antwerp militia, while the second one was based in a notarised copy of the verbal report to the Privy Council of Gillis Rombouts, lieutenant of the Mechelen schutterij. A third account was printed in Lille by Antoine Tack, while Adriaen Huybrechts brought out an engraving of the relief with authorisation from Joachim de Buschere, secretary of the Council of Brabant.[38] All the accounts emphasized the key role of the schutterij, which, asides from large-scale actions such as the relief of Lier, were regularly involved in small-scale actions against the Dutch vrijbuters, the French cavalry, the mutineers of the Royal Army and bandits of all sorts. Additionally, the contribution of the Antwerp and Mechelen militias to the relief of Lier evidenced the compromise between the Southern Netherlandish population and the Spanish Crown to fight together against the Dutch Protestants.[39]

Legacy

The Fury of Lier in 1595, anonymous oil on canvas in the Museum Wuyts-Van Campen, formerly in the town hall of Lier.

The relief of Lier was commemorated in the Southern Netherlands through

Civitates Orbis Terrarum (1572-1617) by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg, and in the Descrittione (1581) by Lodovico Guicciardini.[43]

In Lier, the windows of the church in Carthusian monastery were adorned, some time after the events, with stained glasses that visually recounted the sack and the relief. After the Carthusians were banned from the Habsburg Netherlands in 1783 following a secularization decree issued by Emperor Joseph II, the monastery was demolished and the stained glasses were sold at a low price to different individuals.[44] Medals were produced at Antwerp and Mechelen to be individually awarded to the principal participants in the relief. The Antwerp city hall commissioned the medallist and sculptor Jacques Jonghelinck to craft a number of medals adorned with a woman crowned by the citadel of Antwerp in the obverse, and a descriptive caption on the reverse, for which he was paid 534 florins and 15 sous.[45] Moreover, the town council gave schepens Antoni van Berchem, Jacob d'Assa and Gillis de Mera, as well as Captain Gaspar de Mondragón, silver-gilt basins valued, together, at 829 florins and 2 sous.[46]

A religious feast was established in 1596 to celebrate the salvation of the town each year on 14 October. It consisted of a

Blessed Sacrament was elevated over an altar, and a Te Deum and a Latin hymn were sung.[47] By the second half of the 19th century, the original meaning of the feast had been lost, since most of the inhabitants of Lier believed then that the procession was held to thank Gummarus for having saved the town not from the Dutch Calvinists, but from the pagan Normans.[48]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Avontroodt 1840, p. 6.
  2. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 15-18.
  3. ^ a b Meteren 1618, p. 383.
  4. ^ a b c d Coloma 1624, p. 357.
  5. ^ Parker 1979, p. 141.
  6. ^ Nimwegen 2010, p. 153-154.
  7. ^ Nimwegen 2010, p. 161.
  8. ^ Nimwegen 2010, p. 163.
  9. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 4.
  10. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 5.
  11. ^ a b Coloma 1624, p. 354.
  12. ^ Serrure 1861, p. 410-411.
  13. ^ Eekhout 2013, p. 132.
  14. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 7.
  15. ^ Serrure 1861, p. 410.
  16. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 8.
  17. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 10-11.
  18. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 12.
  19. ^ Carnero 1625, p. 376.
  20. ^ Coloma 1624, p. 356.
  21. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 13-14.
  22. ^ Coloma 1624, p. 355.
  23. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 14.
  24. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 15.
  25. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 16-18.
  26. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 19.
  27. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 20.
  28. ^ Carnero 1625, p. 326.
  29. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 21.
  30. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 23.
  31. ^ a b Avontroodt 1840, p. 23-24.
  32. ^ Beer 1929, p. 27.
  33. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 24.
  34. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 25.
  35. ^ a b Bentivoglio 1687, p. 390.
  36. ^ Carnero 1625, p. 377.
  37. ^ Arblaster 2014, p. 62.
  38. ^ Arblaster 2014, p. 62-63.
  39. ^ Ruiz Ibáñez 2015.
  40. ^ Eekhout 2014, p. 244.
  41. ^ a b Eekhout 2014, p. 256.
  42. ^ Eekhout 2014, p. 257.
  43. ^ Mees 2000, p. 83.
  44. ^ Avontroodt 1840, p. 27.
  45. ^ Beer 1929, p. 27-28.
  46. ^ Beer 1929, p. 31.
  47. ^ Reinsberg 1870, p. 215.
  48. ^ Reinsberg 1870, p. 216.

References

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