Siege of Rheinberg (1601)
Siege of Rheinberg (1601) | |
---|---|
Part of the Meurs 51°32′48″N 6°36′02″E / 51.5466°N 6.6005°E(present-day Germany) | |
Result | Dutch and English victory[1][2] |
England
Scotland
Herman van den Bergh (Relief)
5,200 (Relief)[3]
The siege of Rheinberg, also known as the Rhine campaign of 1601, was the siege of the towns of
Background
In mid-June 1601
On 7 June Maurice camped his troops with a well appointed force of about 10,000 men and marched to the
Campaign
On 10 June 1601 Maurice took to the field and two days later the Anglo-Dutch surrounded Rheinberg and soon siege works were dug and constructed around the town.[10] Within a few days however Maurice had received orders to release almost 2,000 men including many of his veteran English and Scottish troops as reinforcements to Ostend.[2] Disturbed by the calculations of his decreasing besieging force he hoped that the town would surrender before more troops were ordered away.[4]
On 29 June Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland and other nobles came to Rheinberg to learn the art of siege warfare. At the same time the Earl placed himself in temporary command of the English forces which caused friction between himself and the English commander Lord Willoughby.[11] On 5 July the siege of Ostend began and soon after Percy visited Ostend hoping to learn more, putting Lord Willoughby back in charge.[9]
Meanwhile, Count Herman van den Bergh had marched from
Maurice's siege works proved effective - his pioneers sprang a
After leaving a garrison in Rheinberg Maurice then marched South to Meurs. They laid siege to the city on 2 August 1601 which after a brief bombardment and no hope of relief the Spanish garrison almost immediately surrendered.[12]
Aftermath
The victory was celebrated in Holland and a triumphal medal was created with the inscription; the enemy threatening fearful things is driven from Berg.[10]
Rheinberg, because it had been besieged many times throughout the war, became known as the whore of war.
The Dutch were determined to fortify both towns with their own troops, no longer trusting the neutrality of the German prince's garrison.[14] Thus the keys to the land of Cleves and Julliers the scene of the Francisco de Mendoza's successful and brutal campaign were now held by the stadholder.[4] Maurice then sent more reinforcements to Ostend and halted further campaigning for two months. In November he tried to take 's-Hertogenbosch but the onset of a brutal cold winter and the threat of a Spanish relief force under Van den Bergh forced Maurice into winter quarters.[15]
Meurs stayed in Dutch hands and would remain a part of the Dutch Republic until 1712 when it became a part of Prussia.
References
- Citations
- ^ a b c van Nimwegen pp 174-76
- ^ Charles Harding Firth (1693). Stuart Tracts, 1603–1693 Volume 7. E. P. Dutton and Company Limited. p. 166.
- ^ a b Geysbeek, Witsen (1827). Schoonheden en merkwaardige tafereelen uit de Nederlandsche geschiedenis, Volume 4. Portielje. p. 186. (Dutch)
- ^ a b c d e f John Lothrop Motley (1867). History of the United Netherlands, from the death of William the silent to the twelve years' truce 1609. Lyon Public Library.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Dalton pp 75–76
- ^ Belleroche p. 43
- ^ Knight, Charles Raleigh: Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905, p. 50
- ^ Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland to the Death of George II. Volumes 3-4. Trustees of the British Museum. 1904. p. 178.
- ^ a b A True Report of all the proceedinges of Grave Mauris before the towne of Bercke. British Library: W. Jones. 1601.
- ^ a b c d e Israel pp 29-30
- ^ Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. H.M. Stationery Office. 1907. p. 32.
- ^ Recklinghausen, Johann Arnold von (1837). Reformations-Geschichte der Länder Jülich, Berg, Cleve, Meurs, Mark, Westfalen, und der Städte Aachen, Cöln und Dortmund. Oxford University. p. 290.
- ^ Knight, Charles Raleigh: Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905, p. 117
- ^ Davies, Charles Maurice (1842). History of Holland, from the Beginning of the Tenth to the End of the Eighteenth Century, Volume 2. New York Public Library: J.W. Parker. p. 362.
- ^ Van Nimwegen pp.178-79
- Bibliography
- Dalton, Charles (2012). Life and Times of General Sir Edward Cecil, Viscount Wimbledon, Colonel of an English Regiment in the Dutch Service, 1605–1631, and One of His Majesty. HardPress. ISBN 9781407753157.
- Dunthorne, Hugh (2013). Britain and the Dutch Revolt 1560–1700. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521837477.
- Edmundson, George (2013). History of Holland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107660892.
- Fissel, Mark Charles (2001). English warfare, 1511–1642; Warfare and history. London, UK: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-21481-0.
- Israel, Jonathan (1997). Conflicts of Empires: Spain, the Low Countries and the Struggle for World Supremacy, 1585–1713. Continuum. ISBN 9780826435538.
- Nolan, Cathal J (2006). The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000–1650: An Encyclopaedia of Global Warfare and Civilization, Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313337338.
- van Nimwegen, Olaf (2010). The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588–1688 Volume 31 of Warfare in History Series. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 9781843835752.
- Wagenaar, Jan (1753). Vaderlandsche Historie, Vervattende Geschiedenislessen der Vereenigde Nederlanden, in Zonderheid die van Holland, van de Vroegste Tyden af - Achtste Deel. Amsterdam: Isaak Tirion. (Dutch)