History of the United Netherlands, 1594
92 pages
English

History of the United Netherlands, 1594

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The Project Gutenberg EBook History of United Netherlands, 1594 #66 in our series by John Lothrop Motley
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Title: History of the United Netherlands, 1594
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4866] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first
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The Project Gutenberg EBook History of UnitedNetherlands, 1594 #66 in our series by JohnLothrop MotleyCopyright laws are changing all over the world. Besure to check the copyright laws for your countrybefore downloading or redistributing this or anyother Project Gutenberg eBook.This header should be the first thing seen whenviewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do notremove it. Do not change or edit the headerwithout written permission.Please read the "legal small print," and otherinformation about the eBook and ProjectGutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included isimportant information about your specific rights andrestrictions in how the file may be used. You canalso find out about how to make a donation toProject Gutenberg, and how to get involved.**Welcome To The World of Free Plain VanillaElectronic Texts****EBooks Readable By Both Humans and ByComputers, Since 1971*******These EBooks Were Prepared By Thousandsof Volunteers*****Title: History of the United Netherlands, 1594
Author: John Lothrop MotleyRelease Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4866] [Yes,we are more than one year ahead of schedule][This file was first posted on April 9, 2002]Edition: 10Language: English*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERGEBOOK HISTORY UNITED NETHERLANDS, 1594***This eBook was produced by David Widger<widger@cecomet.net>[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, orpointers, at the end of the file for those who maywish to sample the author's ideas before makingan entire meal of them. D.W.]HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDSFrom the Death of William the Silent to the TwelveYear's Truce—1609By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS,Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 66History of the United Netherlands, 1594CHAPTER XXX.Prince Maurice lays siege to Gertruydenberg—Advantages of the new system of warfare—Progress of the besieging operations—Superiority of Maurice's manoeuvres—Adventure of Count Philip of Nassau—Capitulation of Gertruydenberg—Mutinyamong the Spanish troops— Attempt ofVerdugo to retake Coeworden—Suspicionsof treason in the English garrison at Ostend—Letter of Queen Elizabeth to Sir EdwardNorris on the subject—Second attempt onCoeworden—Assault on Groningen byMaurice—Second adventure of Philip ofNassau—Narrow escape of Prince Maurice—Surrender of Groningen—Particulars of thesiege—Question of religious toleration—Progress of the United Netherlands—Condition of the "obedient" Netherlands—Incompetency of Peter Mansfeld asGovernor—Archduke Ernest, the successorof Farnese—Difficulties of his position—Hisunpopularity—Great achievements of therepublicans—Triumphal entry of Ernest into
Brussels and Antwerp—Magnificence of thespectacle—Disaffection of the Spanishtroops—Great military rebellion—Philip'sproposal to destroy the English fleet—Hisassassination plans—Plot to poison QueenElizabeth—Conspiracies against PrinceMaurice—Futile attempts at negotiation—Proposal of a marriage between Henry andthe Infanta—Secret mission from Henry tothe King of Spain—Special dispatch toEngland and the Staten—Henry obtainsfurther aid from Queen Elizabeth and theStates—Council—Anxiety of the Protestantcountries to bring about a war with Spain—Aspect of affairs at the close of the year1594.While Philip's world-empire seemed in one directionto be so rapidly fading into cloudland there weresubstantial possessions of the Spanish crownwhich had been neglected in Brabant andFriesland.Two very important cities still held for the King ofSpain within the territories of what could now befairly considered the United Dutch Republic—St.Gertruydenberg and Groningen.Early in the spring of 1593, Maurice had completedhis preparations for a siege, and on the 24th Marchappeared before Gertruydenberg.It was a stately, ancient city, important for itswealth, its strength, and especially for its position.
For without its possession even the province ofHolland could hardly consider itself mistress of itsown little domains. It was seated on the ancientMeuse, swollen as it approached the sea almost tothe dimension of a gulf, while from the southanother stream, called the Donge, very brief in itscourse, but with considerable depth of water, cameto mingle itself with the Meuse, exactly under thewalls of the city.The site of the place was so low that it was almosthidden and protected by its surrounding dykes.These afforded means of fortification, which hadbeen well improved. Both by nature and art the citywas one of the strongholds of the Netherlands.Maurice had given the world a lesson in thebeleaguering science at the siege of Steenwyk,such as had never before been dreamt of; but hewas resolved that the operations beforeGertruydenberg should constitute a masterpiece.Nothing could be more beautiful as a production ofmilitary art, nothing, to the general reader, moreinsipid than its details.On the land side, Hohenlo's headquarters were atRamsdonck, a village about a German mile to theeast of Gertruydenberg. Maurice himself wasestablished on the west side of the city. Twobridges constructed across the Donge facilitatedthe communications between the two camps, whilegreat quantities of planks and brush were laid downacross the swampy roads to make them passable
for waggon-trains and artillery. The first care of theyoung general, whose force was not more thantwenty thousand men, was to protect himselfrather than to assail the town.His lines extended many miles in a circuit aroundthe place, and his forts, breastworks, and trencheswere very numerous.The river was made use of as a natural and almostimpassable ditch of defence, and windmills werefreely employed to pump water into the shallows inone direction, while in others the outer fields, inquarters whence a relieving force might beexpected, were turned into lakes by the samemachinery. Farther outside, a system of palisadework of caltrops and man-traps—sometimes in theslang of the day called Turkish ambassadors—made the country for miles around impenetrable orvery disagreeable to cavally. In a shorter intervalthan would have seemed possible, the battlementsand fortifications of the besieging army had risenlike an exhalation out of the morass. The city ofGertruydenberg was encompassed by another cityas extensive and apparently as impregnable asitself. Then, for the first time in that age, menthoroughly learned the meaning of that potentimplement the spade.Three thousand pioneers worked night and daywith pickaxe and shovel. The soldiers liked thebusiness; for every man so employed received histen stivers a day additional wages, punctually paid,and felt moreover that every stioke was bringing
the work nearer to its conclusion.The Spaniards no longer railed at Maurice as ahedger and ditcher. When he had succeeded inbringing a hundred great guns to bear upon thebeleaguered city they likewise ceased to sneer atheavy artillery.The Kartowen and half Kartowen were no longerconsidered "espanta vellacos."Meantime, from all the country round, the peasantsflocked within the lines. Nowhere in Europe wereprovisions so plentiful and cheap as in the Dutchcamp. Nowhere was a readier market foragricultural products, prompter payment, or moreperfect security for the life and property of non-combatants. Not so much as a hen's egg wastaken unlawfully. The country people foundthemselves more at ease within Maurice's linesthan within any other part of the provinces,obedient or revolted. They ploughed and sowedand reaped at their pleasure, and no more strikingexample was ever afforded of the humanizingeffect of science upon the barbarism of war, thanin this siege of Gertruydenberg.Certainly it was the intention of the prince to takehis city, and when he fought the enemy it was hisobject to kill; but, as compared with the bloodywork which Alva, and Romero, and Requesens,and so many others had done in those doomedprovinces, such war-making as this seemed almostlike an institution for beneficent and charitable
purposes.Visitors from the neighbourhood, from otherprovinces, from foreign countries, came to witnessthe extraordinary spectacle, and foreign generalsrepaired to the camp of Maurice to take practicallessons in the new art of war.Old Peter Ernest Mansfeld, who was nominalgovernor of the Spanish Netherlands since thedeath of Farnese, rubbed his eyes and staredaghast when the completeness of the preparationsfor reducing the city at last broke in upon his mind.Count Fuentes was the true and confidential regenthowever until the destined successor to Parmashould arrive; but Fuentes, although he hadconsiderable genius for assassination, as willhereafter appear, and was an experienced andable commander of the old- fashioned school, wasno match for Maurice in the scientific combinationson which the new system was founded.In vain did the superannuated Peter call aloudupon his sofa and governor, Count Charles, toassist him in this dire dilemma. That artillerygeneral had gone with a handful of Germans,Walloons; and other obedient Netherlanders—toofew to accomplish anything abroad, too many to bespared from the provinces—to besiege Noyon inFrance. But what signified the winning or losing ofsuch a place as Noyon at exactly the momentwhen the Prince of Bearne, assisted by the ablegeneralship of the Archbishop of Bourges, had justexecuted those famous flanking movements in the
churches of St. Denis and Chartres, by which theworld-empire had been effectually shattered, andPhilip and the Pope completely out- manoeuvred.Better that the five thousand fighters under CharlesMansfeld had been around Gertruydenberg. Hisaged father did what he could. As many men ascould be spared from the garrison of Antwerp andits neighbourhood were collected; but theSpaniards were reluctant to march, except underold Mondragon. That hero, who had done much ofthe hardest work, and had fought in most of thebattles of the century, was nearly as old as thecentury. Being now turned of ninety, he thoughtbest to keep house in Antwerp Castle: Accordinglytwelve thousand foot and three thousand horsetook the field under the more youthful PeterErnest? But Peter Ernest, when his son was notthere to superintend his operations, was nothingbut a testy octogenarian, while the two togetherwere not equal to the little finger of Farnese, whomPhilip would have displaced, had he not fortunatelydied."Nothing is to be expected out of this place buttoads and poison," wrote Ybarra in infinite disgustto the two secretaries of state at Madrid. "I havedone my best to induce Fuentes to accept thatwhich the patent secured him, and Count Peter iscomplaining that Fuentes showed him the patentso late only to play him a trick. There is a rascallypack of meddlers here, and the worst of them allare the women, whom I particularly give to thedevil. There is no end to the squabbles as to who
shall take the lead in relieving Gertruydenberg."Mansfeld at last came ponderously up in theneighbourhood of Turnhout. There was a brilliantlittle skirmish, in the, neighbourhood of this place,in which a hundred and fifty Dutch cavalry underthe famous brothers Bax defeated four hundredpicked lancers of Spain and Italy. But Mansfeldcould get nothing but skirmishes. In vain heplunged about among the caltrops and man-traps.In vain he knocked at the fortifications of Hohenloon the east and of Maurice on the west. He foundthem impracticable, impregnable, obdurate. It wasMaurice's intention to take his town at as smallsacrifice of life as possible. A trumpet was sent onsome trifling business to Mansfeld, in reply to acommunication made by the general to Maurice."Why does your master,"said the choleric veteran to the trumpeter, "why does Prince Maurice, beinga lusty young commander as he is, not come outof his trenches into the open field and fight me likea man, where honour and fame await him?""Because my master," answered the trumpeter,"means to live to be a lusty old commander likeyour excellency, and sees no reason to-day to giveyou an advantage."At this the bystanders laughed, rather at theexpense of the veteran.Meantime there were not many incidents within thelines or within the city to vary the monotony of thescientific siege.
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