Siege of Nijmegen (1591)

Siege that was part of the Eighty Years War

Siege of Nijmegen (1591)

Part of the Eighty Years' War & the Anglo–Spanish War

The siege of Nijmegen in 1591 – engraving by Pieter Bast
| Date| 17 to 21 October 1591

|

Location|

Nijmegen, Guelderland
Present day the Netherlands

Result|  Dutch and English victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic
England
Scotland|  Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Maurice of Orange
Francis Vere|  Derrick Vlemminck
Strength
10,000[1]|  400[2]
Casualties and losses
Low|  300 surrendered[1]

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Eighty Years' War

Origins – List of battles

* * *

1566–1572

Western Europe

* Beeldenstorm
* Valenciennes
* Wattrelos
* Lannoy
* Oosterweel
* Dahlen
* Heiligerlee
* Jemmingen
* Jodoigne
* Le Quesnoy

* * *

1572–1576

Western Europe

* Brielle
* Mons
* 1st Mechelen
* Goes
* Naarden
* Middelburg
* Haarlem
* IJsselmeer
* Alkmaar
* 1st Geertruidenberg
* Leiden
* Delft
* Valkenburg
* Mookerheyde
* Oudewater
* Schoonhoven
* Zierikzee

European waters

* Flushing
* Borsele
* Haarlemmermeer
* Zuiderzee
* Reimerswaal
* Lillo

* * *

1576–1579

Western Europe

* 1st Antwerp
* Gembloux
* Rijmenam
* 1st Deventer
* Borgerhout

* * *

1579–1588

Western Europe

* 1st Maastricht
* 2nd Mechelen
* Diest
* 1st Steenwijk
* Kollum
* 1st Breda
* Noordhorn
* Niezijl
* Lochem
* 1st Lier
* 2nd Antwerp
* Eindhoven
* Steenbergen
* Ghent
* Aalst
* 3rd Antwerp
* Arnhem
* Empel
* Boksum
* 1st Grave
* 1st Venlo
* Axel
* Neuss
* 1st Rheinberg
* 1st Zutphen
* 1st Sluis

European waters

* Ponta Delgada

* * *

Ten Years, 1588–1598

Western Europe

* 1st Bergen op Zoom
* 2nd Geertruidenberg
* 2nd Breda
* 2nd Zutphen
* 2nd Deventer
* Delfzijl
* Knodsenburg
* 1st Hulst
* Nijmegen
* Rouen
* Caudebec
* 2nd Steenwijk
* 1st Coevorden
* 1st Luxemburg
* 3rd Geertruidenberg
* 2nd Coevorden
* Groningen
* 2nd Luxemburg
* Huy
* 1st Groenlo
* Lippe
* 2nd Lier
* Calais
* 2nd Hulst
* Turnhout
* 2nd Rheinberg
* 1st Meurs
* 2nd Groenlo
* Bredevoort
* Enschede
* Ootmarsum
* 1st Oldenzaal
* 1st Lingen

European waters

* 1st English Channel · Flanders
* Bayona Islands
* Gulf of Almería
* 1st Cádiz
* Azores

* * *

1599–1609

Western Europe

* 1st Schenckenschans
* Zaltbommel
* Rees
* San Andreas
* Lekkerbeetje
* Nieuwpoort
* 3rd Rheinberg
* Ostend
* 1st 's-Hertogenbosch
* 2nd Grave
* Hoogstraaten
* 3rd Sluis
* 2nd Lingen
* 3rd Groenlo

European waters

* Dover Strait
* 2nd Sluis
* 1st Cape St. Vincent
* 1st Gibraltar

* * *

Twelve Years' Truce, 1609–1621

Western Europe

* Aachen

East Indies

* Playa Honda

* * *

1621–1648

Western Europe

* Jülich
* 2nd Bergen op Zoom
* Fleurus
* 3rd Breda
* 2nd Oldenzaal
* 4th Groenlo
* 2nd 's-Hertogenbosch
* Meuse (2nd Maastricht)
* Leuven
* 2nd Schenkenschans
* 3rd Schenkenschans
* 4th Breda
* 2nd Venlo
* Roermond
* Kallo
* 3rd Hulst
* 4th Hulst

European waters

* 2nd Gibraltar
* 2nd Cádiz
* Slaak
* Lizard Point
* Dunkirk
* 2nd English Channel
* The Downs
* 2nd Cape St. Vincent

Americas

* 1st Salvador
* Puerto Rico
* Bay of Matanzas
* Abrolhos
* Trujillo · Campeche
* 1st Saint Martin
* 2nd Salvador
* Itamaracá
* Southern Chile
* 2nd Saint Martin

East Indies

* Mormugão
* Galle
* Malacca
* 1st San Salvador
* 2nd San Salvador
* Manila
* Cavite

* * *

Peace – Aftermath – Historiography

* v
* t
* e

Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)

Caribbean and South America

* San Juan de Ulúa
* Drake's 1572-73 expedition
* Drake's circumnavigation
* São Vicente
* Santo Domingo
* Cartagena
* St. Augustine
* Cavendish's circumnavigation
* Spanish West Indies
* Havana
* Hispaniola · Bay of Honduras
* 1st Puerto Caballos
* San Mateo
* Recife
* Trinidad · Orinoco
* La Guaira · Caracas · Coro
* Guadalupe
* 1st San Juan
* Panama
* Pinos
* 2nd San Juan
* Tabasco
* Portobello
* 2nd Puerto Caballos
* Santiago de Cuba

Atlantic

* Vila Franca do Campo
* Terceira
* Newfoundland
* Bermuda
* Santiago
* 1st Azores
* 1st Flores
* 2nd Flores
* Faial
* Las Palmas
* 2nd Azores

European waters

* Scheldt
* Pantelleria
* 1st Cádiz ·Algarve
* Spanish Armada (1st Calais · Gravelines)
* English Armada (Corunna · Lisbon)
* Bayona
* 1st Gibraltar Strait
* 2nd Gibraltar Strait
* Berlengas
* Gulf of Almería
* Barbary Coast
* Bay of Biscay
* Mount's Bay
* Cawsand
* 2nd Cádiz
* Cape Finisterre
* Cornwall · West Wales
* Sesimbra
* Dover Strait
* Gulf of Cádiz

Low Countries and Germany

* Mons
* Goes
* Middelburg
* Haarlem
* 1st Geertruidenberg
* Leiden
* Delft
* Valkenburg
* Schoonhoven
* Gembloux
* Rijmenam
* Borgerhout
* Mechelen
* 1st Steenwijk
* Kollum
* Noordhorn
* Niezijl
* Lochem
* Lier
* Eindhoven
* Steenbergen
* Aalst
* Antwerp
* Arnhem
* 1st Grave
* Venlo
* Axel
* 1st Rheinberg
* 1st Zutphen
* 1st Sluis
* Bergen op Zoom
* 2nd Geertruidenberg
* Breda
* 2nd Zutphen
* Deventer
* Delfzijl
* Knodsenburg
* 1st Hulst
* Nijmegen
* 2nd Steenwijk
* 1st Coevorden
* 3rd Geertruidenberg
* 2nd Coevorden
* Groningen
* Huy
* 1st Groenlo
* Lippe
* 2nd Hulst
* Turnhout
* 2nd Rheinberg
* Meurs
* 2nd Groenlo
* Bredevoort
* Enschede
* Ootmarsum
* Oldenzaal
* Lingen
* Schenckenschans
* Zaltbommel
* Rees
* San Andreas
* Nieuwpoort
* 3rd Rheinberg · 2nd Meurs
* Ostend
* 's-Hertogenbosch
* 2nd Grave
* Hoogstraten
* Ardenburg · Oostberg · 2nd Sluis

France

* Arques
* Ivry
* Paris
* Château-Laudran
* Rouen
* Caudebec
* Craon
* Blaye
* Morlaix
* Crozon
* 2nd Calais
* Amiens

Ireland

* Carrigafoyle
* Smerwick
* Irish West Coast
* Kinsale
* Castlehaven

The siege of Nijmegen was a military engagement during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War which took place from 17 to 21 October 1591. The Spanish garrison in Nijmegen was besieged by a Dutch and English force under Maurice of Nassau and Francis Vere respectively and surrendered soon.[3]

## Background

[edit]

Main article: Assault on Nijmegen

Nijmegen located at the confluence of the Waal and Rhine rivers was strategically important to the defence of the Dutch provinces and the Electorate of Cologne. On the night of 10 August 1589 during the Cologne War, mercenary troops under Martin Schenck von Nydeggen attempted an assault on Nijmegen which held a small garrison. The attack failed - Schenck with nearly 150 of his men subsequently drowned in the river.[4]

A year after Schenk’s failure the States army under Maurice of Nassau, reinforced with English troops under Francis Vere, achieved many victories. Starting off with the capture of Breda in 1590 this was followed by the capture of Zutphen, Deventer, Delfzijl and Hulst the next year.[5]

On the north bank of Nijmegen was the outlying fortification of Knodsenburg, a highly strategic position overlooking the city which was built by the Dutch and was then garrisoned. On July 15 Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma reinforced Nijmegen and besieged the fort in order to thwart an Anglo-Dutch attempt to besiege the city. Under the direction of Maurice however they defeated Parma and forced his retreat ten days later.[3] Parma was then sent by Philip II of Spain to France to fight the Huguenot war against Henry IV of France. As a result, Nijmegen was greatly weakened, and Maurice with the Anglo-Dutch decided to strike there in the autumn.[6]

## Siege

[edit]

On October 16 Maurice and his force bridged the deep, wide, and rapid river Waal and had transported 8,500 infantry and sixteen companies of cavalry to the southern side and surrounded the city the next day.[7] His army was composed of 26 English and Scots companies under Vere.[8] There were also Frisian soldiers of William Louis, a nephew of Maurice. Inside Nijmegen, the small Spanish garrison was composed of less than 400 soldiers under the command of the city burgher Derrick Vlemminck.[7]

Maurice in the meantime had built up the fort at Knodsenburg, allowing him to bombard the city from there but was unable to convince a surrender; so a closer siege was needed.[1]

The English and Scots under Francis Vere were employed in several attacks on the outskirts which resulted in the capture of all the outlying sconces.[8] There the Anglo-Dutch force had entrenched their camp and made approaches towards the city. This was made easier for the besiegers in that the water level of the Waal was low.[2] They had got 68 pieces of artillery into three positions commanding the weakest part of the defences of the city between two positions known as the Falcon Tower and the Hoender gate. At Knodsenburg the batteries being on a high position were pounding the city from across the river. The spire of St. Stephen's Church was destroyed by the shelling and also a large number of buildings in the city were destroyed.[2]

On October 20 Maurice sent a demand to the besieged to surrender the city but his reply was rebuffed. The besiegers then opened all of their batteries without further delay in a heavy bombardment.[7]

Within a few days however the city decided to negotiate with Maurice about a possible surrender. The result of this came from a disagreement between the cities burghers and the Spanish garrison.[9]

## Aftermath

[edit]

Maurice's triumphant return to The Hague

The city had set a number of conditions but Maurice did not accept these except for an absolute pardon. This was eventually agreed and thus 300 men surrendered and were given the honours of war. The terms of the surrender were similar to those accorded to Zutphen and Deventer.[7] He also replaced the Catholic councillors with Protestant ones and the practice of the Catholic faith was no longer allowed in Nijmegen. To make his intentions sincere, the Grote Markt was burned on May 21, 1592 since it contained many Catholic images.[2]

Another important city had been added to the domains of the republic and as part of the Union of Utrecht. Queen Elizabeth I wrote to congratulate Maurice on his great successes and even the Spaniards began to recognise the merits of his achievements.[7] Maurice continued on the offensive and in a stunning campaign the following year he took Steenwijk in July and didn't stop until Groningen was captured in 1594 by which time all of the Drenthe region had been conquered.[10]

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c van Nimwegen pp 156-57
2. ^ a b c d Kolman, Rudolf Jan (1952). De reductie van Nijmegen (1591): voor en naspel (Dutch). J. B. Wolters.
3. ^ a b Markham 178-79
4. ^ Steggle p.63
5. ^ Donaldson p.95
6. ^ Watson (1839). The history of the reign of Philip the Second, king of Spain. Tegg. pp. 474–75.
7. ^ a b c d e Motley, John Lothrop (1869). History of the United Netherlands from the death of William the silent to the Synod of Dort, with a full view of the English-Dutch struggle against Spain, and of the origin and destruction of the Spanish armada, Volume 3. pp. 116–17.
8. ^ a b 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 38
9. ^ t' Hart p 21-22
10. ^ Markham pp. 194-95

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Borman, Tracy (1997). Sir Francis Vere in the Netherlands, 1589-1603: A Re-evaluation of His Career as Sergeant Major General of Elizabeth I's Troops. University of Hull.
* Donaldson, Ian (2012). Ben Jonson: A Life. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191636790.
* Markham, C. R. (2007). The Fighting Veres: Lives Of Sir Francis Vere And Sir Horace Vere. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1432549053.
* Steggle, Matthew (2004). Richard Brome: Place and Politics on the Caroline Stage. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719063589.
* Tex, Jan Den (1973). Oldenbarnevelt: 1606-1619, Volume 2. CUP Archive. ISBN 9780521084291.
* 't Hart, Marjolein (2014). The Dutch Wars of Independence: Warfare and Commerce in the Netherlands 1570-1680. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-73422-6.
* van Nimwegen, Olaf (2010). The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588-1688 Volume 31 of Warfare in History Series. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 9781843835752.

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