The "French Fury" was a failed attempt by

Francis, Duke of Anjou '' Monsieur'' Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (french: Hercule François; 18 March 1555 – 10 June 1584) was the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Early years He was scarred by smallpox at age eight, a ...

, to conquer the city of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

by surprise on 17 January 1583.

Background

During the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

the States-General had asked in 1581 the Duke to become head of state of the

Seventeen Provinces The Seventeen Provinces were the Imperial states of the Habsburg Netherlands in the 16th century. They roughly covered the Low Countries, i.e., what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and most of the French departments of Nord (Fre ...

, to obtain French support in expelling the Spanish troops. Anjou did not have much influence in the Netherlands, and attempted to seize more power. He decided to try to occupy Antwerp, the largest city of the Seventeen Provinces, by surprise. Antwerp had already been comprehensively sacked by Spanish troops in the "Spanish Fury" of 1576. Unfortunately for Anjou his plan was discovered. The inhabitants, still traumatised by the Spanish plunder seven years earlier, were determined to prevent another occupation by foreign troops by all means possible.

Attempted coup

On 17 January 1583, in a ploy to deceive the citizens of Antwerp, Anjou asked to be permitted to enter the city in order to honour them with a Royal Entry. As soon as his troopers entered the city, the city gates were slammed shut behind them. Having lost the advantage of surprise, the small French army found itself hopelessly trapped within the city as it was bombarded from windows and rooftops with stones, rocks, logs, and even heavy chains. The city's experienced garrison then opened up with deadly, point-blank fire on the troops. Only a few Frenchmen, including the Duke of Anjou, escaped. Over 1,500 troops perished, many of them hacked to death by the enraged citizens of Antwerp. One contemporary account is by

Jean Bodin Jean Bodin (; c. 1530 – 1596) was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. He is known for his theory of sovereignty. He was also an influential writer on demonology. Bodin l ...

, an adviser to Anjou who likewise escaped the slaughter.

Aftermath

The position of Anjou after this attack became untenable and he left the country in June 1583. His departure also discredited

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

, who had always supported Anjou. The city was eventually conquered by the Spanish under

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592 ...

after the

Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585) The Fall of Antwerp on 17 August 1585 took place during the Eighty Years' War, after a siege lasting over a year from July 1584 until August 1585. The city of Antwerp was the focal point of the Protestant-dominated Dutch Revolt, but was forced ...

References

* George Edmundson, "The 'French Fury' at Antwerp (1583)", in ''Cambridge Modern History'', edited by A. W. Ward, G. W. Prothero and Stanley Leathes, vol. 3 (Cambridge, 1907), p. 256. *

Louis Prosper Gachard Louis Prosper Gachard (12 March 1800 – 24 December 1885), Belgian man of letters, was born in Paris. He entered the administration of the national archives in 1826, and was appointed director-general in 1831, a post which he held for fifty-fi ...

, ed., "Lettre de Jean Bodin sur l'entreprise du duc d'Anjou contre la ville d'Anvers", ''Compte rendu des séances de la Commission Royale d'histoire ou recueil de ses bulletins'', 2nd series, 12 (1859), pp. 458–463. {{coord, 51, 13, N, 4, 24, E, source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title Battles of the Eighty Years' War Battles in Flanders 16th century in Antwerp Conflicts in 1583 Battles involving France 1583 in the Habsburg Netherlands Eighty Years' War (1566–1609)