Margaretha Sandra (7 January 1629 in

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

– 21 June 1674 in

Aardenburg Aardenburg is a small city close to the Dutch border with Belgium. It is part of the Sluis Municipality, located in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Its medieval name was Rodenburgh (Red Castle). In the Sint-Baafskerk, (Saint Bavo's C ...

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

), was a Dutch heroine, known for her participation in the defense of

during the two-night siege by the French in 1672.

Life

Margaretha grew up in Middelburg and Sluis, as the eldest daughter in a family with nine children. By 1672, she had been widowed twice and had married for the third time to Pieter Roman. They were living in Aardenburg, Netherlands.

Battle

During the weekend of 25 and 26 June 1672, a French invasion force totaling more than 5,000 men attacked the neglected fortress town of Aardenburg, which had only 186 civilians and 40 soldiers to defend it. During the two nights of the attack, the outnumbered soldiers were joined in battle by women who wore men's hats as they carried ammunition to the troops stationed on the city walls, thus giving the enemy the impression that the besieged city held many more men than was actually the case. When the French troops attacked the second night, the defenders were joined by about 160 soldiers and boatswains from nearby

Cadzand Cadzand is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Sluis, about 8 km northwest of Oostburg. The village contains 790 inhabitants (2010). Better known to many visitors is the nearby beach at Cadzand- ...

and

Sluis Sluis (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Sluus ; french: Écluse) is a town and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January ...

. Together they vanquished the French having killed hundreds of attackers and capturing hundreds more. Not a single person was killed on the defenders' side. Sandra is said to have crafted ammunition during the battle and has been singled out as a representative for all the women who took part in the city's defense.

A controversial reputation

Margaretha Sandra's name was not specifically mentioned in descriptions of the battle at that time, which has led to some controversy over her role as heroine. However, according to Kloek, Sandra's legend may have merit.

Indeed, the documents about the siege—mostly eyewitness letters, printed extracts of which were distributed immediately in 1672—make no mention of Margaretha Sandra. However, almost all of them report on the women's participation in the struggle... It is possible that Margaretha Sandra's name has been mentioned in one of these letters, but has not been included in the extract that appeared in print.

Sandra died two years after the battle and had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandra, Margaretha 1629 births 1674 deaths 17th-century Dutch women Women in 17th-century warfare People from Middelburg, Zeeland People from Sluis Women in war in the Netherlands