Vredenburg Castle (Dutch: ''(Kasteel) Vredenburg'' or ''Vredeborch'') was a 16th-century castle built by

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

in the city of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Some remains of the castle, which stood for only 50 years, are still visible on what is now Vredenburg square in Utrecht.

History

In 1528, the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

annexed the

Bishopric of Utrecht The Bishopric of Utrecht ( nl, Sticht Utrecht) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, in the present-day Netherlands. From 1024 to 1528, as one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, it w ...

, and Emperor Charles V immediately ordered the construction of a castle in Utrecht, not only to protect the domain from invasion by the duke of

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...

, but also to retain control over the city's unruly population. Construction began in 1529 and was completed in 1532. On 8 November 1576, the States General of the Seventeen Provinces ratified an agreement, known as the

Pacification of Ghent The Pacification of Ghent, signed on 8 November 1576, was an alliance between the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands. The main objectives were to remove Habsburg Spain, Spanish mercenaries who had made themselves hated by all sides due to their ...

, to remove Spanish occupying soldiers. In response the castle's Spanish garrison prepared to be besieged by the Dutch rebels, turning the castle's cannons towards the city itself. By December, the siege was underway and fighting broke out between the Spanish and Dutch. However, the garrison abandoned the castle on 11 February 1577, following negotiations between garrison commander Francesco Fernando d'Avila and Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard, the count of Bossu, who served as temporary Dutch

stadholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

. The abandonment was part of a general withdrawal agreed upon by the new Governor-General Don Juan one day later, on 12 February. The citizens of Utrecht demanded that the castle be demolished to prevent the Spanish or other foreign powers from dominating the city again in future. However, the city government opposed demolition, so as not to offend the emperor. On 2 May, the population took the matter into their own hands. According to legend, a group of local women led by

Trijn van Leemput Trijn van Leemput (c. 1530–1607) was a Dutch heroine of the Eighty Years' War against Spain. According to local legend in Utrecht, she led a large group of women on May 2, 1577, to the castle of Vredenburg and gave the signal to begin demo ...

stormed the castle and Trijn gave the signal for the castle to be destroyed by removing the first bricks from the castle walls. Despite doubts about the historical accuracy of this tale, a statue of Trijn van Leemput was erected on the in Utrecht in 1955. The demolition of the castle lasted until 1581. The two western towers remained standing, as they were part of the outer city walls. However, they were also demolished piece by piece in the following centuries; by 1919 they had completely disappeared. The foundations of Vredenburg castle were uncovered during archaeological excavations in 1976 and 1978.

Old prints and excavations

Kasteel Vredenburg ontwerptekening Rombout II Keldermans in 1529.jpg, Design by Rombout II Keldermans, 1529 Kasteel Vredenburg 1570 - Utrecht - 20237276 - RCE.jpg, Drawing, 1570 Kasteel Vredenburgt1577-2.jpg, Siege of Vredenburg Kasteel Vredenburg, gewelf onder zuidelijk bolwerk naar litho 1837 - Utrecht - 20212324 - RCE.jpg, Southern vault, litho 1837 Fundamenten kasteel Vredenburg.jpg, The castle foundations in 1976 Nummer 10 opgraving op het Vreeburg - Utrecht - 20212335 - RCE.jpg, Photo 10 Nummer 13 opgraving op het Vreeburg - Utrecht - 20212338 - RCE.jpg, Photo 13 Nummer 45 opgraving voormalig kasteel - Utrecht - 20212370 - RCE.jpg, Photo 45 Plattegrond nummering foto's - Utrecht - 20212383 - RCE.jpg, Map of the excavations with locations photographs, 1970's

Sources

Kastelen in Utrecht
(Dutch)

(Dutch)

External links

* {{in lang, nl}

Buildings and structures demolished in the 16th century Castles in Utrecht (province) Former castles History of Utrecht (city) Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (city) Articles containing video clips Former buildings and structures in the Netherlands

History

Old prints and excavations

See also

Sources

External links