The siege of 's-Hertogenbosch of 1601 ''(Sitio de Bolduque de 1601 in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

)'' was an unsuccessful Dutch attempt led by Prince Maurice of Nassau and William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg to capture the city of

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

, garrisoned by about 1,500–2,000 Spanish soldiers (2

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

companies and 2

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

companies) led by Governor Anthonie Schetz, Baron of Grobbendonck, between 1 and 27 November 1601, during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

and the

Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) The Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) was an intermittent conflict between the Habsburg Spain, Habsburg Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of England that was never formally declared. It began with England's military expedition in 1585 to what was ...

, in the context of the long and bloodiest

siege of Ostend The siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War (1585), Anglo–Spanish War. A Spanish Empire, Spanish force under Archduke Albert (1559–1621), Archduke Albrecht besieg ...

.Peter Burke p.204 After having captured Rheinberg in July 1601, Prince Maurice in October mobilized seventy-three companies of infantry and thirty-three companies of cavalry, including several pieces of artillery. The city was virtually impregnable due to the great defensive fortifications, the continuous arrival of fresh Spanish reinforcements, and the deep loyalty of the population to the Catholic cause. The fierce cold was another important point. The siege ended when the Archduke Albert, Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands, sent a Spanish relief force under Count Frederik van den Bergh from

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

, who on 27 November had reached the town of Oirschot, some 25 km south of 's-Hertogenbosch. A day before, on 26 November, Prince Maurice, according with his cousin William Louis about the threat and danger to facing the Spaniards in open field, started the withdrawal.Van Nimwegen p.179 This Dutch failure was also an attempt to weaken the Spanish attacks in Ostend, where Sir

Francis Vere Sir Francis Vere (1560/6128 August 1609) was a prominent England, English soldier serving under Queen Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I fighting mainly in the Low Countries during the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Eighty Years' War. ...

(the commander of the garrison of Ostend at that time) was by now close to despair. In 1603, Maurice of Nassau again tried to conquer 's-Hertogenbosch, but again was forced to withdraw.Michiel Verweij p.32Daniel Coetzee p.118

Notes

References

* Van Nimwegen, Olaf. ''The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions 1588–1688''. First published 2010. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. * Michiel Verweij. ''Petrus Vladeraccus, Tobias (1598)''. Leuven University Press 2001. Belgium. * Tracy, James. ''The Founding of the Dutch Republic: War, Finance, and Politics in Holland 1572–1588.'' Oxford University Press. First published 2008. * Daniel Coetzee/ Lee W. Eysturlid. ''Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers''. * Williams, Penry (1998). ''The Later Tudors: England, 1547-1603''. Oxford University Press. . * John Lothrop Motley. ''History of the Netherlands, 1595''. Chapter XXXI. HardPress Publishing. * Peter Burke. ''The New Cambridge Modern History: Volume 13, Companion Volume''. Cambridge University Press 1979.

External links

''Campaña de 1601'' by Juan L. Sánchez
{{in lang, es Hertogenbosch 1601 in the Dutch Republic 1601 in the Habsburg Netherlands 17th-century military history of the Kingdom of England 17th-century military history of Spain Hertogenbosch (1601) Eighty Years' War (1566–1609) Hertogenbosch (1601) Hertogenbosch (1601) Hertogenbosch (1601) Hertogenbosch (1601) Hertogenbosch History of 's-Hertogenbosch

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