The siege of Ghent 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 ...

by Spanish general Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, lasted from October 1583 to 17 September 1584. It was the end phase of the so-called Calvinist Republic of Ghent, which had controlled most of the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

since radical Protestants seized power on 28 October 1577, claiming a leading role for the city of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

in the struggle against the Spanish royal forces and Malcontent Catholics.

Background

During its existence, the Calvinist Republic of Ghent (1577–1584) was riddled with internal strife between the factions surrounding the intolerant radical Calvinist Jan van Hembyze and the more moderate, Orangist (that is, sympathising with William the Silent, Prince of Orange) François van der Kethulle, lord of Ryhove, while Spanish and Malcontent troops made increasing territorial gains from 1578 onward. In 1579, Hembyze first banned Ryhove, then Ryhove had Hembyze removed from the city with William’s help. Ryhove continued William’s moderate policy, and tried to cooperate as much as possible with the Calvinist Republic of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

(1577–1585) and the

States of Brabant The States of Brabant were the representation of the three estates (nobility, clergy and commons) to the court of the Duke of Brabant. The three estates were also called the States. Supported by the economic strength of the cities Antwerp, Bruss ...

. However, the two lost all their authority in Ghent when they persisted in trying to reconcile with

Francis, Duke of Anjou ''Monsieur'' François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (; 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, and his pitted face and s ...

, after the latter's violent " French Fury" coup attempt in January 1583. Hembyze was recalled to Ghent on 14 August 1583, where he arrived on 24 October, establishing a dictatorship.
''Jan van Hembyze is een extremistische calvinist uit Gent''
Ryhove was expelled once again, and he installed himself in

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; , ) is a city in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders in Belgium. The Municipalities of Belgium, municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, M ...

, where he blocked the supplies from Antwerp to Ghent to undermine Hembyze's regime.

Course

Hembyze failed to restore unity when he returned to Ghent. Orangists challenged his rule in the city, Antwerp, the States of Brabant, and the States General increasingly mistrusted the intolerant Ghent regime, while reconciliation with Ryhove, and therefore supplies to the city, were never realised. While the royal governor-general and commander-in-chief Alexander Farnese further encircled Ghent, the fall of the Calvinist republic became inevitable. The Spanish conquered Sas van Gent in October and the

Waasland The Waasland (, archaically "Waesland") or Land van Waas () is a historic region in northern Belgium. It is part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The other borders are with the Scheldt and Durme rivers (east and south) and, to the north, ...

in November.Vander Schelden, p. 72. On 3 November, Parma bribed the starving English garrison (in Dutch rebel service) of Aalst into surrendering the city in exchange for food and overdue troop payments. After a siege,

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

fell on 7 April 1584, followed by

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

and the

Brugse Vrije The Brugse Vrije was a castellany in the county of Flanders, often called in English "the Franc of Bruges". It included the area around Bruges, and was bordered by the North Sea, the Westerschelde and the Yser river. The city of Bruges was separa ...

on 20 May 1584 by a treaty negotiated with Parma. Hembyze and Pieter Datheen were forced into commencing secret negotiations with Parma on 5 March, but they were exposed. Hembyze was arrested on 23 March, and beheaded on 4 August on Saint Pharaildis Square,Vander Schelden, p. 73. while Datheen was imprisoned. Meanwhile, William of Orange was assassinated on 10 July 1584 in

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

, leaving the Dutch Revolt without both its radical and its moderate leaders. On 17 August 1584, Dendermonde was forced to surrender, and Ryhove fled to England. On 17 September 1584, Ghent surrendered to the Spanish royal troops.

Aftermath

After Ghent was taken, Frédéric Perrenot de Champagney was released from prison (where he had been since 1578), and appointed governor of the city. The fall of Ghent sealed the fate of the Calvinist Republic of Ghent, and put an end there the city’s leading role in the revolt, which now shifted to Antwerp and later, to the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...

. Catholicism was restored as the official religion, while about 15,000 inhabitants abandoned the city, including thousands of Calvinists who primarily migrated to Holland., ''1585: de val van Antwerpen en de uittocht van Vlamingen en Brabanders'' (Lannoo, 2004)
p. 41
By 1600, the population of Ghent had shrunk from 50,000 (before the revolt) to 31,000 inhabitants.,
De republiek: 1477-1806
' (2001) 455. Franeker: Van Wijnen. With the except of

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 ...

, the revolt was over in Flanders, and by the time

Maurice of Nassau Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became Prince of Orange upo ...

conducted his campaign towards

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, leading to the

Battle of Nieuwpoort The Battle of Nieuwpoort (also known as the Battle of the Dunes) was fought on 2 July 1600 during the Eighty Years War and the Anglo-Spanish war in the dunes near Nieuwpoort. A Dutch army met a Spanish force head-on which, although their left f ...

(1600), the Flemish populace did not support him. At the conclusion of the

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 ...

in 1604, the emerging

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

lost its last major Flemish city. Only a small northern coastal strip would eventually remain in Dutch possession when the

Peace of Münster The Peace of Münster, signed on 30 January 1648, was a treaty between Philip IV of Spain and the States-General of the Netherlands, Lords States General of the Dutch Republic. Negotiated in parallel to, but not part of, the Peace of Westphalia, ...

was concluded in 1648; this region was known as '' Staats-Vlaanderen'', which largely corresponds to modern

Zeelandic Flanders Zeelandic Flanders ( ; ; )''Vlaanderen'' in isolation: . is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland and th ...

(''Zeeuws-Vlaanderen''), the only part of the former County of Flanders that still has a substantial Protestant population.

References

Sources

*
''De Gentse stadsmagistraat tijdens de calvinistische Republiek (1577-1584)''
(2010). Ghent University. Retrieved 12 November 2019. *

Retrieved 12 November 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Siege of Ghent (1583-1584) History of Ghent

1583 in the Habsburg Netherlands 1584 in the Habsburg Netherlands Conflicts in 1583 Conflicts in 1584 Eighty Years' War (1566–1609) Ghent, Siege 1583