Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1588)
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The siege of Bergen op Zoom was a siege that took place 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 ...
and the Anglo–Spanish War between September 23 - November 13, 1588. The siege took place in the aftermath of the
Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...
where under famed commander Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma attempted to use his forces utilised for the invasion of England to besiege Bergen op Zoom which was held by an Anglo-Dutch force under Thomas Morgan and Peregrine Bertie.Black p 111 An English officer Grimstone claimed to be a disaffected
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, had set up a trap during which a large Spanish assault was then bloodily repulsed.Robinson p 97 An Anglo-Dutch relief column under the command Maurice of Orange soon after arrived and forced the Duke of Parma to retreat, thus ending the siege.Knight, Charles Raleigh: ''Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment''. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905
p. 39
/ref>


Background

England had been freed from danger following the failure of the
Spanish armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...
during the summer of 1588. At the same time the Duke of Parma with his army which had been assembled for the invasion then stood his troops down.Wingfield pp. 68-69 Parma instead turned and then marched through
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...
with the aim of taking Bergen op Zoom before winter set in. Parma sent a regiment under the Marquis de Renty, with troops numbering 8,000 men under Count Mansfelt, the Prince of Ascoli, and the Duke of Pastrana, in advance to attempt the capture of the island of
Tholen Tholen () is a 25,000 people municipality in the southwest of the Netherlands. The municipality of Tholen takes its name from the town of Tholen, which is the largest population center in the municipality. The municipality consists of two peninsu ...
.Wernham pp. 35-38 On it was an important town of the same name to the north of Bergen op Zoom, on the opposite side of the channel of the
Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...
separating the island from the mainland of Brabant. The governor of Bergen op Zoom was Thomas Morgan and the garrison was predominantly English - composed of twelve ensigns of English foot and three cornets of Dutch cavalry under the commands of Peregrine Bertie (Lord Willoughby) and Sir William Drury.Markham pp 126-30 Morgan had been in England supervising the defence of the English coast during the armada campaign, leaving Lord Willoughby in charge. Willoughby in the meantime had worked hard to put Bergen op Zoom in a good form of defence. He constructed two blinds outside the Wouw Gate, to cover the
drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
s and protect
sallying Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch, though it also appli ...
parties, and some other
outwork An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...
s, connected by covered ways. He had advice from Count Everard Solms, who came over from
Tholen Tholen () is a 25,000 people municipality in the southwest of the Netherlands. The municipality of Tholen takes its name from the town of Tholen, which is the largest population center in the municipality. The municipality consists of two peninsu ...
, where he commanded the Zeeland regiment.Motley pp. 509-12
/ref> As the Spanish force advanced through Tholen they attacked the town but after several attempts were vigorously repulsed by Solmes and his Zealand troops who had inflicted nearly 400 casualties. The commanders themselves narrowly escaped drowning in the retreat across the river owing to the sudden rise of the waters. Parma, despite the defeat, wasted no time and pressed on towards Bergen-op-Zoom.


Siege

Morgan arrived back from England and found that Parma had surrounded the place, but Willougby was able to act. The waters of the dykes were let out by the defenders of the city and poured over the countryside. With the exception of some elevated points occupied by Parma's forces, the whole country was overflowed. The Spanish army comprised almost 20,000 men and Morgan ordered sallies to be made against the besieging Spanish force whilst trenches and
ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...
s were built. Several were made from September 23 with success and forced the Spanish to flee from their entrenchments having lost a great deal of supplies, prisoners, and equipment. During one of the sallies a young Francis Vere received a wound from a pike to this leg. Dutch militia cavalry under the command of Bergen op Zoom traders Paul and Marcellus Bax made a
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
on the Spanish lines all the way to
Wouw Wouw is a village in the southern Netherlands. It is located in North Brabant, between the cities Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom, close to the border with Belgium. Until 1997 Wouw was the seat of the municipality of Wouw. The municipality consiste ...
, capturing a number of prisoners.Buisman p 310 On the same day a canal boat had left
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,
during the morning and was set upon by a detachment of English troops. They captured it along with twelve prisoners and found 60,000
florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...
s in money. This was a huge blow to Parma as the money was needed to pay the troops. Parma was unable to capture any of the water forts and so decided to turn the siege into blockade.


''Grimstone ruse''

During one of these sorties Robert Redhead, a
sutler A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wago ...
, had captured two very important Spanish prisoners: Cosimo d'Alexandrini and Pedro de Lugo a Commissary of the artillery. They had been captured not far from the North Fort by an English scouting party, Redhead was looking for items to sell to the troops inside when he stumbled across the Spanish officers checking the strength of the walls.Regan p 207 The North Fort was a strong fortress which secured the entrance to Bergen op Zoom from the Scheldt on the north-east side. The two Spanish stayed as guests at the Lieutenant of the garrison's house belonging to William Grimstone and large bribes were offered to allow the Spanish into the North Gate. It was hoped that this would fall into the hands of Parma thus making the capture of Bergen a lot easier. Willoughby soon discovered this and by his orders pretended to give a ready consent to the proposal. As a ruse Grimstone pretended he was a staunch Catholic and were supporters of William Stanley the English
turncoat A turncoat is a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party. In political and social history, this is distinct from being a traitor, as the ...
. They secretly left the camp provided with letters from the two Spaniards to the Duke of Parma informing that everything was prepared for the admittance of the besiegers into the fort.Wernham pp. 42-45 On 6 October they soon met with Parma and were in conference - Parma obliged them to take an oath on the
Sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...
that they were acting in good faith. Once this was done he gave them a large gold chain and promised a large sum of money in the event of success. Parma selected a band of one hundred handpicked musketeers to be followed by a much more considerable force two thousand in number under
maestro de campo Maestro de Campo, also called Sibale and Concepcion is an island in the province of Romblon, Philippines. Concepcion, a Philippine sixth class municipality is located on Maestro de Campo. In 1919, most of Maestro de Campo's residents were located ...
Don Sancho de Leyva. With him were Don Juan de Mendoza, Don Alonzo de Idiaquez, and William Stanley not much further behind under the guidance of Grimstone. Before the Spanish assault troops set forth the two Englishmen were tied and accompanied them. In an autumnal moonless evening in poor weather the Spanish force set off. They soon waded breast high in the waters of the Scheldt but after a time they reached the appointed gate. The external
portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...
had been raised and the Spanish soon rushed into the town. At the next moment Willoughby cut the cords which held the portcullis and entrapped the advance guard of the Spanish. Francis Vere led the charge and were all at once put to the sword, while their followers were coming towards the gate. As soon as the troops on the outside were aware of the trap into which they had fallen, the Spanish enraged by this refused to abandon the attack. They threw down the palisades and began a vigorous attack on the fortifications. At the same time the portcullis was swung wide open and a furious onslaught was made by the garrison upon the Spaniards. In the confusion the two English prisoners were able to escape unhurt. There was a fierce struggle, the Spanish could not get out of the trap; some were killed under the walls and the rest were soon speedily driven back. As they did so the Spanish were assailed on their retreat by an ambush on the dyke and the rest were hunted into the waters. They were utterly routed; a great number were killed or wounded and several high-ranking officers were taken prisoner. To make matters worse the tide began to flow, and the soldiers who had easily waded across the moat were washed away - 300 were drowned in an attempt to reach the camp. Parma was horrified and couldn't believe what had happened as he saw the survivors coming back to their entrenchments; he realised that the siege had to be raised.


Relief

A relief force under Maurice of Orange arrived the day after with 600 Scots and Dutch put into the garrison. The force combined then promptly launched another attack driving the Spanish away from their entrenchments. With the arrival of the relief force the Spanish position was now completely untenable. Parma having lost many men and his provisions exhausted then set fire to his camp and on the night of November 12 retreated in some disorder. The following morning however the Spanish rearguard was assaulted by a pursuing English force of twenty ensigns of foot and cavalry, capturing more prisoners and supplies.


Aftermath

Parma and his army returned in defeat to
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, after a siege which had lasted six weeks. Willoughby had achieved an important victory in the eyes of
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
especially so soon after the failure of the Spanish armada. The Spanish lost 1,000 men to the garrison of Bergen op Zoom most of whom were killed or drowned in the assault. The Anglo-Dutch losses were minor save for some that were ill with disease. Grimston and Redhead received a present of 1,000 florins each from the Queen and an annuity of 600 florins. The Spanish army then
mutinied Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...
for pay; the war chest was empty for the money which was to have been replenished had been lost in the galleons of the Armada and the capture by the English of the canal boat from Antwerp. The treasury at home was utterly exhausted and extraordinary efforts had been made necessary for the protection of the Spanish colonies and the plate fleet. Parma then raised forts at Roosendaal,
Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...
, and Kempeu to check the incursions of the garrison of Bergen into Brabant. The Count of Mansfeld also captured the small town of Wachtendonck in
Guelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
at the siege of which the bomb shell was first used having been invented shortly before by an artisan of Venlo. Francis Vere had distinguished himself and was
Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed by Willoughby on the battlefield for bravery. Vere the following year would command the English army in the Netherlands after Willoughby's resignation and would hold this command for twenty years. He was highly esteemed by the Queen and also by the States General of the United Provinces. Bergen op Zoom would continue to be in English and Dutch hands repulsing further Spanish sieges and attacks over the next forty years most notably during the siege in 1622 in which English troops also played a significant part.


References

;Citations


Bibliography

* * * (Dutch) * * * * * * * * * {{cite book, last1=van der Hoeven, first1=Marco, title=Exercise of Arms: Warfare in the Netherlands, 1568-1648, Volume 1, date=1997, publisher=Brill, isbn=9789004107274, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95Lbwsu1EC8C Bergen op Zoom 1588 in the Dutch Republic 1588 in the Habsburg Netherlands 16th-century military history of the Kingdom of England 16th-century military history of Spain Bergen op Zoom (1588) Eighty Years' War (1566–1609) Bergen op Zoom (1588) Bergen op Zoom (1588) Bergen op Zoom (1588) Bergen op Zoom (1588) Bergen op Zoom History of Bergen op Zoom