Siege of Zutphen (1591)

Zutphen was a Hanseatic city on the east bank of the River IJssel. In 1572, with the resurgence of the Dutch rebellion against Philip II of Spain, Zutphen was first conquered by State troops led by Willem IV van den Bergh. The city was later recaptured by the Spaniards led by Don Frederick, and the population was punished and then slaughtered for the surrender earlier that year.Motley, p. 60

In 1586, the English under the Earl of Leicester took Zutphen's important outlying sconce, but soon English turncoat Rowland York handed the sconce over to the Spaniards, leaving Zutphen in their complete control. York died there of smallpox a year later, although he may have been poisoned by the Spanish to keep him from betraying again.Bertie, Five Generations of a Loyal House, p. 120; but cf. Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1581–90, p. 466, where he is said to have died of the smallpox. As a consequence, William Stanley handed over the nearby town of Deventer to the Spaniards.Randall, pp. 790–791

In 1590, Maurice had taken Breda by hiding soldiers within a peat barge and was thus able to use Breda as a base for further operations. The Dutch army could then launch an offensive at three points: to the South, to the East, and to the North. Maurice headed towards Nijmegen to the East along the River IJssel.

By the beginning of 1591, Maurice's first goal was to take back Zutphen. With the parallel waterways, he could then move the troops and artillery as quickly as possible and also keep the Spanish from reinforcing the besieged towns. The garrison of Zutphen itself consisted of nearly 1,000 Spaniards and Walloons, and on the west bank of the river lay the important sconce.

Maurice's army consisted of 9000 soldiers and 1600 horsemen which marched to Zutphen, along with 100 ships.{{Aut|J Buisman, A.F.V. van Engelen}} (1998): [https://books.google.com/books?id=P7LKv2fv1EMC Duizend jaar weer, wind en water in de Lage Landen. Deel 4: 1575-1675] Franeker: Van Wijnen {{ISBN|9051941439}} (Dutch) The rapid march in five days meant that Maurice could then prepare his artillery, which was stored on the ships; a far easier method of transportation than trying to haul them overland over boggy ground.{{aut|J. Hoffenaar, Joep van Hoof, Jaap de Moor}} (2002): [https://books.google.com/books?id=qFb9M24Bg0kC Vuur in beweging: 325 jaar veldartillerie, 1677-2002] Uitgeverij Boom. {{ISBN|9053527354}} (Dutch)

In order to take Zutphen, the sconce on the west bank had to be taken, as it controlled the main bridge to the town. Once this had been taken, the town could be besieged proper once all the heavy guns from the barges had disembarked.

Maurice hoped to use another ruse similar to the one he had used at Breda with the peat barge. Francis Vere, in charge of the English troops, wanted the 'dirt' removed from the 1587 treachery and thus wanted to lead the assault.{{cite book|last=Tupper|first=Arthur|title=Historical Records of the British Army (Infantry), Issue 3|year=1837|publisher=University of Michigan|location=Great Britain. Adjutant-General's Office|pages=48–49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a0dWvTtckaMC&pg=PA49 }} Vere got his wish and Maurice ordered him to take the sconce on the Veluwe opposite Zutphen by sending no more than a dozen men and disguise them as farmers, some even dressed as women. It was hoped that the Spanish would think they were refugees escaping the Dutch army and would let them in. Once the sconce was captured Zutphen would have no hope of holding out.Robinson pg. 97

Vere led the English troops to Doesburg and set the plan in motion. The disguised soldiers ran towards the fort, "pursued" by a fake cavalry charge. The garrison opened the gates and let the disguised soldiers in; the English then went as far as selling the guards butter, cheese, and eggs.{{cite book|last=Davies|first=C.M.|title=History of Holland, from the Beginning of the Tenth to the End of the Eighteenth Century, Volume 2|year=1842|publisher=Parker|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muZRAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA250 }} When the order was given the English cut down the guard quickly enough to allow the Dutch cavalry to rush in, followed by the rest of the troops as they had been hidden by a large mound nearby. Soon the Anglo–Dutch force overpowered the Spanish and turned the guns on Zutphen.

After this successful strategy, having secured the bridge and further reinforced by Count William Louis' Frisian companies, Maurice began the actual assault. The Dutch gunners then brought thirty artillery pieces up to three points, in case the garrison tried to retake the town, and then opened fire. The Spanish garrison soon saw that any further resistance was now futile and surrendered to the besiegers.

File:Het beleg van Zutphen (1591) door Prins Maurits - The siege of Zutphen in 1591 by Prince Maurice (Bartholomeus Willemsz. Dolendo).jpg|Siege of Zutphen in 1591 by Bartholomeus Dolendo - The English are attacking the sconce at top of picture

File:The taking of Zutphen.jpg|The disguised English soldiers take the sconce, from a Victorian book

File:Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt - Maurits van Nassau, prins van Oranje en Stadhouder.jpg

The town which had so eluded the Dutch was now firmly in their hands, while the Spanish had lost an important town. The terms of surrender were light: the garrison was allowed to retreat, the citizens were allowed three days to either depart or swear allegiance to the Dutch Republic. After setting up a strong garrison in Zutphen, Maurice marched north with his army, his artillery and munitions being sent down the IJssel in barges. His next target would be Deventer.

Vere was nicknamed 'the fox' after his successful ruse employed during the siege; he dug up the body of Rowland York and hanged and gibbeted it as a reminder of York's treachery. Zutphen would remain in Dutch hands for the rest of the war.

• Battle of Zutphen
• List of stadtholders in the Low Countries
• List of governors of the Spanish Netherlands

{{Reflist|2}}

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• {{cite book|last=Honan, Park|author-link=Park Honan|title=Christopher Marlowe:Poet & Spy|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780198186953|url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780191622793}}
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• {{cite book|last=Markham, Clement|author-link=Clements Markham|title=The Fighting Veres: Lives Of Sir Francis Vere And Sir Horace Vere|year=2007|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|isbn=978-1432549053}}
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Zutphen

Category:1591 in the Dutch Republic

Category:1591 in the Habsburg Netherlands

Category:16th-century military history of the Kingdom of England

Category:16th-century military history of Spain

Zutphen (1591)

Category:Eighty Years' War (1566–1609)

Zutphen (1591)

Zutphen (1591)

Zutphen (1591)

Zutphen (1591)

Zutphen

Category:Zutphen