Siege of Knodsenburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Knodsenburg |
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| Part of the Eighty Years' War & the Anglo–Spanish War | |||||||
(Bartholomeus_Willemsz._Dolendo).jpg) Map showing the relief of Knodsenburg, 1591 by Bartholomeus Dolendo |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Dutch Republic England |
 Spanish Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Maurice of Orange Francis Vere Gerrit de Jong |
Duke of Parma Petro Nicelli Francisco (POW) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 infantry 2,000 cavalry |
7,000 infantry 1,800 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 100 | 900 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||
The Siege of Knodsenburg was an important military event. It happened during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War. This battle took place at a small fort called Knodsenburg near Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
A Spanish army, led by the Duke of Parma, tried to capture the fort. This siege lasted from July 15 to July 25, 1591. The fort was defended by Dutch soldiers under Gerrit de Jong. Later, a combined Dutch and English army came to help. This army was led by Maurice of Orange and Francis Vere. On July 25, they defeated the Spanish army. The Duke of Parma had to retreat his soldiers across the River Waal.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In 1590, Maurice of Orange wanted to make it easier to attack the city of Nijmegen. He decided to build a strong fort on high ground near the city. This new fort was called Knodsenburg. It was located on the Betuwe, a large island between rivers.
The Duke of Parma knew this high ground was important. He had tried to capture it before in 1585 but failed. He wanted to take Knodsenburg to stop the Dutch and English from attacking Nijmegen.
Inside the fort, there were about 600 Dutch soldiers. They had many cannons and were led by Gerrit de Jong. De Jong was determined to defend the fort. He also hoped that a relief army would come to help them.
On July 15, De Jong sent a messenger to Maurice. Maurice was far away, near Steenwijk. De Jong wanted to keep Maurice informed about Parma's army. On July 21, De Jong used signals like gunshots and fires from a church tower. He sent these signals from Dutch-held Arnhem to communicate.
Maurice was busy with other battles at the time. His forces had just taken back Zutphen and Deventer. They had also captured Delfzijl. When Maurice heard that Parma's troops were heading for Knodsenburg, he quickly moved his army. He took a large part of his army across a difficult swamp. An army had never crossed this swamp before.
The Siege Begins
On July 21, Parma's army surrounded the Knodsenburg fort. Gerrit de Jong and his men fought hard. They used their cannons to fire at the Spanish positions every day.
Later that day, a Spanish officer named Octavio Mansfelt tried to encourage his soldiers. He charged towards the fort's defenses but was immediately killed by a shot.
Early the next morning, the Spanish soldiers attacked the fort. De Jong and his men waited until the Spanish were close. Then, they suddenly opened fire with their cannons. Their foot soldiers also fired their guns and then charged with long spears called pikes. The Spanish attackers were quickly pushed back. More than 200 Spanish soldiers were killed, including some important officers. The attack failed, and only a few Dutch cannons were damaged.
Meanwhile, Maurice's army was getting closer to the Rhine river. They set up camp later that day. The next day, Parma planned to attack again. But heavy rain made him decide to dig in and strengthen his positions instead.
On July 23, Maurice's army continued to advance. Scouts reported to Parma that the Dutch and English army was approaching. Maurice's army near Arnhem was very strong. It included a large English group of over 3,000 men, led by Francis Vere. There were also 1,300 Scottish soldiers and many Dutch companies. In total, Maurice had nearly 8,000 foot soldiers and 1,200 horsemen.
Spanish troops had been raiding small villages nearby. The Dutch and English thought this was a trick by Parma to attack Arnhem. So, they sent more soldiers to defend Arnhem.
Maurice learned that the fort was under siege by 6,000 to 7,000 Spanish soldiers. Many of these were experienced Tercios, which were elite Spanish units. Maurice's army was about the same size as Parma's. His army crossed the Rhine river using barges and set up camp. The two armies were only a few miles apart.
On July 24, Parma hoped to trick Maurice into a fight. Parma had a good position and was ready for a big battle. His soldiers kept the Dutch scouts away with their cavalry. They even defeated a group of Dutch horsemen early in the day.
Parma's Defeat
Francis Vere came up with a clever plan. He took 500 horsemen and 1,200 foot soldiers (musketeers and pikemen). Maurice quickly approved this plan. Early the next morning, Vere marched his troops to a bridge on the main road.
He sent 200 light horsemen to attack the Spanish outposts. These horsemen were told to pretend to retreat. Vere hoped the Spanish veterans would chase them. Meanwhile, he hid his infantry soldiers in an ambush. Some were near the bridge, and others were a bit further back. The rest of his cavalry stayed behind. Vere wanted to lure Parma's experienced Spanish and Italian soldiers into a trap.
The Dutch and English cavalry attacked and then pretended to run away. The Spanish chased them right to the bridge. There, the Dutch and English cavalry suddenly turned and attacked. Vere's plan worked perfectly. His hidden cavalry and English soldiers attacked the Spanish from all sides. The Spanish veterans were caught in the open and suffered heavy losses.
Only a few Spanish soldiers managed to escape. They retreated in confusion. Parma was very upset because his best soldiers had been badly beaten. The Spanish lost 60 soldiers, and 500 were captured. They also lost 500 horses and two battle flags. The Spanish commander, Pedro Nicelli Francisco, was captured. Vere's force had only two soldiers killed and ten wounded.
After this defeat, Parma realized his army was at a big disadvantage. He decided the best option was to retreat. His army had already lost hundreds of soldiers from fighting and disease during the siege. On July 25, Parma set his camps on fire to create a distraction. Under this smoke screen, he lifted the siege and retreated across the Waal river, just above Nijmegen. His eldest son, Ranuccio Farnese, managed this retreat very well.
Crossing the Waal was a difficult task. Parma had 2,000 soldiers dig a crescent-shaped fort to protect the retreat. The entire army, with all their cannons, ammunition, and supplies, crossed the river without being bothered. This was a very skillful move. Once Parma's army was gone, Knodsenburg was safe. The Dutch and English forces had won a great victory.
What Happened Next
Parma and Maurice were both very skilled commanders. Parma did not expect Maurice to arrive so quickly. Maurice, on the other hand, did not expect Parma to retreat so cleverly. Parma stayed briefly in Nijmegen. However, King Philip II of Spain ordered him to go to France. He was needed there to help the French Catholics fight the Protestants in the French Wars of Religion.
Parma left Nijmegen on August 5, leaving a strong group of soldiers there under Francisco Verdugo. Maurice knew that Nijmegen was his next target. He went to Arnhem to plan his next move.
The soldiers in Nijmegen expected a siege. But Maurice's army seemed to disappear. Maurice left some of his army in nearby cities. Then, he took 300 ships with 4,000 of his best soldiers. As a trick, he sailed to Spanish-held Hulst. On September 21, he captured Hulst. This plan worked! It made the Spanish in Nijmegen think Maurice was far away. Soon after, Maurice returned to Knodsenburg to besiege Nijmegen. The Spanish quickly surrendered, giving Maurice another victory.
News of the Dutch and English victory over Parma made everyone happy. A song was even written in London about "the Happie Ouerthrowe of the Prince of Parma his powers before the knodtsen burg sconce xxj of July 1591."
Cultural Impact
An English writer named George Chapman fought in this campaign with Francis Vere. He wrote a poem about the siege and Parma's defeat. It is in his work called Hymnus in Cynthiam, which is part of The Shadow of Night.
See also
- Assault on Nijmegen (1589)
- List of Stadtholders of the Low Countries
- List of Governors of the Spanish Netherlands
