Siege of Leiden

Siege of Leiden
Part of the Eighty Years' War
Relief of Leiden by the Sea Beggars on flat-bottomed boats, on 3 October 1574. Otto van Veen.
Date 1573-1574 Location Leiden (present-day Holland) Result Dutch victory
Belligerents
Dutch Rebels	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Pieter Adriaanszoon van der Werff (Mayor of Leiden)	Duke of Alba
Strength
11,000	15,000
Casualties and losses
500	2,000

The Siege of Leiden occurred during the Eighty Years' War in 1573 and 1574, when the Spanish attempted to capture the rebellious city of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, and ultimately failed.

Background

In the war (eventually called the Eighty Years' War) that had broken out, Dutch rebels took up arms against the king of Spain, whose family had inherited the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands. Most of the counties of Holland and Zeeland were occupied by rebels in 1572, who sought to end the harsh rule of the Spanish Duke of Alba, governor-general of the Netherlands. This territory had a very high density of cities, which were protected by huge defenseworks and by the boglands, which could easily be put under water.

The Duke of Alba tried to break resistance using brute force. He used Amsterdam as a base. This was the only city that remained on the Spanish side. Alba's cruel treatment of the population of Naarden and Haarlem was notorious. The rebels learned that no mercy was shown there. The country of Holland was split in two when Haarlem was conquered by the Spaniards. First Alba attempted to conquer Alkmaar in the north, but the city held out for a long time and Alba decided to turn south to the main territory of the rebels, heading for Leiden.

First siege of Leiden

The city of Leiden had plenty of food stored for the siege when it started in October 1573. The siege was very difficult for the Spanish, because the soil was too loose to dig holes, and the city defense works were very good. The leader of the Dutch rebels, William the Silent, Prince of Orange, tried to help Leiden by sending an army into the Netherlands. Alba halted the siege in April 1574 and defeated the army of Orange in the Battle of Mookerheyde.

Second siege, and relief, of Leiden

The legend of Magdalena Moons and Francisco Valdez grew out of the siege of 1574: painting by Simon Opzoomer, ca 1845.

Duke of Alba's army returned to continue the siege on May 26, 1574. The city considered surrendering, because there was nearly no chance of relief. The rebel army was defeated and the rebel territory was very small compared to the huge Spanish empire.

But the Prince of Orange was determined to relieve the city. Therefore he sent a carrier pigeon into the city pleading for it to hold out for three months. To fulfill this promise, he wished to break the dikes, allow the sea to flood the low lying land, and put the whole area under water so that the siege could be lifted via ship. But the damage to the surrounding countryside would be enormous, and therefore the population of this area resisted the cutting of the dikes. However, in the end, the Prince prevailed and the dikes were cut on August 3. Previously, two hundred small ships and a large store of provisions had been collected in preparation to lift the siege. Unfortunately, soon after the dikes were broken, the Prince of Orange, the heart, soul and energy of the rebel cause, came down with a violent fever and the relief of the besieged city came to a grinding halt. During this time, on August 21, the inhabitants of Leiden sent a message to the Prince saying that they had held out for three months, two with food and one without food. The Prince then sent a response saying that the dikes were all pierced and relief would come soon.

However, only by the first day of September, when the Prince had recovered from his ailment, that the expedition continued in earnest. Over 15 miles lay between the rebel relieving fleet and Leiden, but ten miles were covered without difficulty. On September 10, the fleet came upon the Land-scheiding, which blocked their path to Leiden and captured it in a night surprise attack which was successful. The next morning, the Spaniards counterattacked to try to regain the important position but were repulse with the loss of several hundred men. The dike was cut through, and the fleet proceeded to Leiden.

But again, another barrier blocked the way. This time, the dike of Greenway halted the water, but this was seized and cut. But as the water spread over the countryside, it also grew shallower to such an extremity that the only way the fleet could proceed was by a canal leading to a large inland lake called Fresh Water Lake. This canal, however was thoroughly guarded by 3,000 Spaniards and the rebels failed to take the canal. Soon, the water was so shallow that most of the Dutch ships ran aground.

Meanwhile, in the city, the inhabitants clamoured for surrender when they saw that their countrymen had run aground. But Mayor van der Werff inspired his citizens to hold on by offering his arm as food. Thousands of inhabitants died of starvation. They held on because they knew that the Spanish would kill them all to set an example, as had happened in Naarden.

Only on October 1 did the wind, which previously blew from the east pushing the water out of the countryside, shift to the west which blew the sea water into the countryside. Then the rebel fleet was afloat again and they advanced. Now only two forts blocked the way of the relieving force: the forts of Zoeterwoude and Lammen, both of which were strongly garrisoned. The garrison of Zoeterwoude, however, when they saw the Dutch fleet, fled their fort which was occupied by the Dutch. The last for Lammen still blocked the way to the rebels, but on the night of October 2/3, the Spanish retreated from their fort and lifted the siege. Ironically, the same night, part of the wall of Leiden, eroded by the sea water, fell, leaving the city completely vulnerable. The next day, the relieving rebels arrived at the city, feeding the citizens with herring and white bread. The people also feasted on 'Hutspot' (carrot and onion stew) in the evening. According to legend, a little orphan boy named Cornelis Joppenszoon found a cooking pot full with 'Hutspot' that the Spaniards had had to leave behind when they left their camp, the Lammenschans, in a hurry to escape from the rising waters.

Aftermath

In 1575, the Spanish treasury ran dry, so that the Spanish army could not be paid anymore and it mutinied. After the pillaging of Antwerp, the whole of the Netherlands rebelled against Spain. Leiden was once again safe.

The Leiden University was founded by William of Orange in recognition of the city's sacrifice in the siege.

October 3 is celebrated every year in Leiden. It is a huge party, with an enormous funfair and a dozen open air discos in the night. The municipality gives free herring and white bread to the citizens of Leiden.

Trivia

• There was an earlier Siege of Leiden (1420).

References

By Pike and Dyke, by G.A. Henty