History of the United Netherlands, 1586a

History of the United
Netherlands, 1586a

The Project Gutenberg EBook History of The United Netherlands,
1586
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Title: History of the United Netherlands, 1586
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4848] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 5,
2002]

Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY
UNITED NETHERLANDS, 1586 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger

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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS From the Death of
William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce--1609
By John Lothrop Motley

MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg
Edition, Vol. 48
History of the United Netherlands, 1586
CHAPTER IX
.
Military Plans in the Netherlands--The Elector and Electorate of
Cologne--Martin Schenk--His Career before serving the States--
Franeker University founded--Parma attempts Grave--Battle on the
Meuse--Success and Vainglory of Leicester--St. George's Day
triumphantly kept at Utrecht--Parma not so much appalled as it was
thought--He besieges and reduces Grave--And is Master of the Meuse--
Leicester's Rage at the Surrender of Grave--His Revenge--Parma on the
Rhine--He besieges aid assaults Neusz--Horrible Fate of the Garrison
and City--Which Leicester was unable to relieve--Asel surprised by
Maurice and Sidney--The Zeeland Regiment given to
Sidney--Condition of the Irish and English Troops--Leicester takes the

Field--He reduces Doesburg--He lays siege to Zutphen--Which Parma
prepares to relieve--The English intercept the Convoy--Battle of
Warnsfeld--Sir Philip Sidney wounded--Results of the Encounter--
Death of Sidney at Arnheim--Gallantry of Edward Stanley.
Five great rivers hold the Netherland territory in their coils. Three are
but slightly separated--the Yssel, Waal, and ancient Rhine, while the
Scheldt and, Meuse are spread more widely asunder. Along each of
these streams were various fortified cities, the possession of which, in
those days, when modern fortification was in its infancy, implied the
control of the surrounding country. The lower part of all the rivers,
where they mingled with the sea and became wide estuaries, belonged
to the Republic, for the coasts and the ocean were in the hands of the
Hollanders and English. Above, the various strong places were
alternately in the hands of the Spaniards and of the patriots. Thus
Antwerp, with the other Scheldt cities, had fallen into Parma's power,
but Flushing, which controlled them all, was held by Philip Sidney for
the Queen and States. On the Meuse, Maastricht and Roermond were
Spanish, but Yenloo, Grave, Meghem, and other towns, held for the
commonwealth. On the Waal, the town of Nymegen had, through the
dexterity of Martin Schenk, been recently transferred to the royalists,
while the rest of that river's course was true to the republic. The Rhine,
strictly so called, from its entrance into Netherland, belonged to the
rebels. Upon its elder branch, the Yssel, Zutphen was in Parma's hands,
while, a little below, Deventer had been recently and adroitly saved by
Leicester and Count Meurs from falling into the same dangerous grasp.
Thus the triple Rhine, after it had crossed the German frontier,
belonged mainly, although not exclusively, to the States. But on the
edge of the Batavian territory, the ancient river, just before dividing
itself into its three branches, flowed through a debatable country which
was even more desolate and forlorn, if possible, than the land of the
obedient Provinces.
This unfortunate district was the archi-episcopal electorate of Cologne.
The city of Cologne itself, Neusz, and Rheinberg, on the river, Werll
and other places in Westphalia and the whole country around, were
endangered, invaded, ravaged, and the inhabitants plundered, murdered,
and subjected to every imaginable outrage, by rival bands of
highwaymen, enlisted in the support of the two rival bishops--beggars,

outcasts, but high-born and learned churchmen both--who