- Siege of Groenlo (1627)
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Groenlo
partof=theEighty Years' War
caption=
date=20 July -19 August 1627
place=Groenlo ,Gelderland
result=Dutch Victory,Dutch Capture of Grol
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
commander2=Matthijs Dulken (Grol)Henry van den Bergh (Spanish Army)
strength1=16000 infantry 4000 cavalry
strength2=1,200 infantry (Grol) 100 cavalry (Grol) 16500 infantry (Spanish Army) 5000 cavalry (Spanish Army)
casualties1=unknown
casualties2=unknownThe Siege of Grol in1627 was a battle between the Army of theDutch Republic commanded byFrederick Henry, Prince of Orange and the Spanish controlled fortified city of Grol (known asGroenlo in present day), during theEighty Years War in 1627. The Spanish army led byHenry van den Bergh came to relieve Grol, but it came too late. Thesiege lasted from20 July until19 August 1627, resulting in a surrender of the city to the army of the Dutch Republic.
During the siege, a 16kilometer longcircumvallation line was made around Grol in order to prevent the enemy from leaving and to prevent liberation of the city from the outside.Ambrosio Spinola had used a similar technique during theSiege of Breda (1624) , and after the successful siege of Grol Frederic-Henry would later use it in other sieges in the Netherlands, such as at theSiege of 's-Hertogenbosch . The success at Grol meant the first serious victory on land for the Republic after theTwelve Years' Truce .About Grol [aut|N.J.Tops "Groll in de Zeventiende en Achttiende Eeuw (Groll in the 17th and 18th century): Een kerkelijk en strategisch storende factor in het oosten van de republiek", Groenlose Historic Society, Groenlo, 1992] [aut|Jan Kuys "Drostambt en Schoutambt. De Gelderse ambtsorganisatie in het kwartier van Zutphen. (ca. 1200-1543)." Hilversum, 1994.]
Even though it was only a small city, Grol was of military strategic importance. Grol was a flourishing
trade center, well fortified and armed, and it had a strategic position on the Hanseatictrade route toGermany . The area around Grol was marshy and difficult to reach, and anyone in control of the city was in control of the region.Maurice of Nassau had taken Grol in1597 , after an unsuccessful try in1595 , and Spinola retook it in1606 . Maurice tried to take Grol again, later during the same year, again unsuccessful, after which Grol remained in Spanish hands until 1627. Grol provided a defensible place to garrison troops and a freehaven for Spanish raids. Heavy taxes and import duties were collected here from the whole of theAchterhoek andVeluwe , which provided a steady source of income for the Spanish war treasury. Together with the fortified towns ofOldenzaal ,Bredevoort andLingen , Grol could provide a base for attacking the republic from the east. This is why theStates-General chose to invest in an army to capture Grol, instead of concentrating solely on sea battle with the Spaniards (which the powerful statesHolland andZeeland wanted).Prelude [aut|Hugo de Groot (1629): "Beleegeringh der stadt Grol", translation of Grollae Obsidio by J. Goris, Amsterdam, 1681]
The Dutch Army of Frederic-Henry, totaling over 15000 footmen and 4000
cavalry , traveled by foot and boat via theRhine and unloaded behindEmmerich . As was common practice in those days, the army consisted mainly of mercenaries from all overEurope , including Scottish, English, High-German, Frisian and French troops. The army arrived at Grol on the 20th of July 1627. Immediately all major roads leading to Grol were blocked by front runners of the cavalry. A 1000 carts broughtgunpowder , bullets, 75 guns, food and all the equipment necessary for besieging and taking over a city.Circumvallation
The next day, thousands of soldiers and hired workers began to speedily build a continuous earthen wall around Grol, 10 feet high, 16 kilometers long. Wooden and earthen ramparts, entrenchments and other fortifications were built along the line, including fortified defenses for the troops (Dutch: "Schansen").
Frederic-Henry used to let troops of the same nationality work together, so that an English fortification ("Engelse Schans") was built by and for the English troops, as well as one for the French, the Frisians and one for the troops fromHolland . Guns were placed strategically so that the circumvallation line could be defended from all sides. The reach of the guns placed in Grol was taken into account: they couldn't hit the line which was 2 kilometers from the city. In just 10 days the work was done, though the circumvallation was continually reinforced during the siege.
Frederic-Henry was aware that a large Spanish Army was stationed in the south of the Netherlands, commanded byHenry van den Bergh . To distract and delay the arrival of the Spanish army, and thus avoid a battle in the open field where he would be outnumbered, Frederic-Henry carried out a feigned attack: he sent a part of his own army towards the German town ofGogh . Neighbouring villages around Grol were taken by commanders to prevent the Spanish getting foothold in the neighbourhood. Sentries were placed all around the area and supply lines were set up toDeventer andZutphen , to feed and supply the massive army now lying around Grol.The Siege
The situation in Grol
Matthijs Dulken , a seasoned and wily commander, was the head of the Spanish army occupying Grol. He had available to him 1200 foot soldiers (not accounting enlisted citizens) and around 100 cavalry, commanded byLambert Verreyken . Food and supplies aplenty, Dulken ordered his troops to reinforce the defenses of the already fortified city, and specifically: "...by musket or cannonball, to hurt or damage the enemy any which way". With the circumvallation line ready, Grol was being bombarded by the Dutch army while groups of Dutch, English, French troops dug "approches" (zigzagging trenches) towards the city. Damage done to the city's defenses were continually repaired by the besieged. However, 200incendiary "fireballs" were shot into the city, causing heavy damage to buildings and people. Dulken himself was wounded in his shoulder by a musket bullet and gave command to Verreyken. Verreyken and his cavalry raided the attackers positions, mainly the trench digging positions and the rampart ofErnst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz , without causing many casualties. In Grol, due to the carelessness of a soldier, two barrels ofgunpowder exploded, causing forty bystanders to perish.Activities outside Grol
Meanwhile, the English digging team had managed to first reach the
canal which lay around Grol and was supplied by the river Slinge. In order to facilitate a crossing, the lock north of the city was blown up, resulting in the lowering of the water in the canal by five feet, which left just nine feet. After that, the Dutch army tried to cross the canal by building a dam, but they were under heavy gunfire from Grol and the dam was fully destroyed by burning oil poured from the city. Finally, with the support of two artillery pieces the attackers managed to build two dams, although casualties were great, including two English officers, Ram and Proud. Having crossed the canal, they could now begin to undermine Grol's outer defensive walls, even though regular attacks were made from out of the city.The arrival of Van den Bergh
In the meantime, Van den Bergh and his formidable Spanish army had arrived near Groenlo after taking in another 1800 German mercenaries, now outnumbering the army of his cousin, Frederic Henry. However, due to lack of funding they were short on supplies, supplies and had arrived too late for a head to head battle in the open field. They fired their guns for Grol to hear that help had come. After a failed plan to cut the supply lines of the Dutch army, due to quarrels between Spanish and Italian troops, he decided to attack the circumvallation line and try to break through to Grol. His attack on the Scottish rampart seemed to succeed at first, but a fierce counterattack by Officer Morre drove the Spaniards away, erasing all hope for a victory for Van den Bergh.
Negotiations
Frederic-Henry now tried to negotiate with Dulken, by convincing him the Spaniards outside the city could no longer save him. Dulken, who had healed from his wound, proudly denied their entreaties. The siege went on. English troops crossed the canal and managed to put a mine under one of Grol's outer defenses ("faussebray"). The mine was blown up on August 18, creating a huge hole in the defenses. English troops rushed in, climbing the city's earthen walls behind, but Verreyken lay waiting with hundreds of muskets and burning
tar , and he repelled the English three times, causing a massacre. Dulken however, intelligent enough in knowing that soon his city would be attacked from three sides, and realizing that he was short on men and guns, called for anarmistice and sent for negotiators.The treaty
A
treaty like the one used after theSiege of Breda was signed 3 days later, handing the city to the army of the Republic. The Spanish troops in Grol and its citizens were allowed to leave, taking arms and loot with them, but only 2 guns could be taken. Frederic-Henry loaned 200 carts for the defenders to carry their equipment, as was negotiated. He stationed foot soldiers and horsemen in Grol, as to defend it from future attacks. The complete circumvallation line was destroyed and all trenches filled, to prevent them from being used by future attackers. Archbishop of UtrechtPhilippus Rovenius , who resided in the city during the siege, was allowed to leave. Grol was now under the Republic and would remain so until the end of the war.The victory was celebrated greatly in the Republic. The Spaniards had finally been beaten after many losses.
Hugo de Groot wrote all the details of the battle in his 'Grollae Obsidio' andJoost van den Vondel wrote a 738 verseode to the siege. The saying "Zo vaste as Grolle" (as sturdy as Grolle) came into being, as a reference to the difficulty of taking the city.Present day
In the town of
Groenlo , old Grol, canons and some parts of the old bulwarks have been restored for historic andtourism purposes. Live reenactments of the events of 1627 take place on a regular basis, drawing sizable crows. In recent years, more and more parts of the original circumvallation line are being rediscovered. It is being discussed whether the full 16 kilometer long line can be restored.
During 2006 and 2007, the (Old) Calixtus church in Groenlo has undergone a major renovation, including the placement of a new stained glass window depicting the siege of Groenlo of 1627. The church has survived all of the six sieges that Groenlo has been through during the 16th and 17th century. After the siege of 1627, the States-General paid for the breaking of a church window that occurred during the siege.
In the hot Dutch summer of 2003, anultralight plane discovered mysteriously green plants in an otherwise barren corn field. It just so happened to be the outlines of the French rampart of 1627 ("Franse Schans"). The canals around the rampart changed the soil or water flow, making the plants stay green. The English rampart was found earlier nearLievelde and has been fully restored and it can be visited. In 2008, the Siege of Grol will be reenacted from 17 until 19 October.
Groenlo, influenced byMunster and having been under Spanish Catholic control during many years, remains a Catholicenclave in a predominantly Protestant region.References
External links
* [http://www.slagomgrolle.nl/ Battle for Grolle 2008 (reenactment)] (in English)
* [http://www.groenlovestingstad.nl/english/ Groenlo Vestingstad] (in English)
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