This eBook was produced by David Widger
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
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. 64
History of the United Netherlands, 1592
Return of Prince Maurice to the siege of Steenwyck—Capitulation of the besieged—Effects of the introduction of mining operations— Maurice besieges Coeworden—Verdugo attempts to relieve the city, but fails—The city capitulates, and Prince Maurice retreats into winter quarters.
While Farnese had thus been strengthening the bulwarks of Philip'suniversal monarchy in that portion of his proposed French dominions whichlooked towards England, there had been opportunity for Prince Maurice tomake an assault upon the Frisian defences of this vast realm. It wasdifficult to make half Europe into one great Spanish fortification,guarding its every bastion and every point of the curtain, without farmore extensive armaments than the "Great King," as the Leaguers proposedthat Philip should entitle himself, had ever had at his disposal. Itmight be a colossal scheme to stretch the rod of empire over so large aportion of the earth, but the dwarfish attempts to carry the design intoexecution hardly reveal the hand of genius. It is astonishing tocontemplate the meagre numbers and the slender funds with which thisworld-empire was to be asserted and maintained. The armies arrayed atany important point hardly exceeded a modern division or two; while theresources furnished for a year would hardly pay in later days for a fewweeks' campaign.
When Alexander, the first commander of his time, moved out of Flandersinto France with less than twenty thousand men, he left most vitalportions of his master's hereditary dominions so utterly unprotected thatit was possible to attack them with a handful of troops. The youngdisciple of Simon Stevinus now resumed that practical demonstration ofhis principles which had been in the previous year so well begun.
On the 28th May, 1592, Maurice, taking the field with six thousand footand two thousand horse, came once more before Steenwyck. It will beremembered that he had been obliged to relinquish the siege of this placein order to confront the Duke of Parma in July, 1591, at Nymegen.
The city—very important from its position, being the key to the provinceof Drenthe as well as one of the safeguards of Friesland—had beenbesieged in vain by Count Renneberg after his treasonable surrender ofGroningen, of which he was governor, to the Spaniards, but had beensubsequently surprised by Tassis. Since that time it had held for theking. Its fortifications were strong, and of the best description knownat that day. Its regular garrison was sixteen companies of foot and somecavalry under Antoine de Quocqueville, military governor. Besides thesetroops were twelve hundred Walloon infantry, commanded by Lewis, youngestCount van den Berg, a brave lad of eighteen years, with whom were thelord of Waterdyck and other Netherland nobles.
To the military student the siege may possess importance as marking atransitional epoch in the history of the beleaguering science. To thegeneral reader, as in most of the exploits of the young Poliorcetes