Siege of Hulst (1645)

Siege of Hulst

Part of: Eighty Years War

The siege of Hulst in 1645

date	October 7, 1645 to November 4, 1645
place	Hulst , Netherlands Coordinates: 51 ° 16 ′ 49 ″  N , 4 ° 3 ′ 16 ″  E
output	Victory of the States General

Parties to the conflict
Orangists Union of Utrecht	Spain Spanish occupiers
Commander
Friedrich Heinrich (Orange)	Jacques de Haynin du Cornet
Troop strength
12,500 soldiers, 2,500 horsemen, 20 cannons	2,500 soldiers, 250 horsemen
losses
1,500 soldiers, 100 horsemen, killed or wounded	2,500 killed, wounded, or captured

The Conquest of Hulst, 1645. Painting by Hendrick de Meijer

The siege of Hulst in 1645 was the last major siege within the Eighty Years War , with the heavily fortified city of Hulst being successfully captured by the governor of the Netherlands Friedrich Heinrich von Orange of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces (also called States General ). Five years earlier, Friedrich Heinrich launched an attack on the fortresses during the Battle of Hulst , but the Spaniards were still able to repel it.

Originally, the Spanish governor Jacques de Haynin du Cornet only had 600 soldiers to defend the city, but he received reinforcements in good time. The Spanish army then had 2,500 foot soldiers and 250 horsemen. The Army of the States General, however, consisted of 12,500 foot soldiers and 2,500 horsemen, as well as 20 cannons. This part of the battle should be part of the advance to Antwerp at the beginning . The Republic of the Seven United Provinces wanted to rule the Scheldt . With the siege, Hulst fell into the hands of the Republic, but Antwerp was no longer conquered. The troops of the States General, which were located near Ghent at that time , advanced and reached Stekene on October 4th, and one day later captured Sint Jansteen, a place south of Hulst (now incorporated), as well as the most important fortifications in the area (Fort Moerschans, Fort Zandberg and Fort Nassau ).

The fights

The battle for the capture of Hulst took place in two phases.

First phase: October 7th to October 17th

Friedrich Heinrich ordered an attack with 4,500 foot soldiers along with five cannons on the east side of the city. When this unit got there, it met a Spanish unit of 1,500 men. The states fired multiple cannon shots that killed 100 Spaniards. After that, the remaining troops were quickly overrun. In 10 days the Spaniards lost 1,000 soldiers, Friedrich Heinrich 400 men. He was now in control of the eastern part of the city.

Second phase: October 17th to November 4th

Friedrich Heinrich had 1,000 horsemen sent to the front to reinforce the attack unit. As soon as they arrived, he began an attack on the city center. In return, the Spanish leader ordered his cavalry to launch a surprise attack to kill the opposing military leader Friedrich Heinrich. However, his riders fell into a trap and were almost completely wiped out. After more than two weeks of cannonade , the Spanish governor surrendered on November 4th.

handing over

As the Spanish garrison left the city and the troops of the states poured into the city, the Spanish welcomed them appropriately: with music. They " maeckten soete accoorden daar or wierden oock de Keteltrommels gheroert (for example:" They made such music, including kettle drums "). 350 wagons with goods from the garrison then left Hulst for Antwerp.

On November 12th, a thanksgiving service took place in the Willibrord basilica in Hulst. The Catholic pictures were removed beforehand. The theme of the service included: “ De Heer has become known (The Lord has shown himself); Hij heeft thought right (He did right); de godtloose is entangled in het werk zijner handen (meaning: the godless is stained with his hands work) ”. What was meant by these godless people was clear: From then on it was proclaimed that the reform earth religion and no other religion should be practiced in the churches of the city ( reform earth religie ende geen others in deselve city publickelijck sal be geexcerceerd ). Catholic worship was therefore banned and the churches were rededicated.

The situation thus created was confirmed by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 . This year the final determination of the border between the Republic and the Spanish Netherlands took place. This corresponded to today's Belgian-Dutch border.

losses

The States General emerged from the siege with fewer casualties than the defenders: they lost 1,500 foot soldiers and 100 horsemen. 2,000 soldiers and 225 horsemen died on the Spanish side. The rest, around 700 men, were captured.

Web links

• Siege of Hulst contemporary painting by Hendrick de Meijer