Battle of Hüls (1583)

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Battle of Hüls (1583) , drawing by Frans Hogenberg from the 16th century

The battle of Hüls refers to combat operations that took place in the course of the Truchsessian War on November 19, 1583 in the north of today's Krefeld district of Hüls (near Orbroich ).

The Archbishop of Cologne, Gebhard Truchseß von Waldburg-Trauchburg , tended towards Protestantism , primarily in order to be able to marry his lover, Countess Agnes von Mansfeld . Emperor and Pope could not stand by and watch this project and so Truchseß was deposed in April 1583, while the cathedral chapter elected Ernst von Bayern (from the House of Wittelsbach) as successor in the dual office of elector and archbishop on May 22, 1583 . Count Adolf von Moers and Neuenahr , a friend and partisan of the deposed Truchsess, played an important role in the military conflicts that followed . The small glory of Hüls , located about 60 km north of Cologne, was in the spotlight as the core town (which remained predominantly Catholic) was subordinate to Kurköln , while the smaller district, the so-called "Moersische Straße", had been an enclave since the 15th century belonged to the county of Moers , which had meanwhile changed to the reformed denomination.

backgrounds

Both the still-Archbishop Truchseß and his friend Adolf from Moers had an interest in leading the place, which they had to obey, from Catholicism to the Reformation and in transforming the surrounding Catholic-electoral land into a secularized electorate. Truchseß and his lover Agnes von Mansfeld met regularly in secret at Moers Castle, and it was here that the plans for a wedding with the countess and Protestant canoness of Gerresheim were made. The Catholic side under the anti-Archbishop Ernst of Bavaria formed and so it came to the fighting in the area of ​​the village. The Truchsessian (or Cölnish) War, which affected the entire Rhineland and surrounding areas, lasted seven years, during which the small town of Hüls was fought over several times and fell under changing rule.

Alliances

Since Truchseß saw himself not as a Lutheran but as a Calvinist , he received no support from Lutheran electors from Brandenburg or Saxony, for example. His main allies were initially Count Adolf von Moers, who also adhered to Calvinism, and the Wetterau counts , at their head Count Johann VI. from Nassau-Dillenburg . The electoral-Moersian alliance achieved important military successes in April 1587, initially with the occupation of Rheinberg . From there a vanguard had moved in the direction of Hüls; Riders and footmen on the Protestant side then settled in Hüls and fortified the place in their favor. More Moers troops gathered in Uerdingen in order to support the Moers mercenaries already entrenched in the village and to oppress the Catholic Kempen from this base.

The Catholic alliance of the counter-archbishop Ernst of Bavaria met under the leadership of the Cologne choir bishop Friedrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg , who in turn was able to muster followers through a crowd of Walloons from Roermond, so that finally four thousand foot soldiers and three hundred mounted men holed up near Hüls.

Course of the battle

In October 1583, the Catholics first besieged the village of Hüls, which was held by the mercenaries of the Count of Moers, who was fighting for the Calvinist side . It is said that the Protestant occupiers drove a limping horse loaded with images of saints in front of the gates towards the besiegers; these in turn drove the horse back into the place with a mounted gallows as a sign of what the opponent would do in the event of a defeat. The main battle took place northwest of the local border. A contemporary copper engraving from the Frans Hogenberg collection shows the turmoil seen from the east, for example in the area between today's Boomdyck and Lookdyck, looking west towards Orbroich. The village of Hüls is on the left, the military forces on the right in the direction of Vinnbrück and Schadmey (at the Gastendonk manor). The Moersian mercenaries are in the foreground, led by Count zu Alpen hoch zu Rosse (this refers to the Moerser Graf Adolf himself, who originally came from the branch line "von Neuenahr-Alpen" and, in addition to his title "von Neuenahr-Moers", continues to be the "von." Neuenahr-Alpen "led). The troops of the Catholic side - the choir bishop's German lancers, the Walloons of Count von Reifferscheid and mercenaries of Colonel von Esseneur - are entrenched in separate camps near Orbroich and south of the town of Hüls.

Two days before the battle, on November 17th, Count Adolf von Moers had led the troops of his ally, Prince Heinrich von Braunschweig, across the Rhine near Rheinberg and from there through Moers territory first to the fortified Uerdingen, where other allies (including friends state Netherlands). Some of the Moersisch-Truchsessian troops moved past Krefeld through the Kliedbruch towards Hüls (probably coming from Traar via today's Steegerdyck). They reached Hüls around 10 a.m., initially only with the intention of depositing provisions and ammunition on site (with the Landwehr along the “Flöth” stream).

The situation on the Catholic side was as follows: the Walloons of Count von Reifferscheid, who were camped in separate quarters, local horsemen and soldiers of the choir bishop, as well as the regiment of Colonel Esseneur, were not prepared for an attack by the Moersischen. The choir bishop himself with his Rittmeister and von Reifferscheidt had ridden away that morning to visit a nobleman. Some of the choir bishop's mounted men were out and about in the peasantry to “forage” (ie to plunder and loot).

Another support expected by the Catholics from the Walloon lancers of Marshal von Schwarzenberg and Mr. von Goesbeek arrived late in Hüls - because they had taken a longer wine break on the way - but just at the time when the Moersischen appeared in Hülser Bruch. There were small skirmishes between the Moerser and the Walloons, who were now advancing and who initially claimed their place. Meanwhile, the choir bishop appeared with his riders on their way back to the camp. Now the Catholic troop leadership made a tactical wrong decision: Instead of building a castle of wagons with the abundant baggage and booty wagons and thus easily fending off the outnumbered Moersische units, they tried to move the wagons away from the battlefield to the south and to safety. Even their own riders, interpreting this retreat as a flight, rode away instead of intervening in the fight. As a result, the infantry of the Catholic side (mercenaries Esseneurs and Reifferscheidts) wavered.

But there was still the Moersisch-Truchsessian crew, entrenched in the village for a long time, who observed what was happening and now dared to drop out to support their comrades who had come from Uerdingen. So the Catholics got into a dilemma from two sides. The Walloons fighting for the Catholic side finally panicked and fled towards Kempen and south. Once on the run, they were pursued by the Moersische, four units completely wiped out. Four guns and 300 wagons with provisions and booty fell into the hands of the pursuers.

Baron von Esseneur was also badly wounded and dragged to Krefeld, which was occupied by Moersern. Four out of nine ensigns (one ensign equals about 300 men) were completely wiped out, captains, ensigns and lieutenants were killed, and 500 were taken prisoner. The choir bishop fled with his body to his pawn shop Hülchrath. Count Werner von Reifferscheid left for Neuss, the provost of Ghent found shelter in Kempen. The Catholic counter-elector Ernst von Baiern himself was not present at the battle; he had gone to a state parliament in Liege with a strong entourage.

A further support for the Catholic, 300-man Spanish troops of Don Pedro had gone from the Meuse towards Hüls, but when they arrived the battle was already over - they therefore turned in the direction of Aldekerk, at least to the enemy at the further To prevent advance. The Moersisch-Truchsessischen allowed themselves to be deterred by the presence of the Spaniards from their approach of being drawn up the Rhine towards Bonn; their supporters, who had come from Westphalia, meanwhile withdrew to the east across the Rhine.

Count Adolf's own mercenaries continued to occupy the town of Hüls for the time being. Several hundred of his mercenaries also remained in Uerdingen and Rheinberg.

poem

The Hogenberg copper engraving contains a poem describing the defeat of Friedrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg:

  • Friedrich von Sachsen in good spirits - Before Hüls lies down with a great good
  • Despise the little power of Truchsess - which then brought him into misery
  • Then when it suddenly penetrated - he couldn't stand long for it
  • Then left the field of the enemy - with many a car good and money
  • (1200 horses, 2000 on foot. November 19, 1583)

After the battle

After the battle, Hüls continued to be occupied alternately, the citizens were exposed to looting by the respective occupiers. Church and steeple were devastated, the two mills destroyed. Inmates of the two Hüls monasteries fled to neighboring Kempen for several years.

Gebhard Truchseß's alliance had only temporary success. In the longer term, Ernst von Bayern, the newly elected counter-elector, gained the upper hand. Count Adolf, the victor of Hüls, fought on for a few years, u. a. as governor of the Gelderland appointed by the Orange (after he had to leave Moers because of the siege by Spanish Catholic troops in 1586). On October 18, 1589, he was killed in an accident involving powder kegs in Arnhem . Gebhard Truchseß von Waldburg went to the Netherlands in 1584 on the mediation of Wilhelm von Oranien and, with their support, conquered Bonn on December 23, 1587. In 1589 he gave up the fight, moved to Strasbourg with his countess and became a Protestant cathedral dean at the court of Duke Friedrich von Württemberg . He died in Strasbourg in 1601. From then on, Kurköln (and thus the place Hüls) remained Catholic.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Werner Mellen: Hüls - a Chronicle Publisher: Kaltenmeier Söhne, Krefeld-Hüls, 1998, p. 36, ISBN 3-9804002-1-2
  2. ^ A b c d Karl Hirschberg: Historical journey through the county of Moers Publisher: Steiger, Moers, 1975, p. 63
  3. ↑ Joachim Daebel: The Reformation in the County of Moers 1527-1581 Publisher: Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft mbh, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 2011, p. 221, ISBN 978-3-7887-2592-1
  4. ↑ Werner Mellen: Hüls - a Chronicle Publisher: Kaltenmeier Sons, Krefeld-Hüls, 1998, p. 37, ISBN 3-9804002-1-2
  5. ^ Helmut Sallmann: Die Krefelder Landwehren Print: Heilpädagogisches Zentrum Krefeld, 2005, p. 30
  6. ↑ Joachim Daebel: The Reformation in the Grafschaft Moers 1527-1581 Publisher: Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft mbh, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 2011, p. 198 ff
  7. ^ Helmut Sallmann: Die Krefelder Landwehren Print: Heilpädagogisches Zentrum Krefeld, 2005, p. 30
  8. ↑ Joachim Daebel: The Reformation in the Grafschaft Moers 1527-1581 Publisher: Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft mbh, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 2011, p. 198 ff
  9. ^ Max Lossen: History of the Cologne War Publisher: G. Franz`scher Verlag Jos: Roth, Munich and Leipzig, 1897, pp. 436–442
  10. ^ Max Lossen: History of the Cologne War Publisher: G. Franz`scher Verlag Jos: Roth, Munich and Leipzig, 1897, pp. 436–442
  11. ^ Max Lossen: History of the Cologne War Publisher: G. Franz`scher Verlag Jos: Roth, Munich and Leipzig, 1897, pp. 436–442
  12. ^ Karl Hirschberg: Historical journey through the county of Moers Publisher: Steiger, Moers, 1975, p. 68
  13. ^ Max Lossen: History of the Cologne War Publisher: G. Franz`scher Verlag Jos: Roth, Munich and Leipzig, 1897, pp. 436–442
  14. ^ Karl Hirschberg: Historical journey through the county of Moers Publisher: Steiger, Moers, 1975, p. 68
  15. ^ Helmut Sallmann: Die Krefelder Landwehren Print: Heilpädagogisches Zentrum Krefeld, 2005, p. 30
  16. ↑ Werner Mellen: Hüls - a Chronicle Publisher: Kaltenmeier Sons, Krefeld-Hüls, 1998, p. 37, ISBN 3-9804002-1-2
  17. ↑ Joachim Daebel: The Reformation 1527-1581 in the county Moers Publisher: Neukirchener Verlag mbH, Neukirchen, 2011, pp 221-224
  18. ^ Karl Hirschberg: Historical journey through the county of Moers Publisher: Steiger, Moers, 1975, p. 72