Title:  History of the United Netherlands, 1595

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4867] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 9, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK history united Netherlands, 1595 ***

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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. 67

History of the United Netherlands, 1595

CHAPTER XXXI.

Formal declaration of war against Spain—­Marriage festivities—­Death of Archduke Ernest—­His year of government—­Fuentes declared governor-general—­Disaffection of the Duke of Arschot and Count Arenberg—­Death of the Duke of Arschot——­Fuentes besieges Le Catelet—­The fortress of Ham, sold to the Spanish by De Gomeron, besieged and taken by the Duke of Bouillon—­Execution of De Gomeron—­Death of Colonel Verdugo—­Siege of Dourlens by Fuentes—­ Death of La Motte—­Death of Charles Mansfeld—­Total defeat of the French—­Murder of Admiral De Pillars—­Dourlens captured, and the garrison and citizens put to the sword—­Military operations in eastern Netherlands and on the Rhine—­Maurice lays siege to Groento —­Mondragon hastening to its relief, Prince Maurice raises the siege—­Skirmish between Maurice and Mondragon—­Death of Philip of Nassau—­Death of Mondragon—­Bombardment and surrender of Weerd Castle—­Maurice retires into winter quarters—­Campaign of Henry Iv.- —­He besieges Dijon—­Surrender of Dijon—­Absolution granted to Henry by the pope—­Career of Balagny at Cambray—­Progress of the siege—­ Capitulation of the town—­Suicide of the Princess of Cambray, wife of Balagny

The year 1595 Opened with a formal declaration of war by the King of France against the King of Spain.  It would be difficult to say for exactly how many years the war now declared had already been waged, but it was a considerable advantage to the United Netherlands that the manifesto had been at last regularly issued.  And the manifesto was certainly not deficient in bitterness.  Not often in Christian history has a monarch been solemnly and officially accused by a brother sovereign of suborning assassins against his