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Siege of Ostend

This article is about the siege during the Dutch Revolt. For later sieges, see Siege of Ostend (1706) and Siege of Ostend (1745).

Siege of Ostend
Part of the Eighty Years' War & the Anglo–Spanish War

Siege of Ostend
by Peter Snayers, oil on canvas.
Date5 July 1601 – 20 September 1604
Location
Ostend (present-day Belgium)
51°14′N 02°55′E / 51.233°N 2.917°E / 51.233; 2.917
Result Pyrrhic Spanish victory[Note A]
Territorial
changes		 Ostend annexed by Spanish Netherlands
Belligerents
Dutch Republic United Provinces
England England
Scotland Scotland		  Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Dutch Republic Charles van der Noot (July 1601)
England Francis Vere (August 1601)
Dutch Republic Frederick van Dorp (March 1602)
Dutch Republic Peter van Gieselles (Dec 1603)  †
Dutch Republic John van Loon (March 1604) †
Dutch Republic Jacques van der Meer (March 1604) †
Dutch Republic Coronel Uytenhoove (June 1604) (WIA)
Dutch Republic Daniel d´Hertaing  Surrendered		 Spain Archduke Albrecht (July 1601)
Spain Ambrosio Spinola (October 1603)
Spain Luis de Velasco
Spain Count of Bucquoy
Spain Frederik van den Bergh
Strength
2,500–8,000 (peak)
Total: ~50,000 (by rotation)[Note B]		 9,000–20,000 (peak)
Total: ~80,000 (by rotation)[1]
Casualties and losses
30,000[2] – 45,000[3] killed, wounded or succumbed to disease
3,000 surrendered[4][5]		 60,000[2] – 70,000[6][7] killed, wounded or succumbed to disease

The siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War. A Spanish force under Archduke Albrecht besieged the fortress being held initially by a Dutch force which was reinforced by English troops under Francis Vere, who became the town's governor.[8] It was said "the Spanish assailed the unassailable; the Dutch defended the indefensible."[9][10] The commitment of both sides in the dispute over the only Dutch-ruled area in the province of Flanders made the campaign continue for longer than any other during the war. This resulted in one of the longest and bloodiest sieges in world history: more than 100,000 people were killed, wounded, or succumbed to disease during the siege.[3]

Ostend was resupplied via the sea and, as a result, held out for three years.[11] A garrison did a tour of duty before being replaced by fresh troops, normally 3,000 at a time keeping casualties and disease to a minimum.[12] The siege included a number of assaults by the Spanish, including a massive unsuccessful assault by 10,000 Spanish infantry in January 1602 when governed by Vere.[13] After suffering heavy losses, the Spanish replaced the Archduke with Ambrosio Spinola, and the siege settled down to one of attrition, with the strong points gradually being taken one at a time.[4]

Ostend was eventually captured by the Spanish on 20 September 1604, and the city was completely destroyed; the overall strategy had changed since the siege had started.[4][14] The loss of Ostend was a severe blow strategically for the Republic but Spanish propaganda and strategic objectives were frustrated by the Dutch and English conquest of Sluis to the northeast a few weeks before the surrender of Ostend.[15][16] In addition, the economic cost of such a long campaign and the enormous number of casualties sustained turned the result into a Spanish pyrrhic victory,[17][18] and the siege effectively contributed largely to Spanish bankruptcy three years later which was followed by the Twelve Years' Truce.[19][20]

  1. ^ Motley, John Lothrop (1898). The Rise of the Dutch Republic, Entire 1566–74. Harvard University: Harper & brothers. pp. 751–54.
  2. ^ a b Tucker p 13
  3. ^ a b van Nimwegen p 189
  4. ^ a b c Motley, John Lothrop (1869). History of the United Netherlands from the death of William the silent to the Synod of Dort, with a full view of the English-Dutch struggle against Spain, and of the origin and destruction of the Spanish armada, Volume 4. Oxford University. pp. 199–200.
  5. ^ Bertodano, Joseph (1740). Coleccion De Los Tratados. p. 479.
  6. ^ Keightley, Thomas (1830). Outlines of History Cabinet cyclopaedia. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green; and John Taylor. p. 351.
  7. ^ Cooper pp 263–65
  8. ^ Knight, Charles Raleigh: Historical records of The Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated the Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark's Regiment. Vol I. London, Gale & Polden, 1905, p 50
  9. ^ Simoni p.10
  10. ^ Belleroche p 14
  11. ^ van Nimwegen pp 171–73
  12. ^ Duffy p 85
  13. ^ Fissel p 188
  14. ^ Markham pp 308–10
  15. ^ Edmundson pp 102–03
  16. ^ Israel (1998), p.260
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cortés was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Malland p 31 It was in many respects a Pyrrhic victory
  19. ^ Ghelderode p 5
  20. ^ Motley p. 754
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