History of the United Netherlands, 1595

History of the United
Netherlands, 1595

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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
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*** 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 life. Bribery, stratagem, and murder,
were, however, so entirely the commonplace machinery of Philip's
administration as to make an allusion to the late attempt of Chastel
appear quite natural in Henry's declaration of war. The king further
stigmatized in energetic language the long succession of intrigues by
which the monarch of Spain, as chief of the Holy League, had been
making war upon him by means of his own subjects, for the last half
dozcn years. Certainly there was hardly need of an elaborate statement
of grievances. The deeds of Philip required no herald, unless Henry was
prepared to abdicate his hardly-earned title to the throne of France.
Nevertheless the politic Gascon subsequently regretted the fierce style
in which he had fulminated his challenge. He was accustomed to
observe that no state paper required so much careful pondering as a
declaration of war, and that it was scarcely possible to draw up such a
document without committing many errors in the phraseology. The
man who never knew fear, despondency, nor resentment, was already
instinctively acting on the principle that a king should deal with his
enemy as if sure to become his friend, and with his friends as if they
might easily change to foes.
The answer to the declaration was delayed for two months. When the

reply came it of course breathed nothing but the most benignant
sentiments in regard to France, while it expressed regret that it was
necessary to carry fire and