Siege of Lingen (1605)

After the devastating siege of Ostend, on 2 July 1605, the Dutch headquarters received reports that Don Ambrosio Spinola with Spain's main army of Flanders was headed towards the strongholds of the Rhine, in Cologne.[4] Maurice and his commanders, who had been secretly planning to lay siege to Antwerp, had to abandon all hope. The movements of Ambrosio Spinola not only prevented the Dutch troops from landing near Antwerp, but also forced the Dutch to abandon their attempt to capture other minor towns.[5] The States-General, alarmed by the Spanish advance, ordered Prince Maurice to head for the Rhine with all of his troops.[4]

Spinola's army was initially estimated between 7,000 or 9,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry, but a few days later, the new Dutch reports estimated the Spaniards numbered about 16,000–17,000 men.[6] At the end of July, leaving behind 50 infantry companies to guard Ijzendijke, Maurice quickly moved the rest of his army, including 61 infantry companies and 6 cavalry companies, towards Deventer. He arrived there on 10 August.[6] Two days earlier, on 8 August, Spinola reached and laid siege the fortified town of Oldenzaal.[7] The Dutch garrison surrendered to the Spaniards the next day. On the same day, Spinola's army marched on Lingen.[6]

Spanish General Don Ambrosio Spinola by Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt.

Siege and capture of Lingen in 1605 by Don Ambrosio Spinola.

On 10 August, the Spanish army laid siege to Lingen. The news that Oldenzaal had fallen, and that Spinola was marching on Lingen, reached the Dutch headquarters in the same day.[6]

The fortress-town of Lingen was defended by a garrison of about 500 or 1,000 Dutch soldiers under Captain Maerten Cobben, plus the town militia. Expecting that Prince Maurice would come to their aid, they tried to hold out against the siege for nine days. Spinola[5][6] in the end the expected relief from Prince Maurice did not arrive in time. Spinola compelled the garrison to surrender, and the town fell on 19 August.[6][7]

The loss of Lingen led to serious disquiet in the Dutch headquarters, and Prince Maurice had to opt for a defensive strategy.[5][6] He marched with 12,000 to 13,000 men on 30 August to the towns threatened by Spinola, posting garrisons with total strength of 8,100 men, in Deventer, Zutphen, Zwolle, Rheinberg, Bredevoort, and Groenlo.[8] In mid-September Spinola fell back to the Rhine, crossing the river, took Mülheim an der Ruhr, and laid siege to Wachtendonk on 8 October.[8] On 9 October Dutch troops led by Frederick Henry and Prince Maurice launched an attack against the Spanish troops at Mülheim an der Ruhr, but were repelled and defeated by the Spanish. Wachtendonk fell into Spanish hands on 28 October, and on 8 November, Krakau Castle also was taken by Spinola. Dutch and the Spanish troops then settled into winter quarters in late November ending the season's campaigning.[8]

• Army of Flanders
• Twelve Years' Truce
• Eighty Years' War
• Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
• States-General of the Netherlands

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• Black, Jeremy. European Warfare 1494-1660. Routledge Publishing (2002) ISBN 978-0-415-27531-6
• (in Spanish) Mariana, Juan. Historia General de España. Last edition. 1600 hasta 1833. Volume 9. Barcelona. 1839.
• Luc Duerloo. Dynasty and Piety: Archduke Albert (1598-1621) and Habsburg Political Culture in an Age of Religious Wars. MPG Books Group. UK.
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