Siege of Oldenzaal (1597)

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

Siege of Oldenzaal in 1597

Date	20 to 23 October 1597
Location	Oldenzaal Present day the Netherlands
Result	Dutch & English victory

Belligerents

Dutch Republic

England

Spain

Commanders and leaders

Maurice of Orange

Horace Vere

Frederick Van Boymer

Strength

4,000 infantry & cavalry

400

Casualties and losses

Low

All captured

The Siege of Oldenzaal was a short siege that took place during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War by a Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Orange of the city of Oldenzaal from 20 to 23 October 1597. The city surrendered to the overwhelming Dutch and English force. The siege was part of Maurice's campaign of 1597 known as the Ten Glory Years, his highly successful offensive against the Spaniards.

In the year 1597 Maurice had launched an offensive and so far had had a very successful campaign in the east of the Netherlands. Earlier that year he had captured all the cities in the area Rheinberg, Meurs, Grol and Bredevoort. The last two sieges were fierce and the capture of Bredevoort even led to a sacking of the city. Maurice then moved on the city of Enschede where the place surrendered soon afterward.

Maurice then split his force in order to complete the simultaneous capture of the towns of Oldenzaal and Ootmasrum - Captain Van Duivenvoorde was sent with part of the army which included English and Scots under Nicholas Parker from Enschede to Ootmarsum which also surrendered. Maurice along with his cousin (and brother-in-law) William Louis meanwhile drew his portion of the army some 4,000 strong to Oldenzaal with the rest of the English troops under Horace Vere.

Since 1572 Oldenzaal had been in the hands of the Spaniards with the Catholic Church deeply rooted and every year a procession celebrated the Beggars being expelled from Oldenzaal. Oldenzaal's defenses consisted of a main wall surrounding the city, six bastions, a moat and an earthen rampart, however some of the work on rebuilding the defenses were left unfinished.

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Wikipedia