Battle of Woerden

Battle of Woerden
	Part of the Franco-Dutch War
	; Map of Woerden
Date	12 October 1672
Location	Woerden, Dutch Republic 52°5′N4°53′E / 52.083°N 4.883°E
Result	French victory
Belligerents
France	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Luxembourg ; Feuquières	William of Orange ; Zuylestein † ; Willem Adriaan II van Horne ; Waldeck
Strength
8,000	6,500–7,000
Casualties and losses
2,500 killed or wounded	700–800 killed or wounded
	class=notpageimage\| Location within Netherlands

Last updated December 10, 2024

The Battle of Woerden, also known as the Battle of Kruipin, took place on the night of 11 October to 12 October 1672 during the Franco-Dutch War. The battle was fought a few hundred metres north of Woerden at Fort Kruipin between the Dutch Republic and France. The battle was fought for the possession of the town of Woerden.^[3]

Background

When the French invaded the Netherlands in June 1672, many Dutch towns and fortresses fell swiftly to the large French army. The Dutch land forces had not directly confronted their opponent in the first months of the war, except during the small encounter at Tolhuis. However, when the French marched on Holland, the richest province in the Republic, they encountered the Dutch Waterline. This line of defense would prove insurmountable and a stalemate ensued.

At sea the all hopes of an Anglo-French naval invasion were dashed by the Dutch victory at the Battle of Solebay, and on 25 July, the Holy Roman Emperor entered into an alliance with the Dutch Republic. He pledged the Republic to send 36,000 troops to attack the lands of the German Bishops. This promted Turenne to dispatch himself with a part of the French army in order to guard against an Imperial attack. Because Condé was not yet allowed to lead the army again after falling out with Louis after the Battle of Tolhuis, the Duke of Luxembourg took command of the French occupying army in the Dutch Republic.

In mid-September, the Dutch supreme command wanted to take action against the foreign occupiers. The only way to possibly recapture Woerden from the French was to attack when they least expected it, Johan Maurits headed from Muiden to make it look like he was going to recapture Naarden, because it was undermanned after the French troop reduction. And because Luxembourg feared a attack on Naarden, he let himself be lured away, which allowed the Dutch States Army to attack Woerden.

Battle

On the night of 11 October, the Dutch army headed to Woerden to initiate their attack. Willem Adriaan approached the city from Goejanverwelleshuis. And from the east of Woerden, Zuylestein advanced, while William III launched the attack on Woerden.

While that happened Luxembourg advanced from Naarden towards Woerden, but his advance was halted by Zuylestein's position, so he quickly ordered an attack, but was repulsed while doing so. However, Luxembourg was able to find a gap in the Dutch defences after investigating whether it was possible to do so, and was able to break through it, Luxembourg attacked Zuylestein's army in the rear in which heavy fighting occurred. And after the Dutch army lost ground, the conflict ended in French success with more than 2.600 losses from both sides.^[1]^[4]

Aftermath

During the battle, Zuylestein was killed in action, along with another six hundred soldiers, while the French lost more than 2.000.^[4] The death of Zuylestein meant that his position as supreme commander was vacant, William III would later give this position to his cousin Waldeck. Afterwards, William III would move his army towards Maastricht and would besiege Chareloi after.^[5] And when the winter came, Luxembourg would then slaughter the towns of Zwammerdam and Bodegraven.

Although the battle was a French victory, William III was satisfied with the outcome as it shattered the myth of the invincibility of the French army, or at least fractured it. As it showed that the French were also 'mere mortals'.^[2] And according to Olaf van Nimwegen, the battle had an 'important parallel' to the infamous Battle of Thermopylae, and the way the troops under Hornes attacked the advancing French did not only come as a surprise to Luxembourg, but to everyone in the Dutch Republic.^[4]

Related Research Articles

William III, also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1672, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. He ruled Great Britain and Ireland with his wife, Queen Mary II, and their joint reign is known as that of William and Mary.

The Battle of Fleurus, fought on 1 July 1690 near Fleurus, then part of the Spanish Netherlands, now in modern Belgium, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. A French army led by Marshall Luxembourg defeated an Allied force under Waldeck.

The Battle of Seneffe took place on 11 August 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Seneffe in Belgium, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French army commanded by Condé and a combined Dutch, Imperial, and Spanish force under William of Orange. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, over 20% of those engaged on both sides became casualties, and the result is disputed.

The Battle of Landen, also known as Battle of Neerwinden took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now part of Belgium. A French army under Marshal Luxembourg defeated an Allied force led by William III.

The Franco-Dutch War was a European conflict that lasted from 1672 to 1678. Its primary belligerents were France, backed at different times by Münster, Cologne, England, and the Swedish Empire, and the Dutch Republic, allied with the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. The 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and 1675 to 1679 Scanian War are considered related conflicts.

The Battle of Cassel, also known as the Battle of Peene, took place on 11 April 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Cassel, 15 km (9 mi) west of Saint-Omer. A French army commanded by the duc de Luxembourg defeated a combined Dutch–Spanish force under William of Orange.

The Battle of Saint-Denis was the last major action of the Franco-Dutch War (1672-78). It took place on 14 August 1678, four days after Louis XIV of France had agreed the Treaty of Nijmegen with the Dutch Republic, but before he finalised terms with Spain. The battle was initiated by the Dutch and Spanish forces to prevent the French capturing the Spanish-held town of Mons, then on the border between France and the Spanish Netherlands. The result was disputed, as both sides claimed victory.

The Battle of Almenar also referred to as Almenara was a battle in the Iberian theatre of the War of the Spanish Succession.

The Battle of Leuze was a minor Cavalry engagement of the Nine Years' War that took place on 18 September 1691 between a detachment of French and a superior Allied force.

The siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and was part of the French grand plan to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the war. Namur, sitting on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, was a considerable fortress, and was a significant political and military asset. French forces, guided by Vauban, forced the town's surrender on 5 June, but the citadel, staunchly defended by Menno van Coehoorn, managed to hold on until 30 June before capitulating, bringing an end to the 36-day siege. Concerned that King William III planned to recapture the stronghold, King Louis XIV subsequently ordered his commander-in-chief, the duc de Luxembourg, to join battle with the Allies in the field, resulting in the bloody Battle of Steenkerque on 3 August.

Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg was a Dutch States Army officer. He served under William of Orange in the Franco-Dutch War and Nine Years' War. He was to become a controversial figure for his role in the War of the Spanish Succession. While a talented general, he possessed a very difficult character. Slangenburg was often at odds with his fellow generals, especially the Allied commander-in-chief, the Duke of Marlborough. The hero status he acquired as a result of his conduct in the Battle of Ekeren couldn't prevent his eventual dismissal during the 1705 campaign. Leading writer Thomas Lediard to remark that Slangenburg: lost by his tongue what he had gained by his sword.

Frederick of Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein (1624–1672) was an illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns,

The siege of Bonn took place from 3 to 12 November 1673 in Bonn, present day Germany, during the Franco-Dutch War. Having forced the armies of Louis XIV to retreat, the Dutch in 1673 went on the offensive. At Bonn, a garrison consisting of troops from France and the Electorate of Cologne was besieged by a force from the Dutch Republic, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain. The allied forces captured the garrison following a nine-day siege.

Hans Willem van Aylva was a Dutch military officer.

Claude Frederic t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly was a Dutch States Army officer and nobleman. He took part in the Franco-Dutch War, Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession and proved a brave and capable cavalry general. In 1708 he became the de facto supreme commander of the Dutch army, and led the Allied forces together with the Duke of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy.

The siege of Naarden took place from 6 to 13 September 1673 during the Franco-Dutch War of 1672 to 1678, when a Dutch army captured the Dutch fortress town of Naarden. Naarden had been occupied by the French since the previous year.

The siege of Grave took place from 25 July to 27 October in 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War of 1672 to 1678, when a Dutch army captured the Dutch fortress town of Grave in what is now North Brabant. Grave had been occupied by the French since the summer of 1672 when an army under Turenne forced the town to surrender.

The field deputies were the representatives of the various Dutch sovereign provinces in the armies of the Dutch Republic. They represented, usually in numbers of five or nine, the highest authority in the country within the Dutch States Army, and ensured that the orders of the Dutch States General were respected and above all that the privileges of the provinces and cities were respected, to which they were generally very zealous. The deputies were also charged with maintaining discipline of war, curbing all excesses and enforcing the military laws, conducting or ordering inspections of the troops, as well as ensuring the provisioning and supply of the troops. In rare cases, they also directly commanded troops in battle.

The Battle of Tolhuis or Crossing of the Rhine took place on 12 June 1672 during the Franco-Dutch War. The battle was fought between the army of Dutch Republic and the army of the French king Louis XIV.

References

Sources

Panhuysen, Luc (2009). Rampjaar 1672, hoe de Republiek aan de ondergang ontsnapte. Uitgeverij Atlas. ISBN 9789045013282.
"Rampjaar en de Slag om Woerden". Het verhaal van Woerden.
Nimwegen, Olaf van (2010). The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions, 1588-1688, Volume 31 (E-book ed.). Boydell. ISBN 9781843835752.
"De slag om Woerden 1672". Maand van de Geschiedenis.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FOOTNOTEHet_verhaal_van_Woerden-1] 1 2 Het verhaal van Woerden.

[FOOTNOTENimwegen2010452-2] 1 2 Nimwegen 2010, p. 452.

[FOOTNOTEMaand_van_de_Geschiedenis-3] Maand van de Geschiedenis.

[FOOTNOTENimwegen2010451-4] 1 2 3 Nimwegen 2010, p. 451.

[FOOTNOTENimwegen2010453-5] Nimwegen 2010, p. 453.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]