Battle of Werl (1586)
| Battle of Werl | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Cologne War | |||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop of Cologne, Prince-Elector of Cologne, 1577–1588 |
Ernst of Bavaria, Archbishop of Cologne, Prince-Elector of Cologne, 1584–1612 |
||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Martin Schenck von Nydeggen Hermann Friedrich Cloedt |
Claude de Berlaymont, known as Haultpenne | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 500 foot; 500 horse | 4000 horse, foot and guns | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| approximately 250 | approx. 500 | ||||||||
The Battle of Werl occurred between 3–8 March 1586, during a month-long campaign in the Duchy of Westphalia by mercenaries fighting for the Protestant (Calvinist) Archbishop-Prince Elector of Cologne, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg.
The action at Werl had been preceded by a general plundering of Vest and Recklinghausen by troops of Hermann Friedrich Cloedt and Martin Schenck which alienated the farmers and merchants of Westphalia from Gebhard's cause, although not specifically from Protestantism. Schenck used trickery to take the fortress at Werl, but was not able to completely overpower the guard. The arrival of a superior force outnumbering his by about 10 to 1, under the command of Claude de Berlaymont, cornered him in within the city's walls. In his subsequent withdrawal, he took a couple dozen civilian hostages, and escaped with his booty across the Rhine river.
When Gebhard converted to Calvinism, married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben in 1583, and declared religious parity for Protestants and Catholics in the electorate, the Cathedral chapter elected a competing archbishop, Ernst of Bavaria. Gebhardt refused to give up the ecclesiastical see, holding it with armed force where necessary; Ernst called in his brother, Ferdinand, for military assistance. Initially, the conflict was limited to troops of Waldburg, and the competing archbishop, Ernst of Bavaria. By 1585, these forces were stalemated, and each sought outside support, Waldburg from the Dutch and Ernst of Bavaria from the Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma.
In March 1586, Martin Schenck von Nydeggen took 500 foot and 500 horse to Westphalia, accompanied by Hermann Friedrich Cloedt, the commander of the fortified town of Neuss. Their goal was to secure two primary fortifications at Recklinghausen and Werl for Gebhard, and leave them fortified against attack by either Ernst's forces or those of the Duke of Parma. They crossed the Rhine river, and plundered several towns in Westphalia, including Hamm, Soest, Unna, Vest and Waltrop, as well as the farmsteads and villages between them. In the course of their campaign, they also desecrated several churches, removing all the icons, tapestries and furnishings, and, in Soest, harassing the clergyman.
...
Wikipedia