Siege of Knodsenburg

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

Map showing the relief of Knodsenburg, 1591 by Bartholomeus Dolendo

Date	21 - 25 July 1591
Location	Knodsenburg, Betuwe, near Nijmegen (present-day the Netherlands)
Result	Anglo-Dutch victory

Belligerents

Dutch Republic

England

Spain

Commanders and leaders

Maurice of Orange

Francis Vere

Gerrit de Jong

Duke of Parma

Petro Nicelli Francisco (POW)

Strength

8,000 infantry
2,000 cavalry

7,000 infantry
1,800 cavalry

Casualties and losses

100

900 killed, wounded or captured

The Siege of Knodsenburg, Relief of Knodzenburg or also known as Battle of the Betuwe was a military action that took place during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War at a sconce known as Knodsenburg in the district of Nijmegen. A siege by a Spanish army under the command of the Duke of Parma took place from 15th to the 25th July 1591. The fort was defended by the Dutch Republic's commander Gerrit de Jong and his company which was then subsequently relieved through the intervention of a Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Orange and Francis Vere respectively on July 25. As a result, the Spanish army was defeated and Parma managed to retreat by getting his army across the River Waal.

As of 1590 Maurice of Orange decided to strengthen the possibility of besieging Nijmegen, by spreading out the defences and to build a fort, a kind of redan on the city side on top of a piece of high ground. Once built the fort was put into use as a base for an attack on Nijmegen. This became known as Knodsenburg and it lay on the Betuwe, a large river island. Parma had been aware of the high ground and had been defeated by John Norreys in 1585 in an attempt to capture this strategic position. By the end of July, 1590, the fort at Knodsenburg was finished.

Parma decided once more to return to lay siege and capture it making the possibility of the Dutch and English troops besieging Nijmegen an impossible task. Inside the fort was a small garrison consisting of six hundred men manned by a large number of guns under the command of Gerrit de Jong, former garrison commander of Lochem. De Jong intended to defend it at all cost but at the same time was relying on a relief force.

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