Siege of Meurs (1597)

Siege of Meurs
Part of the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War
Siege of Meurs from the Atlas Van Loon
Date 29 August – 3 September 1597 Location Meurs (present-day Germany) Result Dutch & English victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic England	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Maurice of Orange Horace Vere	Andrés de Miranda
Strength
7,000 Infantry 1,200 Cavalry	400
Casualties and losses
Unknown (low)	All captured

The Siege of Meurs took place between 29 August to 3 September 1597 during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War. The Spanish occupied city of Moers (Dutch at the time: Meurs) under Governor Andrés de Miranda was besieged by Dutch and English troops under the command of Prince Maurice of Orange. The siege ended with the capitulation and the withdrawal of the Spanish garrison. The siege was part of Maurice's campaign of 1597 known as the Ten Glory Years, his highly successful offensive against the Spaniards.

Moers had been occupied by the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, on 8 August 1586 and Colonel Sacchinus Camillo de Modiliana was made as Governor with a modest garrison. Halfway through 1597 the government at The Hague with improved funding ordered a new campaign for Maurice of Nassau Prince of Orange, the commander of the Dutch and English troops, to oust the Spanish while they had been preoccupied with the Siege of Amiens.

Maurice planned a campaign directly through the east of the Netherlands, where Grol and Oldenzaal were the strongest cities. On 1 August 1597 Maurice along with his cousin (and brother in law) William Louis left with 7000 infantry and 1200 cavalry which included thirteen companies of English and ten companies of Scots, both cavalry and infantry commanded by Colonel Horace Vere Maurice's first target was the important military and economic city of Rheinberg which for seven years had been under Spanish occupation. After a ten-day siege on 19 August the Spanish capitulated the city and Maurice then headed to the south, where Moers was located.

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