Siege of Rheinberg (1601)

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

Siege of Rheinberg 1601 from the Atlas Van Loon

Date	12 June - 2 August 1601
Location	Rheinberg & Meurs (present-day Germany)
Result	Anglo-Dutch victory

Belligerents

Dutch Republic

England

Spain

Commanders and leaders

Maurice of Orange

Lord Willoughby

Luis Bernardo de Avila (Rheinberg)

Herman van den Bergh (Relief)

Strength

10,000

3,000 (Rheinberg)
5,200 (Relief)

Casualties and losses

400 killed or wounded

~3,500 killed, wounded or captured

The Siege of Rheinberg also known as the Rhine campaign of 1601 was the siege of the towns of Rheinberg (Old Dutch: Rijnberk) and Meurs from June 12 to 2 August 1601, 1601 during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War.Maurice of Orange with an Anglo-Dutch army besieged the Spanish held cities in part to distract them before their impending siege at Ostend. Rheinberg, an important city, eventually capitulated on July 28 after a Spanish relief force under Herman van den Bergh failed to relieve the city. The towns of Meurs surrendered soon after.

In mid June 1601 Albert of Austria was in preparation to besiege the Anglo-Dutch held town of Ostend, and at the same time the States General demanded that the stadtholder Maurice of Orange should march to relieve the city.Francis Vere the English governor of Ostend was frustrated at the lack of Dutch response from both the States General and from Maurice; particularly when a few veteran English companies including Edward Cecil's, were taken out of Ostend to join Maurice's forces in the field. Maurice however knowing the futility in making a direct attack, chose to campaign in the surrounding areas closer to the core of the Dutch Republic. The strategy that would be used was hoped to block Spanish supplies and divert the attention of the Spanish aiming to besiege Ostend.

On June 7 Maurice camped his troops with a well appointed force of about 10,000 men and marched to the Rhine. Included in this force was an English army of 2,500 men under the temporary command of Lord Willoughby between Arnhem and Schenkenschans. Targets included the Spanish held towns of Grave and 's-Hertogenbosch, but also Rheinberg which had changed hands four times since 1589, and the latter was chosen. Rheinberg had a large garrison of over 3,000 men, many of whom were crack troops from Spain under the experienced Don Luis Bernardo de Avila who had ample supplies for a long siege.

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Wikipedia