Battle of Wattrelos
Part of the Eighty Years’ War
Date27 December 1566[1]
Location
Wattrelos, County of Flanders, Spanish Netherlands (present-day France)
50°42′N 3°13′E / 50.700°N 3.217°E / 50.700; 3.217
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch rebels Spain Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Jan Denys Spain Maximilian Vilain
Strength
200 infantry[2] 150 infantry[2]
50 cavalry[2]

The Battle of Wattrelos[1] at the Flemish (now French) town of Wattrelos on 27 December 1566 between a Calvinist rebel army[3] (sometimes described as "Geuzen"[1]) and troops of the Spanish Netherlands government. It is sometimes considered as one of the first battles of the Eighty Years' War.[4]

Battle

The rebel army was composed of about 200 men from the sayetterie centre of Hondschoote and its surroundings in West Flanders.[2] They were Calvinists,[3] and their goal was to intervene in the Siege of Valenciennes,[1] where their fellow Calvinists were beleaguered by governmental troops under Philip of Noircarmes.[3]

Maximilian Vilain, baron of Rassenghien and since 1 June 1566 stadtholder of Walloon Flanders,[5] learned that the rebels had arrived at Wattrelos, about fifteen kilometres northeast of Lille.[2] He sent 50 light cavalry and 150 infantry in response.[2] On 27 December, these governmental forces surprised the rebels.[2] The rebels fled into a parish church, which Rassenghien's forces set on fire, so that many rebels burnt to death.[2]

Two days later, on 29 December 1566, Noircarmes defeated another rebel force in the Battle of Lannoy, also north of Lille.[1] In the night of 1 to 2 January 1567, Noircarmes' troops occupied Tournai and expelled the Calvinists there.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Anton van der Lem. "Wattrelos". dutchrevolt.leiden.edu (in Dutch). Leiden University. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DuPlessis 2002, p. 228.
  3. 1 2 3 Anton van der Lem. "Noircarmes, Filips van Sint-Aldegonde, heer van". dutchrevolt.leiden.edu (in Dutch). Leiden University. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Van der Wee 1969, p. 15.
  5. ↑ DuPlessis 2002, p. 37.
  6. ↑ Anton van der Lem. "Wille, Ambrosius". dutchrevolt.leiden.edu (in Dutch). Leiden University. Retrieved 31 July 2022.

Bibliography

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