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Updated: June 3, 2025
Position of Orange The interview at Dendermonde The supposititious letters of Alava Views of Egmont Isolation of Orange Conduct of Egmont and of Horn Confederacy, of the nobles dissolved Weak behavior of prominent personages Watchfulness of Orange Convocation of States General demanded Pamphlet of Orange City of Valenciennes refuses a garrison Influence of La Grange and De Bray City, declared in a state of siege Invested by Noircarmes Movements to relieve the place Calvinists defeated at Lannoy and at Waterlots Elation of the government The siege pressed more closely Cruelties practised upon the country people Courage of the inhabitants Remonstrance to the Knights of the Fleece Conduct of Brederode Orange at Amsterdam New Oath demanded by Government Orange refuses He offers his resignation of all offices Meeting at Breda New "Request" of Brederode He creates disturbances and levies troops in Antwerp Conduct of Hoogstraaten Plans of Brederode Supposed connivance of Orange Alarm at Brussels Tholouse at Ostrawell Brederode in Holland De Beauvoir defeats Tholouse Excitement at Antwerp Determined conduct of Orange Three days' tumult at Antwerp suppressed by the wisdom and courage of Orange.
The cities of Flanders and Brabant he determined to reduce by gaining command of the Scheldt. The five principal ones Ghent, Dendermonde, Mechlin, Brussels Antwerp, lie narrow circle, at distances from each other varying from five miles to thirty, and are all strung together by the great Netherland river or its tributaries.
The prince, therefore, ordered his vessels to run out from Ghent, and after passing Dendermonde and Rupelmonde to pass through the left dyke of the Scheldt, leaving Antwerp to the right, and sail over the inundated fields in the direction of Borcht. To protect this passage a fort was erected at the latter village, which would keep the enemy in check.
The Duke of Parma, with 18,000 troops, besides his garrisons, was threatening Ghent, Mechlin, Brussels, and Antwerp, and was freely using promises and bribery to induce them to surrender. Dendermonde and Vilvoorde both opened their gates, the capitulation of the latter town cutting the communication between Brussels and Antwerp.
There was, doubtless, some conversation at Dendermonde on the propriety or possibility of forcible resistance to a Spanish army, with which it seemed probable that Philip was about to invade the provinces, and take the lives of the leading nobles. Count Louis was in favor of making provision in Germany for the accomplishment of this purpose.
He could bring into the field perhaps eight or ten thousand men over and above the necessary garrisons. He had before him Brussels, Antwerp, Mechlin, Ghent, Dendermonde, and other powerful places, which he was to subjugate. Here was a problem not easy of solution.
Here were the royal and political capital, Brussels, the commercial capital, Antwerp, with Mechlin, Dendermonde, Vilvoorde, and other places of inferior importance, all to be struggled for to the death. With the subjection of this district the last bulwark between the new commonwealth and the old empire would be overthrown, and Spain and Holland would then meet face to face.
The negotiation had been suddenly brought to a close by the discovery of a flagrant attempt by Imbue, one of the secret adherents of the King, to sell the city of Dendermonde, of which he was governor, to Parma. For this crime he had been brought to Ghent for trial, and then publicly beheaded.
He had been lieutenant to the infamous John Van Imbyze, and had been concerned with him in the notorious attempt to surrender Dendermonde and Ghent to the enemy, which had cost that traitor his head. York had been thrown into prison at Brussels, but there had been some delay about his execution, and the conquest of the city by Parma saved him from the gibbet.
The letter of the minister, Alava, together with some others from Spain, which gave a circumstantial account of the approaching warlike visit of the king, and of his evil intentions against the nobles, was laid by the prince before his brother, Count Louis of Nassau, Counts Egmont, Horn, and Hogstraten, at a meeting at Dendermonde in Flanders, whither these five knights had repaired to confer on the measures necessary for their security.
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