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Siege and Relief of Leiden (1574)
From May to October 1574, Spanish forces besieged the Dutch city of Leiden for months while the garrison and citizens held out amid extreme famine.…
Timeline
- 1574Leiden · NetherlandsSpanish forces under Francisco de Valdés surrounded Leiden, cutting off land supplies, and the besieged garrison and citizens began a long siege.
- 1574Leiden · NetherlandsWith food exhausted, the citizens ate leather and rats yet still refused to surrender; William of Orange decided to adopt the strategy of breaching the dikes to flood the area and relieve the siege.
- 1574Leiden · NetherlandsSeawater flooded in and submerged the Spanish camp; Louis of Nassau arrived by boat with a fleet, the Spanish forces routed, and Leiden was successfully relieved; legend says the defenders were rewarded with herring and white bread.
Sources
- Siege of Leiden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Leiden
- The Dutch Revolt — Geoffrey Parker (1990)