| Siege of Lingen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofSpinola's campaign of 1605–1606 during theDutch Revolt | |||||||
 View ofLingen byMatthäus Merian. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Dutch Republic |  Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Maerten Cobben | Ambrosio Spinola | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 16,000–17,000[1] | ||||||
Thesiege of Lingen of 1605 took place between 10 August and 19 August 1605, atLingen,District of Emsland,Lower Saxony, betweenSpain and theUnited Provinces, during theEighty Years' War.[1]Prince Maurice of Nassau tried to preserve Lingen at all costs.[1][2] The Dutch garrison led by Captain Maerten Cobben, expecting to be aided by Maurice's army, held out for nine days, but were finally forced to surrender. The siege was part of Spinola's successful campaign of 1605–1606.[3]
After the devastatingsiege of Ostend, on 2 July 1605, the Dutch headquarters received reports that DonAmbrosio Spinola withSpain's main army of Flanders was headed towards the strongholds of theRhine, inCologne.[4] Maurice and his commanders, who had been secretly planning to lay siege toAntwerp, had to abandon all hope. The movements of Ambrosio Spinola not only prevented the Dutch troops from landing near Antwerp, but also forced the Dutch to abandon their attempt to capture other minor towns.[5] TheStates-General, alarmed by the Spanish advance, ordered Prince Maurice to head for the Rhine with all of his troops.[4]
Spinola's army was initially estimated between 7,000 or 9,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry, but a few days later, the new Dutch reports estimated the Spaniards numbered about 16,000–17,000 men.[6] At the end of July, leaving behind 50 infantry companies to guardIjzendijke, Maurice quickly moved the rest of his army, including 61 infantry companies and 6 cavalry companies, towardsDeventer. He arrived there on 10 August.[6] Two days earlier, on 8 August, Spinola reached and laid siege the fortified town ofOldenzaal.[7] The Dutch garrison surrendered to the Spaniards the next day. On the same day, Spinola's army marched onLingen.[6]
On 10 August, the Spanish army laid siege to Lingen. The news that Oldenzaal had fallen, and that Spinola was marching on Lingen, reached the Dutch headquarters in the same day.[6]
Thefortress-town of Lingen was defended by a garrison of about 500 or 1,000 Dutch soldiers under Captain Maerten Cobben, plus the town militia. Expecting that Prince Maurice would come to their aid, they tried to hold out against the siege for nine days. Spinola[5][6] in the end the expected relief from Prince Maurice did not arrive in time. Spinola compelled the garrison to surrender, and the town fell on 19 August.[6][7]
The loss of Lingen led to serious disquiet in the Dutch headquarters, and Prince Maurice had to opt for a defensive strategy.[5][6] He marched with 12,000 to 13,000 men on 30 August to the towns threatened by Spinola, posting garrisons with total strength of 8,100 men, inDeventer,Zutphen,Zwolle,Rheinberg,Bredevoort, andGroenlo.[8] In mid-September Spinola fell back to the Rhine, crossing the river, tookMülheim an der Ruhr, and laid siege toWachtendonk on 8 October.[8] On 9 October Dutch troops led byFrederick Henry and Prince Maurice launched an attack against the Spanish troops atMülheim an der Ruhr, but were repelled and defeated by the Spanish. Wachtendonk fell into Spanish hands on 28 October, and on 8 November, Krakau Castle also was taken by Spinola. Dutch and the Spanish troops then settled into winter quarters in late November ending the season's campaigning.[8]