Michael Eytzinger, Of Leone Belgico, eiusque topographica atque historica…
The examples below in Latin, printed in Cologne, 1588
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The engravings in the book are after those of Hogenberg. Franz Hogenberg was born c. 1540 and died c. 1590 in Cologne. He was a painter, engraver and etcher, member of a Netherlandish family of artists, son of Nicolas Hogenberg (1500-1539), an engraver, etcher and woodcutter. He was probably a pupil of the cartographer H. Terbruggen in Mechelen, but later worked in Antwerp producing engravings. He probably travelled to Poitiers in 1560, and to England in 1568. From 1570 he is recorded in Cologne, where he engraved various topographical illustrations and maps. The Dutch revoltThe Dutch Revolt aginst their Spanish rulers, which broke out in 1579, and is referred to as the Tachtigjarige Oorlog (80 Years' War), had it's origins in 1566 with the high-handed tactics of the Austro-Spanish emperor, Charles V and his son, Philip II. During the 1560s, Calvinism had quickly spread in the Netherlands.In August 1566 riots broke out in southern Flanders; Tournai and Valenciennes came under the control of Calvinist administrations and refused to recognize the Governess, Margaret of Parma. The cities were besieged by the Spanish and surrendered in January 1567. The ringleaders were executed. Calvinists demanded that Margaret should declare religious toleration; otherwise she would face a rebellion. She did not; the Calvinists assembled an army; it was defeated in the Battle of Oosterweel, March 13th 1567 and many Calvinists fled the country. Mob violence continued until the arrival of the Duke of Alva who was to succeed Margaret. His solution was the execution of around 3000 real and suspected subversives. William the Silent, of the House of Orange-Nassau, Baron of Breda, was the Low Countries greatest landowner. He took a moderate position, neither siding with Margaret of Parma, nor with the Calvinist rebels. The Duke of Alva, however, did not trust him and under a pretext, had William's son Philip William, a student at Leuven, arrested and brought to Spain. William then fled the country, went to his possessions in Nassau, from where he began a feud against the Spanish Netherlands. He staged three raids into the Spanish Netherlands (1568, 1570, 1572), founding a "navy" called "The Watergeuzen" (literally translated : Sea Beggars). In 1572 the Estates of Holland and Zeeland revolted against Spanish Rule and recognized Duke William the Silent as their Lord. Spanish forces laid siege to Haarlem, the capital of Holland (Dec. 1572) and the city surrendered July 12th. Afterwards a mutiny broke out among the Spanish troops, because they had not been properly paid. On Oct. 11th 1573 a Spanish fleet on the Zuiderzee was defeated by the Watergeuzen. Shortly afterward, Governor Alva left, and was replaced by Luis de Requesens.y Zuniga. Spanish troops laid siege to Leiden (Dec. 1573). William the Silent now openly declared himself a Calvinist. Early in 1574 the Watergeuzen defeated a Spanish fleet near Reimerswaal (Zeeland); Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, surrendered to them. In October 1574, the Dutch opened the floodgates, literally; the Spanish had to end the siege of Leiden and depart to higher ground. The war had become a stalemate. In 1576, Holland and Zeeland concluded a union, intended to coordinate action against Spain. On March 4th 1576, Governor Requesens died. In October 1576, the Estates General concluded peace with the representatives of Holland and Zeeland and established a common position toward the Spanish crown (Pacification of Ghent). In 1579 the Catholic, French-speaking territories of the south concluded the Union of Arras (Artois, Hainaut, French Flanders); shortly after the majority of Dutch-speaking territories concluded the Union of Utrecht - against Spain. This was the beginning of the Dutch Revolt proper. In 1584, a Spanish army arrived; within quick succession, many of the major cities of Brabant and Flanders fell to the enemy (Brughes, Ghent, Ypres in 1584, Brussels, Antwerp in 1585). In 1584, William the Silent was assassinated. The Dutch Republic pleaded to Queen Elizabeth of England and King Henri III of France for help, offering both the crown. Both declined, hesitating to get involved too deeply although Elizabeth sent the Duke of Leicester and a considerable number of volunteers. In 1586, the Duke of Leicester was proclaimed Governor (by the rebels); Prince Maurice of Nassau was proclaimed stadholder of Holland and Zeeland, and Johan van Oldenbarneveldt, Pensionary of the Estates of Holland. The Spanish took Venlo in summer 1586; Leicester, no longer enjoying the trust of the rebels, departed for England. The city of Deventer was surrendered by a traitor. Leicester returned with a new force, but failed in his attempts to arrest Oldenbarneveldt and Prince Maurice and to take Amsterdam. In Dec. 1587, Leicester left for good. This takes us up 1588, the date of printing the Leo Belgicus. 1588 was also the year of the Spanish Armada against England. The failure of this enterprise was another distraction for the Spanish. The Dutch Revolt was to rumble on until 1648, when Spain and the Dutch Republic concluded peace s peace treaty (Treaty of Westphalia). Leone Belgico, page 129-130A battle scene near Bergen/Mechelen (Belgium). The Spanish appear to be within a fortified camp, preparing to fight the Dutch. Graff Ludwich is seen leaving in a litter in the foreground. On the left hand side is Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba. Colour was added to the pictures at some time after printing, so the colours of the flags, for example, may not be correct.
Leone Belgico, page 197-198A battle scene at Valenciennes (Valenchienes). Notice the baskets of earth that protect the cannon and the soldiers firing them.
Leone Belgico, page 229-230Ghent: defence against the Spanish in 1584? Several individuals are identified, presumably patriots preparing for the coming conflict.
Leone Belgico, page 243-244The taking of Sichenen by the Spanish. Apparent atrocities are taking place, such as a man hanging from a window and people being killed and thrown into the River Demer.
Leone Belgico, page 130 (left), 129 (right) Text sideEach page, which is written in Latin, has reference numbers in supertext, much like today's text books. The numbers refer to columns either side which contain either a date or a place.
Early Printed Books - Introduction 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle (Schedel's World History) 1572 The Wittenberg Bible 1588 Michael Eytzinger: Of Leone Belgico, eiusque topographica atque historica.. [THIS PAGE] 1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Introduction and pages on Raleigh, Drake and Pizarro 1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Florida and the French: le Moyne's pictures 1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Mexico |
