1592 - Archduke Pierre-Ernest Count of Mansfeldt
The wars in France between the Catholics and the Protestants engaged the attention of the Duke of Parma, and some of the Flemish troops aided the cause of the former, especially in raising the siege of Rouen. He was about to send a more considerable expedition into that country, and had proceeded as far as Arras, in the abbey of which city he died, after a short illness, on the 3d of December 1592, in the forty-fifth year of his age. After the termination of the siege of Antwerp, he had sedulously attended to the interests of the dominions retained by Spain. Agriculture was supported, and domestic manufactures were encouraged; the taxes were lightened; and in the seven years that passed between the surrender of Antwerp and the death of Parma, a visible improvement had taken place in the appearance of the country. It had been freed from civil war, and almost secured from invasion; the power of the law was so far restored as to give security to property, and thus promote industry; and, though warlike expeditions were undertaken, the troops only acted as auxiliaries, and were not maintained from the resources of Belgium, but drew their supplies from the countries in which they served.
The Duke of Parma had been entrusted by King Philip with power to name his successor, and, foreseeing his death, he had appointed the archduke, Pierre-Ernest Count of Mansfeldt, a younger son of the emperor of Germany. The army, which had been before prepared, was led by him into France, and there signalized itself by the assistance which it afforded to the party of the league. He did not return to Belgium till January 1594. During his absence domestic tranquility prevailed, though in the interval the Dutch, who had chosen Prince Maurice to succeed William of Orange, had captured the towns within the seven united provinces which were held by Spanish garrisons. These were, Deventer, Zutphen, Groll, Breda, Nimwegen, Gertrudenburg, and Steenwyk; and they formed a powerful barrier against any attempts that could be made by the troops of Spain in Belgium.
The archduke, obtaining no remittances from Spain, made application to the states of Holland for entering into a pacific negotiation with them, and addressed his letter to the states, which, by implication, was an acknowledgment of their sovereignty. Commissioners from both parties met; but about that time the Dutch had discovered some attempts at a plot for the assassination of their stadtholder, Prince Maurice, his brother Prince Henry, the pensioner Oldenbamevelt, the chancellor Leoninus, and the general Aldegonde. A priest of Namur having been taken disguised as a soldier, had confessed the criminal design, and named his accomplices. The suspicion excited by this discovery was strengthened by that of another project to be executed in England by a Portuguese physician against the life of Queen Elizabeth.
The Dutch would not trust to Spain. The archduke was assured by them, and in most courteous terms, that they could not trust to any terms which Spain could nullify by changing their governor of the Netherlands ; but they were willing to treat, and wished to be at peace with the Catholic provinces. The archduke was mortified at the rejection of his offers, and other vexations arose from the withholding pecuniary supplies by Spain, so that when the army returned from France their arrears could not be paid, and they mutinied and ravaged the province of Hainault. At the same period the news arrived that Henry IV, who had been reconciled to the church of Rome, and was peaceably seated on the throne of France, had just declared war against Spain.
On the side of Holland little was done, both parties watching each other without coming to any decisive action. On the side of France, whilst the army of that country entered Hainault, the force under Fuentes attacked the fertile episcopal state of Cambray, and after a spirited siege took the capital city. But the vice-regency of Fuentes was of short duration ; for in the beginning of the next year the Archduke Albert was appointed governor, and arrived at Brussels, bringing with him the Prince of Orange, the eldest son of William the Silent, who had been carried away when Count of Beuren in 1568, and kept as a prisoner in Spain during the whole period of the glorious achievements of his father.
This archduke was the fifth son of the Emperor Maximilian II, and nephew of Philip, by whom he had been educated, and whose good opinion he had gained by' his prudence and valor while acting as viceroy in Portugal. Philip had designed him to be the husband of his daughter Isabella, and intended to create the provinces of the Netherlands into a sovereignty under his command. He was sent, in the character of governor-general, to prepare the inhabitants for this change, by conciliating the Flemings. Albert brought with him large pecuniary supplies, which enabled him to continue the warlike operations against France under the conduct of his predecessor Fuentes. In this he was in some measure successful, as he was enabled to capture Calais, and to avoid a pitched battle with Henry IV. king of France, who commanded his army in person. Whilst engaged in these operations, he attempted to enter into some negotiations with the view to a reconciliation with the Dutch; but the latter would not trust to the sincerity of Spain. Though the Prince of Orange made some efforts, his principles were doubtful; and, from the court and country in which his mind had been formed, they 0bjectcd to his visiting Holland. Civil communications took place, but no progress towards conciliation was‘made, and the prince continued to reside in Brussels in a state of inactivity till his death.
The attempt of the archduke to draw the Dutch into a negotiation by the instrumentality of the Prince of Orange having failed, he was induced to prepare an army of 6,000 men for the invasion of Holland ; but his general, Varas, was out-maneuvered by Prince Maurice, who met him at Turnhout on the 24th of January 1597, and, with very little loss on his part, obtained a most decisive victory, dispersing the Belgians, and capturing the whole of their artillery, stores, and baggage, with many prisoners. This was the last considerable battle between the armies of the two divisions of the Netherlands. The effect of this discomfiture to Belgium was serious, inasmuch as it disorganized the army and deranged the finances, whilst it increased the strength, and still more the confidence, of their opponents.
