The siege of Leiden occured during the Eighty Years' War in 1573 and 1574. The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt from 1568 to 1648 was the secession war in which the proto-Netherlands first became an independent country and in which the region now known as Belgium became established. ...

Background

The Netherlands belonged to the kingdom of Spain. Most of the counties of Holland and Zeeland were occupied by rebels in 1572, who wanted to make an end to the reign of terror of the duke of Alva, governor-general of the Netherlands. This territory had a very high density of cities, which were protected by huge defenseworks and by the boglands, which could easily be put under water. The duke of Alva tried to break resistance with brutal force. He used Amsterdam as a base. This was the only city that remained on the Spanish side. Alvas' cruel treatment of the population of Naarden and Haarlem were notorious. The rebels learned that there was no mercy. The county of Holland was split in two when Haarlem was conquered by the Spaniards. First Alva failed to conquer Alkmaar in the north, but the city hold out for a long time and Alva decided to turn south to the main territory of the rebels and headed for Leiden. Holland is the name of a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... For the South Pacific country, named after the province, see New Zealand; (some notes on how New Zealand got its name are underneath). ... Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva. ... Naarden (population: 17,031 in 2004) is a city in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ... Haarlem is a city in the west of the Netherlands, capital of the North Holland province. ... Alkmaar is a city in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ...

First siege of Leiden

The city of Leiden had lots of food stored for the siege which started in october 1573. The siege was very difficult for the Spanish, because the soil was too loose to dig holes, and the city defense works were very good. The leader of the rebels, Prince William of Orange tried to help Leiden by sending an army into the Netherlands. Alva halted the siege in april 1574 and defeated the army of Orange in the Battle of Mookerheide. Leiden (in English also, but now rarely, Leyden) is a city and municipality in South Holland, The Netherlands. ... William of Orange (French: Guillaume, Dutch: Willem) is the name of several historical people. ...

Second siege of Leiden

The army of Alva returned in June 1574 to continue the siege. The city thought of surrendering, because there was nearly no chance of relief. The rebel army was defeated and the rebel territory was very small compared to the huge Spanish empire. But in September 1574, the dikes were cut in the south to let the seawater in, but this could only work during storms. The water didn't rise high enough for months to lift the siege. Mayor van der Werff inspired his citizens to hold on by offering his arm as food. Thousands of inhabitants died of starvation. They held on because they knew that the Spanish would kill them all to set an example, as had happened in Naarden and Haarlem.

Relief

On 2 and 3 October, the storms finally came. The Spanish cannons became wet and the siege couldn't be continued. Spanish soldiers fled. The rebel fleets brought herring and white bread to the starving population. The population got 'Hutspot', boiled onions with carrots, in the evening.

Aftermath

The Spanish treasury was empty in 1575, so the Spanish army couldn't be paid anymore and it mutineed. After the pillaging of Antwerp, the whole of the Netherlands rebelled against Spain. Leiden was safe now. October 3 is celebrated every year. It is a huge party, with an enormous funfair and a dozen of open air discos in the night. The municipality gives free herring and white bread to the citizens of Leiden. The Cathedral of our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp) in the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to a number of triptychs by Renaissance Belgian painter Rubens. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in Leap years). ...