Frisius, Simon & Hogenberg, Franz [Battle of the Lippe]

Simon Frisius & Franz Hogenberg. [Battle of the Lippe].

Engraving of the Low Country revolt against Spain. Early seventeenth century. Engraving. Ca. 5 x 6 1/2. Very good condition.

The Battle of the Lippe was a cavalry engagement fought on 2 September 1595 along the banks of the Lippe River in Germany. It involved a corps of Spanish cavalry commanded by Juan de Córdoba and a corps of Dutch cavalry, supported by English troops, under the leadership of Philip of Nassau. Taking advantage of the fact that much of the Spanish army was engaged in operations in France, the Dutch stadtholder Maurice of Nassau laid siege to the town of Groenlo in Gelderland. In response, Cristóbal de Mondragón, the elderly governor of the citadel of Antwerp, organized a relief force and compelled Maurice to abandon the siege. Mondragón then advanced to Wesel, deploying his troops along the southern bank of the Lippe River to protect Rheinberg from a Dutch attack. Maurice subsequently sought to exploit his numerical superiority by drawing Mondragón into a pitched battle through an ambush; however, the plan was uncovered, and the Spanish commander successfully prepared a counter-ambush.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (also King of Spain as Charles I) abdicated his thrones in 1556, bequeathing both Spain and the Netherlands to his son Philip. In response to Philip's trying to limit the economic, political, and religious freedoms they had hitherto taken for granted, the Dutch revolted against the Spanish Crown in 1567. Despite the strength and cruelty of the generals sent against them by Philip, in particular the Duke of Alva (1567-1573) and the Duke of Parma (1578-1592), the Dutch were able to establish an independent republic in the northern seven provinces in 1579.