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The Miracle of Empel (2015) by Augusto Ferrer Dalmau.

The Miracle of Empel: An Astounding End to a Decisive Battle for the Spanish

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The Battle of Empel was a decisive battle. The Spanish force was decimated and backed onto a mountain without food and their fate seemed to be left to the enemy’s whims. The die appeared to be cast for the soldiers of the Spanish Tercio and yet, something unexpected happened. The events of the morning of December 8, 1585 would go down in history as "The Miracle of Empel."

The Eighty Years' War

The  Eighty Years' War began in 1568 and ended in 1648. It was a lengthy struggle between the provinces of the Netherlands against their ruler at the time, the King of Spain. Numerous battles were fought during these eight decades, with some of the more well-known being those of Antwerp and Ostend, as well as the famous siege of Breda. The Battle of Empel was also part of this drawn-out war.

Alessandro Farnese and his Role in the War

For years the fighting took place in Flemish territory, claiming thousands of lives. However, the arrival of certain military leaders, such as Alessandro Farnese, seemed to signify a change. Yet the Spanish victories in the late sixteenth century did not quell the revolts.

Portrait of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, by Otto van Veen (1556-1629)

Portrait of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, by Otto van Veen (1556-1629) (Public Domain)

When Farnese regained Antwerp for the Spanish in the summer of 1585, he sent an infantry to the island Bommelerwaard, situated between the rivers Maas (Meuse) and Waal. In response, Admiral Holak located a fleet of 10 vessels between the Empel dam and the city of Bolduque-Hertogenbosch, completely blocking in the Spaniards and leaving them at the mercy of his naval artillery. The Tercio, led by Francisco Arias Bobadilla, could not resist the pressure for long.

Holak offered the Spanish an honorable surrender but, according to sources of the time, this was the answer he received: “Spanish soldiers prefer death to dishonor. We'll talk about capitulation (surrender) after death.”

A Desperate Situation and an Unexpected Discovery

Faced with such colossal arrogance, Holak decided to rid himself of the Spanish soldiers and ordered the opening of the dams’ floodgates (which were located above the enemy camp) to flood the island and drown the soldiers. However, the Spaniards quickly fled to embrace the only piece of high land: the tiny mountain of Empel, which was able to hold about 5000 soldiers.

The Spanish Tercio of Francisco Arias de Bobadilla was deployed to the island Bommelerwaard, located between the Maas and Waal rivers.

The Spanish Tercio of Francisco Arias de Bobadilla was deployed to the island Bommelerwaard, located between the Maas and Waal rivers. (Public Domain)

Soon the Dutch attacked Mount Empel and the night was filled with endless artillery and musketry fire. For the Spanish, the situation reached a new level of desperation: the soldiers were soaked, shivering, and hungry, and did not have dry wood or any food. Surrounded by enemy troops, with no apparent chance of escape, the Spaniards decided to resist until the end.

On the morning of December 7, 1585, the situation was unbearable for the Spaniards, but then something happened that would change the destiny of these soldiers. Legends says that while digging a trench, one of the soldiers found a painting with the image of Mary of the Immaculate Conception.  

The finding was interpreted as a divine sign by the soldiers and it greatly raised the morale of the troops. They placed the image in a makeshift altar of a flag and, after praying, had recovered their hopes to escape alive from what they previously felt was a death trap.

Following the unexpected discovery, Francisco Arias de Bobadilla gathered his captains and told them that when night fell they were to attack the main ships. Some captains proposed killing each other instead of falling to enemy fire, but Bobadilla would not hear of it, and berated them for the thought, then encouraged them to fight to the death - entrusting their lives to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

Interpretation of the Battle of Empel by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg.

Interpretation of the Battle of Empel by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. (Public Domain)

And Then a Miracle ...

During the early hours of December 8, an icy wind began to blow, which caused the waters of the Meuse (Maas) to freeze - something that had not been witnessed for many years. So, Bobadilla ordered Captain Cristobal Lechuga to prepare two hundred men to attack the enemy.  Thus, the Spanish infantry marched onto the ice and completed a surprise attack. The Spanish infantry took many prisoners and captured and burned all the ships of the enemy fleet.

On December 9, the Spaniards charged and conquered the Dutch fort located along the river. The Spanish victory was so complete that many sources claim that Admiral Holak went on to say:

"In my opinion, it seems that God is Spanish to work so great a miracle [for them]. Five thousand Spaniards who were also five thousand soldiers […] and five thousand devils.”

The events of December 8, 1585 also led to Mary of the Immaculate Conception being proclaimed as the patron saint of the Spanish soldiers. The extraordinary tales of the battle spread quickly, and Dutch Catholics described it as “ Het Wonder van Empel” - The Miracle of Empel.

Allegory of the Immaculate (1616), by Juan de Roelas. National Sculpture Museum of Valladolid, Spain.

Allegory of the Immaculate (1616), by Juan de Roelas. National Sculpture Museum of Valladolid, Spain. (Public Domain)

Featured image: The Miracle of Empel (2015) by Augusto Ferrer Dalmau. Source: CC BY-SA 4.0

By: Mariló TA

This article was first published in Spanish at https://www.ancient-origins.es and has been translated with permission.

References

Domingo, Paco. Batalla del milagro de Empel. http://www.grandesbatallas.es/batalla%20de%20empel.html

Villatorio, Manuel P. Empel, el misterioso milagro que evitó la masacre de un tercio español en Holanda. http://www.abc.es/historia-militar/20130817/abci-milagro-batalla-empel-201308151733.html

Tomàs, Joan. El milagro de Empel. http://www.todoababor.es/historia/milagro-de-empel/

Labayen, Javier. El milagro de la Batalla de Empel, 8 de diciembre de 1585. http://www.plataforma2003.org/colaboraciones/54_el-milagro-de-la-batalla-de-empel.htm

 

Comments

Dear Willem. I am not sure that many Dutch Catholics from Noord Brabant and Limburg would look with same simpathy as you to the 80 years war and the Munster Treaty. Unfortunately, it has always been the view of the Protestant mayority of the North, and ignoring the Catholic South point's of view, that has prevailed in our Dutch culture.

Well 'God' must have had some sympathy for the Dutch mission for independence in the end because the Spaniards had to sign the 'Peace of Münster-treaty' as part of the 'Peace of Westphalia-treaty', which gave the Dutch their long sought autonomy in the form of the Dutch Republic after a bloody eighty year war (1568 - 1648).

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Mariló T.A.

Freelance writer, blogger and expert in social networks, Mariló has been working and collaborating with online media for several years. Fond of nature, pets, history, photography, ecology, byodinamics, spirituality, ancient civilizations, travelling and parapsychology, you can contact her via e-mail... Read More

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