nPostednon October 3, 2013
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| Leiden, the Netherlands, which features a series of canals. |
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nIt was 1584.
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nThenDutch city of Leiden had been under siege by the Spanish army fornmonths, and food had run out.
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nThe Prince of Orange gathered togethern200 small ships and a quantity of food, and he was determined to leadna rescue effort—over land—with those ships.
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nHowncould he lead a fleet of ships over land?
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nThenNetherlands is famous for being very low-lying land that is onlynprotected from flooding with sea water by a series of dikes built tonrestrain the ocean. The Prince of Orange intended to sail to thenfirst dike, battle the Spanish soldiers guarding it, and cut thendike. This would flood the next bit of land, so he could sail to thennext dike—and so on.
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nOfncourse, the prince knew that all this sea water flooding the Dutchnfarms would be devastating—but the Spaniards had already provednthemselves to be devastating rulers, themselves…And so the Princenof Orange carried out his plan.
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Thenplan didn’t work smoothly. Unfavorable winds slowed the flooding, so the Dutch ships ran aground several times; also, the Spanish troopsnkept attacking them. Eventually, however, the relief ships reachednLeiden. The Spaniards had been frightened off by the rising waters and abandoned their fort on this date in 1574. Ironically, on this samendate one part of the wall that protected Leiden fell because it hadnbeen eroded by those same rising waters.
Thenplan didn’t work smoothly. Unfavorable winds slowed the flooding, so the Dutch ships ran aground several times; also, the Spanish troopsnkept attacking them. Eventually, however, the relief ships reachednLeiden. The Spaniards had been frightened off by the rising waters and abandoned their fort on this date in 1574. Ironically, on this samendate one part of the wall that protected Leiden fell because it hadnbeen eroded by those same rising waters. n
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nBut the Spaniards didn’tnstick around long enough to notice that the city was finallynvulnerable!
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nThenPrince of Orange led his relief army into the city and fed the peoplenwho had survived three months of siege, including an entire monthnwithout food. He fed them herring and white bread. According tonlegend, a little boy poking around the abandoned Spanish fort found ancooking pot filled with hutspot (carrot and onion stew). Sontoday these three foods—herring, white bread, and hutspot—arenprepared and eaten to celebrate the long-ago event.
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Then3 October Festival is pretty big in Leiden! There is a funfair withnrides and sideshows, and there is a huge market. Herring sandwichesn(on white bread, of course) are handed out to festival goers—fornfree! Two parades and a fireworks show complete the fun. Thenfestivities are only a short walk away from the canals, and the citynprovides free boat and canoe rides on the canals.
Then3 October Festival is pretty big in Leiden! There is a funfair withnrides and sideshows, and there is a huge market. Herring sandwichesn(on white bread, of course) are handed out to festival goers—fornfree! Two parades and a fireworks show complete the fun. Thenfestivities are only a short walk away from the canals, and the citynprovides free boat and canoe rides on the canals.n
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nBynthe way…
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nOnenof the oddest facts about the siege of Leiden is that the mayor, whonwas trying to encourage his people to wait for the relief party thatnwas fighting its way toward them, offered his own arm as food.nHowever, I guess nobody took him up on this offer!
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nAlsonon this date:
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UnitynDay in Germany
UnitynDay in Germanyn
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nNationalnFoundation Day in South Korea
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nFrancisconMorazan Day in Honduras
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for Octobernholidays, Octobernbirthdays, and historicalnanniversaries in October.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for Novembernholidays, Novembernbirthdays, and historicalnanniversaries in November.
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