Velázquez and The Surrender of Breda; The Making of a Masterpiece

8/4/2019 Velzquez and The Surrender of Breda; The Making of a Masterpiece

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Copyright by Anthony Bailey

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bailey, Anthony,

Velzquez and the surrender of Breda / Anthony Bailey.st ed.

p. cm.

A John Macrae book.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN ----

. Velzquez, Diego, . . PaintersSpainBiography. I. Velzquez,

Diego, . II. itle. ND.VB

.dc

[B]

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First Edition

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T , , -lion aftereffects later, far away, a tidal wave happens. In the chain

of causation that matters here, what could be taken for a starting point

was not an insect wing-beat but a spade cut, as a rectangular piece ofpeat was sliced from soggy ground and placed onto a barrow from whichit was then loaded onto a high-sided barge, heaped up, turf upon turf,in a pile that resembled an earthen shed, hollow inside, though only afew were aware of this fact. From the riverbank, where the loading wastaking place, the ships cargo looked like a solid stack. Te river was theMark; it flowed northward through Brabant, a province in the Nether-

lands, to join the much larger river Waal, and thence out to the NorthSea. Te time was the beginning of March, , a gray morning, anda war was going on. Despite this the scene near Zevenbergen seemedutterly peaceful as, the next day, the barges sails were hoisted andthink of a painting by the Dutch artist Jan van Goyenthe turfshipset off up the Mark toward the town of Breda, past the diked greenmeadows in which cattle grazed.

One man, one of the only two visible crew members, stood in thebow while the skipper sat on a bench at the stern, holding the oak tilleragainst his hip, and listening to the rustle of water as it curved aroundthe plump sides and the barn-door rudder and fell away astern withoutdisturbance. Tere had been a heavy frost the night before and the air

I. The Turfship. Breda. 1590


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Q 2R Velzquez and The Surrender of Breda

was damp. But during the next few hours the breeze freshened, the wet-ness dissipated, and the mainsail was reduced in area by being brailedup at the front bottom corner between mast and boom. Nevertheless

Adriaan van Bergen, the skipper, thought it better to keep going withthe flood tide under them. Every now and then a figure could be seenon the riverbanks, probably a cowherd or farmer, so far at least no sol-diers from the outposts of the Spanish Army of Flanders. Before theship came abreast of these strangers the man on the foredeck leaneddown and loudly whispered, seemingly at the peat, the word Silence!

Not that you could hear much up on deck. Te seventy or so men

crouched below were indeed silent, pent up with their thoughts. Teyhuddled together in almost total blackness, communicating by nudgesand gestures, hands touching shoulders, occasionally reaching out tomake sure their weapons were still there, within reach, on the bargeshefty ribs and the bottom boards that lined the hold. Te few cracks inthe stacked-up peat gave just enough light and air. It was the lack of airrather than of light that most affected the party; the strong thick smell

of the peat made it feel like being buried in a compost heap, and theneed to swallow or worsesneeze and cough occasionally overcamethem.

It was Adriaan van Bergens turfship. But its mission had been anidea floated before, by the late William of Orange, the revered if some-

what reluctant leader of the revolt against the Spanish overlords of theNetherlands. William had taken note of the fact that turf skippers

could enter the walls of the occupied town of Breda most easily. Bredahad been the home territory of the Orange- Nassau family. William,nicknamed the Silent because of his cautious habit of thinking a longtime before acting, lips sealed, had fallen to an assassins gun in Delftsix years before, but his son and heir, prince Maurice, had taken up theturfship idea. He had made inquiries about an experienced skipperand van Bergen, one of a family of turf handlers from Leur, was rec-

ommended. Van Bergen also had a big enough ship. Te Spanish hadcaptured Breda in , killing six hundred of its citizens and plunderingthe place; they had occupied it ever since, and Maurice was impatientto regain it. It was not only his family seat but a key link in the ring of

walled towns and forts with which Spain encircled the northern rebel-


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The Turfship. Breda. 1590 Q 3R

lious provinces. Te winter still not quite over had been a tough one; itwas a matter of waiting for the castle garrison or town council to ordera new load of fuel, which they must do soon. Meanwhile an assault force

was put together. An experienced offi cer from Cambrai in the southernNetherlands, the mostly Spanish Netherlands, thirty-four-year-oldCharles de Hraugiere, who wanted to prove his loyalty to the Orange-Nassau family, was given the command. Several meetings took place atsecret locations to work out how and when the men would be embarkedon the turfship. Te unit was recruited by Count Philip van Hohen-lohe, a relative of Maurices by marriage, and Maurice from his palace

at Te Hague organized a force of about , men of the States armyto be ready to take over the city if the surprise initial attack led by deHraugiere was successful.

At the end of February it became known that a new shipmentof peat had been ordered by Breda. Mauricewho was twenty-threeset off with his small army toward Dordrecht, although, because ofspies everywhere, he attempted to get it known that he was going some-

where else. Gorinchem was mentioned. Te governor of Breda, an Ital-ian named Lanciavecchia, led an opposing force of the king of SpainsArmy of Flanders toward Geertruidenberg, northeast of Breda, on theedge of the large area of river and swamp known as the Biesbos, think-ing Maurice was heading there. In this time of haste and flurries ofmisinformation, the first attempt to embark the assault force went

wrong; the blame fell on the skipper for oversleeping though over-

drinking was more likely. Te river Mark was tidal up to Breda andvery low water then kept the turfship immobile for several days. But onthe afternoon of Friday, March , the decision was made to go for it. Onthe following day van Bergens heavily laden ship sailed up the channelto the north of a small island named Reygersbosch. Here a moveablebarrier or boom controlled passage to the canal surrounding Bredascastle. Here guards waited in an outpost, and a brief inspection took

place led by an Italian corporal, the guards seeing that the ship obviouslycarried the expected peat shipment. Ten there was an uneasy periodof waiting for the tide to rise high enough so that the ship could bemoved in through the water gate. Tis was the worst time, the Dutchsoldiers uneasy under their stack of peat, the leaky ships bilges slowly


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filling with water that would soon need pumping out, de Hraugieremurmuring encouraging words to keep spirits up. But just after threep.m. the tide served. Te ships mast was lowered and the vessel was

poled toward the quayside. Van Bergen now pumped away, the noisedisguising some coughs coming from within the peat. At the quay asquad of Italian soldiers hauled on warps to bring the turfship in througha sort of tunnel under the walls to a sluis or lock that controlled the

water level and thence into the little harbor within the castle. Terethe ship was moored alongside the arsenal. An impatient squad fromthe garrison climbed aboard to start unloading the peat.

Whats the hurry? Adriaan van Bergen wanted to know. Tebeginning of Lent was approaching and a drink or two surely wouldntcome amiss. Tere was all day tomorrow to unload the cargo. o rein-force this idea he doled out some coins to the soldiers and the suggestion

worked. Most of the garrison men went off to a hostelry in the town orto their barracks. Only one Italian was left on guard but he too was plied

with beer and by midnight he was asleep. It was a quiet night. When van

Bergen gave the word that the time was right, de Hraugieres bandsilently climbed out from their peat stack one by one, adjusting theirhelmets and cuirasses, unsheathing their swords and axes, priming theirguns, and formed up in two groups. Te sleeping guard was knockedon the head and rendered truly unconscious. One party went towardthe bastion by the harbor and the northwest gate. Te other, led by deHraugiere, headed for the gate that gave entry into the town. On the

way they encountered a guard, who, surprised, at least remembered toask Qui va l?Te Dutchmen seized him and questioned him aboutthe garrison, its size and its whereabouts. Te facts were that the town

was guarded by six companies formed by citizens and five vendels, whichwere mostly Italian. Te castle itself was garrisoned only by a unit ofsome fifty men, led by the son of the governor, Paolo Antonio Lancia-

vecchia.

Te Italian who was being questioned gave erratic answers: anynumber or location that came into his terrified head. He was killed.But the lethargic watch had now woken up. Te alarm was sounded.Short battles took place at the guard houses by the outer gates. Toseinside were shot through the windows. Young Lanciavecchias men


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made a counterattack, but this was repelled. Teir colleagues who hadbeen partying in town tried to burn the outer gate but were forciblyprevented. Mopping up went on for some time, but by dawn the victory

was evident. Tirty-seven Italians lost their lives and among the insur-gents only one Dutchman, Hans van den Bosch, who fell into a canal anddrowned. A number on both sides were badly injured. Paolo Lancia-

vecchia managed to negotiate the surrender of himself and some of hismen, paying a hefty ransom. On the north side of the castle, the fieldgate was found to be frozen shutwarming it up by fire might havehelpedbut it was finally prized open and van Hohenlohes vanguard

let in, the first contingent of Maurices small army. rumpets soundedthe Dutch anthem, the Wilhelmus. Breda had been taken. Te flagsof Spain were hauled down and burned.

Te burghers and magistrates of Breda thought it advisable to showhow pleased they were. Bells were rung and thanksgiving servicesheld in the Groot Kerk near the market square and in the many otherchurches in town. As the news spread, bonfires were lit in celebration

all over the northern Netherlands. A feast was held in one of the townsbest inns for the van Bergens, owners of the turfship, and its skipper,Adriaan van Bergen, who was given an annual pension and made alockkeeper in Breda. De Hraugiere was given a set of pewterware, agold-plated model of the turfship, and an even bigger pension. Manyof the citizenry of the town who had enjoyed the royal, Catholic statusquo tried to hide their chagrin at the turn of events, their fury at the

failure of the king of Spains army to defend Breda against the Statesrebels. Any remaining Italian or Spanish civilians fled town. Te townhad to cope with the sudden inrush of Maurices , men, whoincluded an English contingent under Sir Francis Vere, and a new gov-ernor (de Hraugiere for a period and then Maurices half brother,

Justin). Te citizens of Breda were scared of looting and the impositionof fierce financial exactions. o alleviate their concern the town coun-

cil negotiated a cash payment to take the place of the plundering gen-erally permitted a victorious occupying force. Sixteen thousand guilderswas the amount first agreed upon, but this was soon raised to ,guilders. Breda couldnt afford this demand and the States General in

Te Hague had to make good the bill. Te town moreover had to pay


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for the billeting, board, and lodging of the princes troops. Te citizenryalso suffered the fate of collaborators everywhere; there was a decidedloss of face; the feeling was common in the northern Low Countries

that the Baronie, the name for the whole district of Breda, wasnt par-ticipating staunchly enough in the opstand, the revolt against Spain.As for the so-called defenders of Breda for the king of Spain, it wastrouble. Te royal governor of the Low Countries, the Duke of Parma,court-martialled those responsible. Te Italian corporal accused of let-ting in the turfship and two of his superior offi cers were beheaded inBrussels. Young Lanciavecchia was dismissed from his command. Bolt-

ing the stable door after the surprise break-in, Count Karel van Mans-felt, the commander of the Army of Flanders, was ordered to ensurethat Breda was properly locked up. One effect of this was that Adriaan

van Bergens turfship was stuck inside the city walls. Unattended,without constant pumping, it would have sunk and blocked the canal;it was therefore hauled out onto the quay by the castle, a roof built overit, and on every fourth of March for the next thirty-five years featured in

civic celebrations.

conflict was already mature and getting older. Whatwould become known as the Eighty Years War between the DutchUnited Provinces and the Spanish empire had begun in . Likemany historic European wars, it would beggar understanding, causingas it did an immense loss of mens labor, the capital of nations, and

human life; like many other such conflicts, it was sparked by rivalry overtrade, control of overseas possessions, by religious dissent and dynasticdissatisfactions. Te way royal families extended their power by inher-itance was much to blame. A simplified family tree has Hapsburg pos-sessions being first brought together in when Maximilian, son ofthe emperor of Germany, married Mary of Burgundy, and in timebecame regent of the Netherlands. Teir son Philip married Juana,

daughter of King Ferdinand (of Aragn) and Queen Isabella (of Cas-tile). Te elder son of Philip and Juana was Charles, born in the Neth-erlands and boasting the protruding Hapsburg lower lip, who marriedIsabella of Portugal and inherited an empire that, despite its pan-European and indeed eventually worldwide extent, had many fault


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lines. Charles V ruled a diverse conglomeration of countries in whichwhat the historian H. A. L. Fisher called the old medieval unity offaith was being tugged apart by vehement forces, sometimes under

monarchical leadership, sometimes in the guise of religion, sometimesfired by early nationalistic fervor. Charleswho started out knowingno Spanishslowly became a Spaniard; keeping an empire togetherand without heresy was a full-time job from which he finally abdicatedin , worn out, immobilized by gout, and for the occasion leaning onthe shoulder of one of his Low Countries noblemen, the young Princeof Orange.

Charles retired to a remote Spanish monastery, his cell decoratedwith a itian Gloria. His son Philip II was Spanish to the core, a devoutCatholic, keen on destroying heretics with the help of the Inquisition.He insisted on only the plainest music. Te times were hard on dissent:

Te works of Erasmus were banned; the Utrecht painter Antonis Mor,who had been working at the Hapsburg court, fled from Spain back toAntwerp in the Netherlands. Philip II also had a formidable army, the

Spanish trciosproviding him with the best infantry battalions in Europe,and he possessed a massive navy. However, despite its success withalmost obsolete Mediterranean galleys at Lepanto in , his armadaagainst England came up against skilled sailors in oceangoing ships inthe Channel and North Sea seventeen years laterresulting in an English

victory over Spain that had the effect of leaving the Dutch rebels incommand of the coasts of the Low Countries.

Te Dutch had grasped the idea that free trade was the fount ofprosperity. Banking came as naturally to Amsterdam as it had to Ant-werp. Spain was hopeless at finance, inept with taxation, both theSpanish church and the nobility accustomed to exemptions, the countryexpecting its trade to benefit from protection when what would havemost helped was freedom to ship anything anywhere. An increasinglyuncertain prop for Spanish power was furnished by the mineral wealth

of Mexico and Peru. Tese riches were diminished on their way to theroyal treasury by enemy fleets, shipwreck, peculation, inflation, andsales taxes like the alcabala, which struck at the commercial energies ofthe very people who most needed to be given heart.

In the Netherlands, the tax that did immediate harm was the tenth


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pennythe Spanish commander the Duke of Albas local version ofthe alcabala. It was in Breda castle in that what was called a com-promise but was in fact a statement of intent was signed by many of the

Netherlands nobility, demanding the abolition of the Inquisition in theLow Countries. From there a delegation went to Brussels to ask the gov-ernor, Margaret of Parma, to convoke the States General assembly andmoderate the injunctions against Protestants. It was there that Marga-rets counsellor, Berlaymont, famously exclaimed to his distressedleader, What, Madam, afraid of these beggars!an abusive term tri-umphantly taken on as a compliment by those who had signed the Breda

Compromise. While opposition to Spanish financial exactions and reli-gious persecution mounted, and as the counts Egmont and Hoorn, twonoble dissidents, were tried in Albas Courts of Blood and executed inBrussels in , William of Orange tried to maintain that he was arebel against misgovernment, not against his monarch, Charles Vs sonPhilip II. Te writer of the Wilhelmus, the anthem written about thistime that became the Dutch national hymn, declared for all to sing, as

though making a distinction between disloyalty and necessary dissent:

Unto the Lord His power

I do confession make

Tat neer at any hour

Ill of the King I spake.

But unto God, the greatest

Of Majesties, I oweObedience first and latest,

For justice wills it so.

One further thing in common: Te kings of Spain claimed to beruling in direct succession to the kings of Israel, and the princes ofOrange adopted a similar biblical camouflage, declaring their descent

from the House of Judah. Both nations were therefore chosen people.

the Dutch revolt against Spain was a conservativerevolt, against Spanish authority though not against the king of Spain,didnt prevent the Spanish crackdown from being terrifying. Fernando


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lvarez de oledo, the Duke of Alva, was a believer in shock and awe.Te duke thought Holland was as near to hell as possible and took itout on the inhabitants of the Low Countries. Property was seized,

rebels and heretics arrested and executed, and entire cities such as Ant-werp sacked. For many years after that in Spain itself any sort of inhu-man behavior could provoke the question: Estamos aqu o en Flandes?Are we here or in Flanders? Te troops of Alva and his son Don Fadriqueraped, murdered, looted, and burned their way through Malines,Zutphen, and Naarden, though Haarlem took seven months to fall in, and Alkmaar actually repulsed the Spaniards that same year: It

could be done. Leiden also held out against a long Spanish siege. AtBreda, the surprise Dutch turfship counterattack worked. By then theNetherlands were effectively sundered. In the Union of Utrechtbrought together the northern provinces and three years later theirrepresentatives formally renounced their allegiance to the king of Spain.

Te southern provinces, united by treaty at Arras, developed a sort ofautonomy under their new governors, Isabella, Philip IIs daughter,

and her husband, Archduke Albert of Austria. By indeed the eraof Spanish beastliness was mostly past. Te war seesawed on for anotherfourteen years. Te Duke of Parma, an able and less savage generalthan Alva, was held up by the equally smart tactics of Maurice of Nas-sau, William of Oranges oldest son, by the fact that Philip of Spainmade the great mistake of taking on at once the English and French(both of whose nations were involved in civil war), and by diverting

Spains strained resources into the armada. Parma was also impeded bythe clever use the Dutch made of water, which seemed to be their natu-ral element: whether the sea or the great rivers that penetrated deeply intothe lowlands. Fresh or salt, water held up and divertedeven if it didntstopthe armies of Spain. Te States of Holland declared in : Inthe command of the sea and in the conduct of the war on the waterresides the entire prosperity of the country. So much so that the Hol-

landers continued sending their ships to trade with the Spanish whilethe war went on.Probably the biggest factor, at the turn of the century, that tilted

the balance slightly in favor of the United Provinces was money, or inMadrid the lack of it. Te Dutch flourished abroad, in the northern


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oceans and the Spice Islands, overseas trade creating great wealth athome. Te Sea Beggars of Zeeland throttled the Scheldt, the approachesto Antwerp, and thousands of Antwerps citizens (including Frans

Halss parents) left that city for the north, some for religious reasons,many because they had no longer any way of making a living there.(Te Halses went to Haarlem.) Off Gibraltar in at the southwesttip of Spain a Dutch fleet convincingly defeated the Spanish. Te north-ern united provinces consolidated as a federal entity, the Dutch Republic,governed from Te Hague, with the province of Holland and the lead-ers of its oligarchy in prime control. Yet the Spanish werent completely

out of it. A three-year siege by their Army of Flanders succeeded inreducing Ostend, and the name of their Genoese general, AmbrogioSpinola, began to be much heard. (Genoa was in Spanish Hapsburgterritory.) Spinola came from a great banking family, and often had toprovide his own backing to finance Spains armies, but he had a Renais-sance condottieres broad understanding of military endeavor, encom-passing engineering, diplomacy, and hands-on skill in the field; this

helped Spain stem the Dutch drive under Maurice to create a modern,effi cient army, second largest in Europe and in receipt of helpful subsi-dies from France. By a balance of power was reached; successesand failures had canceled each other out; a new king in Spain, PhilipIII, had taken the place of his austere and autocratic father; in the LowCountries Philips sister Isabella and her husband, Albert, ruled jointlyin Brussels and introduced a new sense of moderation. Te stalemate

led to rumors of peace and then a truce. Tis lasted twelve years.


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Velázquez and The Surrender of Breda; The Making of a Masterpiece