Siege of Venlo (1511)
Who Fought
Habsburg Monarchy; Kingdom of England: 1,500 Germans; 1,500 English
History & Significance
The siege of Venlo occurred in 1511 when a combined Habsburg and English force besieged Venlo in an attempt to capture the city and bring the Duchy of Guelders to its knees.
The siege was initiated in October, this was due to the strategic position of Upper Guelders and its role in trade. Although Roermond was the capital of Upper Guelders, Venlo was the most important city for trade purposes, and capturing the city would be vital for trade.
Margaret of Austria arrived before the city, and appointed Henry III of Nassau-Breda and Philip of Burgundy as commanders of the siege, but gave their roles up due to sickness. Afterwards, Floris van Egmont was appointed as siege commander of the German forces, and Eduard Poining commanded the English forces. Because of their different languages, it meant that the communication did not go well and the siege would result in a failure because of that.
The city was bombarded for days straight with catapults and had 3 separate assaults. During one of the assaults, the attackers managed to breach the defense walls, and went inside. Once they were inside they were met with the leader of the garrison, Schwartzenberg who with a cavalry contingent managed to drive them back to the lichtenberg tower. During the action, a part of the Anglo-German army fell down a big pit which had been dug by the inhabitants.
Keuller, L.J.E (1843). Geschiedenis en beschrijvingen van Venlo.
The ground they fought on
The site of Siege of Venlo (1511) lies on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.
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