Old streets paved with cobblestones, stately buildings. Grave is a pleasure to walk through. Those who don’t know any better assume that this ancient fortified town has always looked like this. But looks are deceiving. About 350 years ago there was no stone left standing on top of another and this place was completely destroyed by Dutch troops. For the 1,500 inhabitants, the four months that the siege lasted in 1674 were hell on earth.
Two years before that terrible battle, our country, which was then called the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and was experiencing a so-called Golden Age, was attacked by a large French army of 120,000 men. In no time they managed to conquer one city after another during the period in 1672 that is known as the Disaster Year. The Grave fortress falls without a single shot being fired.
William III, descendant of William of Orange, was given supreme command of the Dutch army at the age of 21 and managed to wipe out the French everywhere in a short time. But in Grave, a small army of about four thousand men led by the French Marquis Noël Bouton de Chamilly keeps the city firmly in its grip.
William III decides to surround Grave and cuts off any influx of food into the city. Anyone who dares to smuggle food into the city can count on the death penalty.
“This murderous fire had the most terrible effect on the city.”
The Dutch troops try to attack the city in all kinds of ways, but there is no way through. They suffer great losses and make no progress. In the meantime, they continuously bombard Grave with cannon and burning bullets, which cause enormous damage in the city and turn this place into a living hell for the approximately 1,500 inhabitants.
About two centuries later, a description by historian P. Hendrikx about the conditions in the fortress leaves little to the imagination. ‘This murderous fire had the most terrible effect in the city. The piteous groans of the residents were common, where people were no longer safe even in caves and apparently bomb-proof cellars. A house, filled with sick and injured people, was completely destroyed by bombs: a large number of houses had partially collapsed and as many as fifteen had been crushed into the ground.’
After four months of fighting, the French give up. They are allowed to leave Grave, leaving the population in great dismay. With the exception of perhaps the remains of one or two houses, the city has really been razed to the ground. While 1672 is known as a Disaster Year for the rest of the Netherlands, 1674 is for Grave.
Despite all that suffering, the siege of Grave is considered an important moment in Dutch history. Reason for the city to reflect on this every two years the Historical Spectacle where the battle is reenacted.
This year it will take place on April 5 and 6 and the event will be bigger than ever, reports organizer Stichting 0486 Producties. There are parades, open-air theatre, crafts and interactive activities. Visitors can participate in workshops, meet historical characters and experience daily life from the seventeenth century. For example, children can practice as a musketeer or pikeman.
Bygone Past
Vervlogen Verleden is a weekly column about fun, remarkable or funny facts from Brabant’s rich past. If you have a tip, please email: [email protected].
