Last Duke Standing

This is the story of Charles II, Duke of Guelders. He was the last independent feudal ruler in the Netherlands (1467 – 1538).

It is the morning of the 21st of March 1514 when Charles looks through the trees towards his beloved city of Arnhem. He is standing with marshal Maarten van Rossem and a Guelderian army ready to take over the city. By now Charles has taken back control over most of his Duchy, but not the city meaning so much to him. In the days leading up to this moment they made a plan to retake the city. The plan is to hide up to 17 soldiers in a mill cart and to enter the city gate, the Sint-Janspoort, leading these soldiers inside the city walls. There they will have to wait for the right moment to sneak out of the cart and open the gate for Charles’ army. Will this plan succeed? He is not sure about it but for now all he can do is watch the mill cart approach the city gate, with guards waiting and ready to inspect the cart…

Charles was born on the 9th of November 1467 in Grave as son of Arnold Of Egmond, Duke of Guelders, and Catherine of Bourbon. He was just 6 years old when the Burgundian armies of Charles the Bold invaded Nijmegen, an important city in the Duchy of Guelders, and took control over the Duchy. Charles was held hostage by the Burgundian army and taken to their court where he was raised.

As a young knight Charles fought for Maximilian I, King of the Romans and King of Germans, who would later be crowned as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After he fought several battles against France Charles was captured in the Battle of Béthune in 1487 and taken prisoner by the French. In the meantime Maximilian I took over the Duchy of Guelders from the Burgundian court and the Duchy fell into the hands of the House of Habsburg. During his imprisonment Charles was transformed into an ally of France.

In 1492, 5 years after his imprisonment, the citizens of Guelders were unhappy with the rule of Maximilian I and a Guelderian delegation traveled to France to negotiate Charles’ release. Unfortunately the French asked for more money than the delegation could pay. To get Charles out of prison the delegation devised a plan. Vincent van Meurs, Count of Sarwerden, told the French that in return for Charles they would get his grandson Bernhard as bail until the rest of the ransom was paid. Vincent believed this would not take long, but due to the high costs of war the money would not be paid in full and his grandson would never be bailed out.

After nineteen years Charles was finally back home and recognised as the new Duke of Guelders. His inauguration was celebrated grandly but he immediately faced concerning threats from the House of Habsburg. After twelve years of war against them Charles lost most of his cities and had no choice other than to surrender to Habsburg ruler Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian I, in 1504. After his humiliating kneel in front of Philip at the castle of Rozendaal he travelled to Antwerp to wait for his deportation to Spain after his banishment. But Charles managed to escape his deportation and when Philip died in 1506 there was a chance to regain his Duchy back.

…And after almost eight more years of fighting here he is, waiting to recapture the final city and complete his task to take back control over all his previously lost lands. They look closely and see how the guards let the cart trough into the city, and now they have to wait. After hours of waiting in uncertainty the gates are opened from inside and they could see the soldiers they have sent in waving to them. It is time to march to the city gate and so Charles, Maarten and their army do just that. When they reach the gate they can hear people cheering, with a little hesitation they continue and when entering the city they are greeted by a celebrating crowd, happy to see their Duke home once more.

Charles takes back control over the whole of the Duchy of Guelders in 1514, but this is not the end of his story. In the years to follow he tries to gain more lands and plays an important part in wars to come. He also faces new enemies that look very familiar to his old ones. To be continued...