page_title: Siege of Ostend
section_title: New Troy
hierarchical_section_title: Siege of Ostend / 1604 / New Troy
caption_attribution_description: Retrato de Daniel d´Hertaing, señor de Marquette, último gobernador de Ostende durante el asedio de 1601 - 1604.
context_page_description: The Siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War. A Spanish force under Archduke Albrecht besieged the fortress being held initially by a Dutch force which was reinforced by English troops under Francis Vere who became the town's governor. It was said "the Spanish assailed the unassailable; the Dutch defended the indefensible." The commitment of both sides in the dispute over the only Dutch ruled area in the province of Flanders, made the campaign continue for more than any other during the war. This resulted in one of the longest and bloodiest sieges in world history: more than 100,000 people were killed, wounded or succumbed to disease during the siege.
  Ostend was resupplied via the sea and as a result held out for three years. A garrison did a tour of duty before being replaced by fresh troops, normally 3,000 at a time keeping casualties and disease to a minimum. The siege consisted of a number of assaults by the Spanish, including a massive unsuccessful assault by 10,000 Spanish infantry in January 1602 when governed by Vere.
context_section_description: As a result of a threat that the old counterscarp could be taken or demolished, van der Meer ordered a new one built. A plan for this work had already been sent into the place and a distinguished English engineer Ralph Dexter arrived with his assistants to carry out the heavy task who estimated that the labour would take three weeks. The new defensive positions would cut the town in two and whole foundations of houses reduced to rubble by the bombardment were removed.
  Meer was told there was a lack of earth so he ordered dead bodies from both sides to be used to shore up the ramparts of this final refuge; heads and bones were used like fascines but they could not offer adequate resistance to cannon fire. Nova Troia: meaning New Troy or Little Troy was bestowed on the last entrenchment of the besieged since they announced that they would hold out there for as long as the ancient Trojans had defended Ilium. The new defences were named after old ones including New Helmund, New Polder and New West Bulwark.
  By 11 May the Spanish had effected a lodgement in a corner of the Porcepsic and from that point would threaten the new counterscarp before it could be completed. Van der Meer warned the Hague that the garrison was close to exhaustion and was not sure how long he could sustain the defence of the main rampart. He died shortly after however by a musket wound; his position would be taken by Colonel Uytenhoove.
  On 29 May the long prepared mine was sprung effectively sprung beneath the Porepsic. The Spanish then launched a two pronged assault, one on the breach and the other on the Polder bulwark. The Spanish soon crowded into the breach and ferocious fighting ensued. After a long and desperate struggle with heavy losses on both sides the Porepsic was at last carried and held by the Spanish. However, the assault on the Polder bulwark was repelled and further attempts to take the position were called off.
  On 2 June the mine which he had been constructed beneath the Polder bulwark was sprung. A breach forty feet wide was made and the Spanish launched another assault and leaped into the crater. Emerging from the crater and carrying the Polder at last to their surprise were new defences. The besiegers had worked out where the mine was being dug withdrew from the Polder and built a new set of defences (known as the New Polder) directly behind with flanking batteries for the impending assault. The musketeers and pikemen protected by their new works were ready and after giving heavy fire then counterattacked towards the shocked and confused assailants. After they reeled back after a brief but severe struggle, the Spanish retreated suffering yet more heavy losses. Spinola called off further assaults for two weeks while the work on another mine under the Western bulwark continued but he knew that he had to take Ostend before Maurice could take Sluis. On 7 June, further reinforcements arrived at the stronghold – five companies in all: two English, two Scottish and one from Friesland, all of them under the command of Charles Fairfax.
  On 17 June the Spanish sprang the mine under the Western bulwark. The assailants attacked the breach and were met again by heavy fire from the besieged with Governor Uytenhoove clad in armour leading his troops. The besieged then launched a counterattack and after an hour of desperate fighting the Spanish were repulsed with heavy loss; Uytenhoove however was severely wounded in the melee. With the repulse in the West Bulwark the Spanish had launched another attack on the Polder. Here too was savage hand-to-hand combat with pikes and clubs pulled from the fascines but the besiegers finally overwhelmed the Polder bulwark, whilst the besieged withdrew to their inner entrenchments. Losses to both sides were high with 1,200 men in total lost in the struggle. Uytenhoove would be replaced by Daniel d'Hertaing; the 5th replacement within the year and the last.
  On 25 July a convoy managed to get into Ostend with reinforcements of 800 Zealanders which was some compensation but it was to be the last major reinforcement t
caption: Daniel d´Hertaing
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