Uncovering (& Celebrating) the History of our Hometown
How Leiden was relieved from the Spanish Army through determination and creativity
Floown is based out of Leiden, a Dutch city with an expansive history. Once the largest city of The Netherlands, as well as the coldest spot on the planet, it's now mainly famous for being the birthplace of famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn.
The fact that it's still a Dutch city shouldn't be taken for granted however.
During the Eighty Years War one of the pivotal events was the relief of Leiden (known in Dutch as Leidens Ontzet). It's an important historical event that the people of Leiden celebrate every 2nd and 3rd of October. Having our office in Leiden we naturally joined the festivities. However, not before we looked back at the history.
Join us in our small journey back in time to understand why we are proud to call Leiden our home base and take inspiration from its history.
It was 1574. The historic city of Leiden was just recovering from the first siege of the Spanish army. The Spaniards had tried to starve the people of Leiden, but the city was well informed and had enough supplies to sit out the siege. Due to other priorities the Spanish eventually pulled away.
Now they were back. 5000 Spaniards armed to the teeth stood outside the city walls. The city council had not anticipated the second siege well enough. Defenses were inadequate, food was limited; the council even neglected to destroy the barricades of the first siege.
This was good news for Spanish general De Valdéz, who managed to hermetically seal off the city in no-time. Leiden was in trouble.
Luckily, a few brave men managed to slip through De Valdéz's entrenchments. It allowed them to send carrier pigeons to the Prince of Orange, who was at the time seated in Delft. The prince answered with the promise to help free Leiden from the siege. This strengthened the morale of the people of Leiden, who's situation grew more dire by the day.
Not everyone kept faith though.
Traitors left the city during the night to tell De Valdéz about the bad state Leiden was in. Thousands of people were dying of hunger and the plague. De Valdéz tried to force a surrender by promising food to the suffering population, which led to massive doubts among the people. Stay and fight or give up?
City secretary Jan van Hout and general Jan van der Does were clear. There was no way that Leiden would surrender. And according to the myths Mayor of Leiden Van der Werf even offered up his own body to the hungry people. So long as the population wouldn't surrender to the Spanish.
So in answer to De Valdéz's promise to the Leiden population that he would spare them and give them food if they would give up, the city council send them the Latin proverb:
Fistula dulce canit, volucrem dum decipit auceps
It translates to: "The birdwatcher out to deceive, lures the bird with his sweet flute".
While this was a strong message, the city was obviously in serious need of support. The relief of the city had to come from the Prince of Orange, who figured the only way to defeat the Spanish was by piercing the dikes. This would flood the lower parts of the country and allow the Prince to use his fleet. The decision to flood the lands was a difficult one. The water would destroy fertile lands. However, the Prince could not leave his countrymen behind.
It took until October for the water to rise. With the winds changing direction, the Prince could finally use his fleet to get close to Leiden.
By that time the Spaniards had however left their siege. The rising water had made them weary, and when one of the city walls of Leiden collapsed, they feared an outbreak of the Leiden people. In a hurry they fled.
The small boy Cornelis Joppensz was the first to discover the Spanish Army had left their positions, when he decided to take a look outside of the city walls. On a sconce he found a meal left behind by the Spanish. It was still on the stove — signaling the Spanish were only just gone — and contained carrots, onions, meat and parsnip. The combination of those ingredients would later become the Dutch traditional dish of Hutspot (Hodge-podge).
The next morning the fleet finally arrived and brought food to the starving population. Specifically white bread and herring. The people immediately headed for the church to thank God for the relief of the Spanish siege. A tradition still being kept to this day.
Looking back at the turbulent history of the city, the most important factors in Leidens relief were the determination of the people and the creative use of the force of water. Two things that form a red line throughout the history of The Netherlands. And two things that inspire our own journey.
Determination
Staying strong through difficult times. Not giving up. Not being deceived by cheap promises. The willingness to sacrifice.
Creativity
Thinking of bold solutions in challenging times. Making tough decisions even though they present huge risks.
As can be seen from the pictures, the festivities of 2nd and 3rd of October nowadays include a large fun fair, a parade, a market, concerts, parties and fireworks to close it off. There are however also a couple of traditional activities.
On the morning of the 3rd of October a reveille takes place at the city hall. Afterwards white bread and herring is handed out. That is followed by musical gathering and a service at the Pieterskerk. In the evening people eat the traditional dish of Hutspot, as a reference to the meal that was left by the Spaniards.
Hopefully, you can join us next time!
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