ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Mutiny of Hoogstraten 1602

Synopsis
This mutiny, the longest in the Spanish Army of Flanders, broke out in the aftermath of the failed attempt to relieve the siege of the Spanish-held city of Grave in September 1602. The mutineers, numbering over 3,000 soldiers, mostly Italians and Spaniards, claimed first of all, as usual, their payment arrears, which amounted to one million guilders. Not so usual was the reaction of Archduke Albert of Austria, governor general of the Spanish Netherlands, who declared them to be traitors and rebels. In response, the disgruntled troops seized and entrenched themselves in the small town of Hoogstraten, with the support of Maurice of Orange, who was very interested in pitting these soldiers against those who remained loyal to the Spanish monarch. The rebels established their own symbology during the long mutiny – a flag, a green uniform (to distinguish themselves from the red colour of the Spanish and the orange of the States General) – and proclaimed themselves as the "Republic of Hoogstraten". In the summer of 1603, 10,000 Habsburg army soldiers, led by Friedrick Vandenberg, were sent to finally put down the mutiny. But such an attempt failed due to the interposition of the troops of Maurice of Orange, who made a deal with the rebels, including the offer of the Grave garrison in exchange for Hoogstraten. The mutiny would only end in May of the following year when Archduke Albert, desperately in need of more veteran soldiers for military operations, ratified a treaty with the mutineers that granted them a pardon and the payment of their arrears. The most part returned to the Spanish “tercios”, while some joined the Dutch army.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 21 months. Name in sources: Motín de Hoogstraten. Location: Hoogstraten Country (current): Belgium. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Soldiers. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Labour conditions, Military issues. Leadership: Unknown. Relevance: high.

Further reading
BENTIVOLLO, Cardenal (1687). Las Guerras de Flandes desde la muerte del Emperador Carlos V hasta la conclusión de la Tregua de Doce Años. Amberes: Geronymo Verdussen, Parte III, Lib. VII, 483-484. PARKER, Geoffrey (1979). Spain and Netherlands, 1559-1659. London: Collins,115-116. PARKER, Geoffrey (2004). The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 1567-1659. The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in the Low Countries’ Wars. Cambridge: CUP, 157-175.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Mutiny of Hoogstraten 1602", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).