The Dutch

by Richard E. Schultz

  Sincerely in Justice and Christ,

  Baroness Hester Goeden van Weir

  The Regent was inflamed and humiliated by her public defiance. He sent a strong force of soldiers to block the coastal entrance way to the Droger Land. He planned on halting all traffic by land and water until the woman came to her senses. The Droger Land quickly adjusted to the Regent’s blockade, while farmers found new ways to increase the yield from the fields. The people adjusted their diets to lessen the demands on the stored grain and got unexpected help from the abundance of clover. The people found that the flower heads and seedpods of clover could be ground to produce nutritious flour that could be mixed with wheat and rye grain, reducing the amount needed to make bread and other foods. A brisk black market trade developed with their Frisian neighbors and an amazing amount of goods was carried over the marsh in flat bottom canoes. The bulk of the Duchy’s commercial products did not arrive at the coast and the manufacturers were complaining because they needed those supplies of raw materials. While not a single noble family offered assistance, Lady Hester’s letter struck a chord with most of the aristocratic class who made their unhappiness with the Regent’s actions known in subtle ways. After six months of stalemate the Regent decided to act, but opposition within his own inner circle stopped him from using imperial forces.

  Instead, the Regent appointed Lord Louis De Peers the “Lord Protector of the Droger Land,” giving him permission to assume the position by force if necessary. Having accumulated an assortment of fiefdoms across the Low Countries by conquest, intrigue and marriage, the De Peers family had one of the least noble blood lines in Holland. Lord De Peer’s seven separate domains were directly ruled by appointed knights who used force to extract the highest taxes in the region from their populations. De Peer’s farmers, even in years of bountiful harvests, were constantly hungry because of over-taxation. This “stolen” wealth allowed him to quickly assemble, with the Regent’s support, an army of over twelve hundred men (including fifty knights) which he led toward the Droger Land. De Peers had expected to raise a much larger force, but most of the nobles of Holland found reasons to excuse themselves from the expedition. De Peers’ biggest disappointment was the lack of enthusiasm in Frisia for his campaign against the Droger Land, their traditional enemy. To his surprise, not a single lord from Frisia, recently conquered and forced to give allegiance to Holland, would participate in the war against their neighbor. Worse yet, those same Lords kept Hester informed of the regent’s intentions. Her nearest neighbors sent her assurances that no Frisians would approach her borders with any evil intent until the issue of the protectorate was decided. They remembered that the Great Lord Derick had spared many of them at Vroonen and felt they would repay the debt by supporting his grandson’s right to rule.

  De Peers assembled his army only ten miles from the entrance way as spies reported he would attack as soon as he received a battery of siege guns, in transit from the Regent’s armories. Lady Hester, the three Roulfs, Brother Clover and other lesser commanders had a council of war. Jan had developed a solid defensive plan, which created strong points on the higher ground near the salt deposits when the surrounding land was flooded. It was a good plan, but Lady Hester knew it only delayed the ultimate siege of the town and castle. Sooner or later the enemy would reach droger Land and fire the Regent’s artillery at the old walls of the town and castle, which would probably crumble. Even if the walls survived, the stalemate would give the Regent an excuse to bring his Imperial Army into the fray. Either way, the Droger Land would eventually be forced to capitulate. With Jan’s plan, the enemy paid a high price but would, in the end, be successful. Lady Hester thanked Jan for his plan but told her commanders that Jesus Christ and the ancient gods of the Droger Land wanted a different strategy. In a fiery voice, she told the assembled men that old gods wanted these cocky high-born invaders whipped before they set eyes upon her castle or their town. She told the assemble men, that in a dream, she had met with those ancient gods where the tallest trees grew in the Lord’s Forest. She said the ancient gods had guaranteed victory and no one in the room doubted her vision.

  She then summoned the surveyor, who entered the room with a large sketch of the causeway. He was followed by students from his school that carried two model sections of the causeway, which they placed on the great dining table. When the boys left, the men gathered around the models as Lady Hester explained her plan. It called for the three-mile section of the canal to be blocked and staked as near to the entrance way as possible, forcing De Peer’s entire army onto the narrow causeway. She said it would bunch his troops together as they advanced on the Keep and the Baroness clarified that the two modeled sections lay within eyesight of the fortification. She further explained that those piles that supported the causeway would need to be pre-sawed around their base and again directly below the water line. The piles and the roadway would be left in place allowing the sheer weight of the causeway to hold the cut piles stable. The crossbeams of the causeway would be inconspicuously weakened from below. Ropes hidden under the water would be tied to each cut pile. When these ropes were pulled, the first section of the causeway would fall, plunging De Peer’s harquebusiers into the water, making their weapons useless. The falling second section would dunk De Peers and his force of knights into the marsh. The two collapsing sections of causeway would divide the forward elements of the invading army into three separated formations, all trapped on a road that led nowhere.

  Lady Linda told the men that arrows and shot from the Keep would decimate the most forward elements, while cannon fire converging on the other sections would cause havoc. She also told them that the surveyor had found some patches of solid ground to the right of the causeway where bowmen could hide in the tall marsh grass and accurately target the road. Those bands of archers, protected by men wielding long spears, could shower quivers of death upon De Peer’s stranded men. Across the canal, protected by the barrier of water, the Droger Land’s own harquebus men would specifically target the mounted men with the width of the canal protecting them from retaliation.

  The sheer audacity of the Baroness’s plan was well received, even by Jan, who imagined his father must have had a role in developing the daring scheme. At Hester’s command, his soldiers staked the forward sections of the canal and the local carpenters sawed through the piles and crossbeams on the designated sections of the doomed roadway. It was Jan who designed a simple triggering device that used a giant round millstone to hopefully bring down those two sections of causeway simultaneously. At his command, the camouflage wheel could be rolled into a deep hole that young boys had dug under the water, collecting the salty wet soil a handful at a time. In concept, when the ropes attached to the cut piles and the millstone became taut, the two sections of the causeway should collapse.

  As De Peers’ army began arriving at the checkpoint, the Regent’s soldiers withdrew and it was noticed that less vigilant men were now guarding the gateway. Since De Peers had a reputation for being easily angered and reckless when provoked, Jan suggested attacking his camp soon after his arrival. When word came from the Frisians that De Peers would arrive that afternoon, John chose that night to launch his cavalry attack. Everyone agreed that in the evening, the camp’s attention would be focused on the personal needs of noble men rather than security. Hester approved the raid but showed a sharp mind for military strategy. She told Jan that the cavalry could be used for only a single sweep through the camp and ordered him to avoid that part of the camp where archers were quartered, for their quickly strung bows would be the greatest threat to the raiders. The unexpected attack came late that evening and sent unarmored knights and men-at-arms scurrying for safety as fodder piles and tents, including De Peers own quarters, were set ablaze by torches. The attackers killed about twenty men and wounded dozens of others including a few knights. The Drylanders returned without a single causality. The raid so enraged De Peers that he prematurely ordered his att
ack at first light.

  They enemy hastily advanced as dawn broke as expected. It was still almost dark when they sent a small party of mounted men to scout the length of the causeway. The party found nothing amiss, until a volley of arrows from the Keep sent them into rapid retreat. They returned to the main column and informed Lord De Peers that Lady Hester relied on a new Keep to repel their advance. Reassured, De Peers included one of the Regent’s huge siege guns to his advancing column. He believed that the powerful gun would make quick work of this new Keep. His column spread out in the traditional formation of those times, first heavily armored footmen carrying shields, than the archers and some infantry carrying firelocks. Next came the Count with his knights followed by other mounted men, then more infantry and the finally the siege gun. All hungered for revenge after the humiliations of the previous night.

  The battle itself ended almost as quickly as it began. Jan, in command of the ambush near the millstones, waited patiently for the right moment. When he felt it arrived, he gave the signal to roll the millstone and everything went as planned. The first section of the causeway came crashing down and violently threw the enemy archers and gunners into the wetlands. Shock, fear and the weight of their equipment caused many to drown in the waist high water. A constant cascade of arrows from unseen defenders in the marsh killed or wounded the rest. On the third section the devastation was worse, as Count De Peers and his knights on horseback were rolled into the water by the collapsing causeway and stacked upon each other, causing most to drown in their armor or be kicked to death by the horses. Those who survived were cut down by flights of arrows from the hidden bowman and a storm of lead from the other side of the canal. Lady Hester commanded the artillery from her perch on the top floor of the Keep. At her command the wooden ramparts on the road next to the Keep were wheeled away and the three concealed cannons began firing. They sent iron balls straight at the troops that were massed along the remaining sections of the still standing causeway. A single cannon ball would mow down a dozen or more men tightly packed together. After only the first barrage, the entire enemy army panicked and those, who could, attempted to flee. The few knights not stranded by the fallen causeways, having seen the demise of their Lord, turned their own steeds and attempted to flee. In this haste to retreat, their horses began trampling the foot soldiers and artillerymen behind them. The Regent’s huge siege cannon now blocked the narrow width of the causeway and the only route to safety. Each cannon ball produced an instant slaughter and soon four hundred bodies lay upon the causeway or floated in the salty water of the marshes. Despite the roar of the battle, everyone heard the excited voice of Lady Hester van Weir, in frenzy, repeatedly yelling at the artillerymen to reload and fire again. Another few hundred men died before Francis Roulfs, restrained the Baroness and ordered the cannons silenced to end the massacre. Three hundred men, including a dozen knights were taken prisoner and Jan Roulfs quickly had the captives marched to the rear, for the maddened Baroness wanted them executed immediately. The Droger Land’s cavalry unit soon found a way to reach the undamaged part of the causeway and began pursuing the defeated army whose survivors evaporated into the countryside once they arrived at the northern gateway. The Drogerlanders were able to retrieve the rest of the Regent’s prized cannons and other military supplies from the deserted enemy camp. That night, while the noble captives were sent to the castle’s dungeon to be held for ransom, Jan let the other captured, common-born enemy soldiers “escape.”

  With the weapons and armor taken from the captives and the fallen dead, and the military supplies captured at the camp, the Droger Land would be better equipped for future battles. A strange thing happened that day, every Drogerlander, from the commander to the lowest ranking volunteer had an uncommon reaction to the slaughter. They were totally repelled by the pure horror of their victory. Rather than celebrating their triumph, they felt a universal sense of dishonor. They were ashamed that their flights of arrows, shot and cannon balls had killed and maimed so many men they could barely see in the distance. The detached nature of the victory had blemished their souls and all knew the cannon fire had lasted far too long and their sweet baroness had shown traces of madness. All agreed she had needlessly and ruthlessly killed helpless men attempting to surrender. All knew she would have slaughtered the prisoners had she been given the opportunity. It was the opinion of the army that the Baroness must reach an accommodation with the Regent to end the conflict. The common born men of the Droger Land found no glory in this morning of bloody massacre.

  The Regent in Brussels took the news of De Peers’ defeat with little regret because his father had taught him, never to trust men like De Peers, who were filled with ambition. However, the capture of his siege artillery, the noble prisoners being held for ransom, and his great loss of face was another matter. He was already preparing his own assault on the Droger Land, when a well dressed Burger arrived in Brussels as an envoy from Lady Hester. He carried a letter from the Baroness. The Regent recognized this “envoy” as the once mad-monk his father had indentured to Lord Derick. The regent knew that the man’s agricultural ideas were in use throughout the Netherlands. They first talked for hours about agriculture and Brother Clover was as pugnacious during their conversation as he had been with Lord Derick many years before.

  Finally, the topic switched to the “unfortunate” disagreement between the Regent and Lady Hester. The former monk became humble and told the Regret he was authorized to settle the issue less brutally than continuing combat. He told the regent that the Baroness would pay an annual fee directly to the Regent for her family’s protection. She would also pay a smaller amount to any “Lord Protector” the Regent might appoint provided he entered the realm for only a single day each year to check on her families “safety.” The Regent smiled, startled, but only for a moment, by Lady Hester’s audacious proposal. He quickly demanded to know if the return of his siege artillery and the release of the noble prisoners would be part of that payment. Brother Clover relaxed, for he knew the issue was no longer the freedom of the people of the Droger Land, whom he had grown to love, or the continuation of the rightful rule by the van Weir Family, the issue had simply become only one of price.

  Chapter Six

  The Droger Land 1515 A.D.

  Willem the Good

  In the years following her death, Lady Hester van Weir, became a heroic mythical figure to Holland’s nobility. They considered her twenty-five year reign as Baroness of the Dry Land, a tribute to the courage and noble spirit inherent in all families of high birth. Her husband, Lord Jacobus, was depicted as the most noble of knights, a martyr willing to sacrifice his life for the right of nobility to retain their lands and titles. Lady Hester’s subjects in the Droger Land remembered her quiet differently. The common born men who risked their lives to continue the van Weir family line saw her tenure less favorably. They felt the Baroness betrayed those most loyal to her rule. After her military victory was tainted by the slaughter on the causeway, her people openly criticized her shocking behavior. The criticisms caused Hester to withdraw and become obsessive with power which she used to silence dissent. She no longer associated with the men of less noble birth who helped her maintain her Duchy’s independence. After the threat from the Regent subsided, her ever growing autocratic rule alienated her people.

  The reward Brother Clover received for negotiating a lasting peace with the Regent was an unceremonious return to his farm. Robert Roulfs was treated similarly but managed to keep his position as magistrate, although he found his decisions regularly overruled by the Baroness. His brother Jan was relieved as the military commander and demoted to leader of the cavalry unit which was allowed to waste away with restrictions on recruitment and funding. The power of the Town’s Estate was diminished by a proclamation that required the Baroness’ approval on all decisions made during their deliberations. Later, she even curtailed their right to assemble. A Flemish knight was imported to command the
realm’s military and the number of full time soldiers was increase by hiring mercenaries who were loyal only to the Baroness who paid them. Lady Hester instituted an irritating penny tax on all goods shipped in and out of the Droger Land using the Keep as a station for her tax collectors. The penny tax provided far more revenue than was needed for the Regent’s small stipend, and the excess revenue paid for a force of mounted sheriffs who were used to intimidate the population. Fortunately, Frances Roulfs died before he actually witnessed the demotions of his sons and the rising discontent among the people.

  During her reign, even Hester’s children failed to escape her transformation. Some say her two oldest sons, who died in an outbreak of the pox, were perhaps the fortunate ones. Her youngest son had to wait until he was over 30 to take his rightful place as Lord of the Droger Land. His ascension came only upon his mother’s death. She forced her two daughters into political marriages with neighboring Lords, old enough to be their grandfathers. She used those marriages to cement peaceful ties to neighbors she feared, without any concern for her daughter’s happiness. Upon her death, her son reluctantly buried her in the family cemetery and neither daughter made the relatively short trip to attend the funeral. When the word spread among the populations of her final demise, the word passed was simply, “The bitch is dead.” Few remembered the woman who had expanded education in the domain and had once captivated the people with her grace, charm, courage and fertility. They knew only a stern, sad woman who feared the people.

  Although the next three Lords, including her surviving son, kept the same tight rein on their subjects, the people were not totally discontent. The agricultural innovations developed by Lords Derick and Jacobus kept most farmers prosper at a time when the Netherlands and all of Northern Europe was in turmoil. This sheer prosperity muted the dissatisfaction. By 1515 A.D., Roland Van Weir ruled the Droger Land as an absentee lord who spent most of his time in Brussels and rarely came home from the Royal Court. Roland was Lady Linda’s great-great-grandson. The ruler of Holland, like his predecessors, wanted to keep a member of the famous family among his entourage. Roland served as a warrior-knight in a number of Holland’s campaigns against Groningen, the Netherland’s troublesome, most northeastern province bordering many German states. Roland earned a reputation for being a brutal and merciless knight who followed his sovereign’s sadistic commands without question.