• Source: Martyrs of Roermond

The Martyrs of Roermond (Dutch: Martelaren van Roermond) were a group of 13 Dutch Catholic clerics, secular and religious, who were murdered on 23 July 1572 in the town of Roermond by militant Dutch Calvinists during the 16th-century religious wars—specifically, the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule, which developed into the Eighty Years' War.




Events


On April 1, 1572 a group of Dutch rebels led by William van der Marck, Lord of Lumey, and by two of his captains, Willem Bloys van Treslong and Lenaert Jansz de Graeff managed to take the harbor city of Brielle - a turning point in the Dutch war against the Spanish Empire. Prince William the Silent, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against King Philip II of Spain, was in exile in Germany when he heard of the success of Dutch rebels in the Netherlands - not only did they manage to take Brielle, other cities in the Western part of the Netherlands quickly fell to the Dutch rebels. To support the revolt, William of Orange launched an invasion of the Spanish Netherlands from 3 sides: 2 armies would attack the Spanish Netherlands from Germany and 1 would invade from the South. The army led by William of Orange attacked the Southern part of the Netherlands, now the provinces of North Brabant, Limburg and Flanders. One of the first cities to be attacked was the Spanish held city of Roermond. An army of 24,000 men attacked Roermond and managed to take it after 5 assaults on 23 July 1572. After the capture of the city the troops of William the Silent stormed Roermond and massacred many priests and clerics, including the secretary of Bishop Lindanus. The Roermond Charterhouse was assaulted by Protestants. Of the 24 Carthusians 13 were murdered and two died in the days that followed.




The 13 martyrs


Stefanus van Roermond
Albertus van Winsen
Johannes van Sittard
Erasmus van Maastricht
Matthias van Keulen
Henricus Wellen
Johannes van Luik
Johannes Leeuwis
Johannes Gressenich
Severus van Koblenz
Paulus van Waelwijck
Wilhelmus Wellen
Vincentius van Herck




Legacy


Numerous works of art were created to commemorate the events in Roermond. The Italian painter Vincenzo Carducci made three paintings about the Roermond Martyrs in 1632:

















See also


Martyrs of Alkmaar
Martyrs of Gorkum




Notes






Bibliography


On the martyrs of Roermond, see Hesse, “De martelaren van Roermond,” Limburg's Jaarboek (1911), 170–209, 264–290.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Martyrs of Roermond
• Roermond
• Roermond Charterhouse
• Martyrs of Gorkum
• Martyrs of Alkmaar
• Carthusian Martyrs
• List of child saints
• Saint Christopher
• Louis Raemaekers
• Shrines to Mary, mother of Jesus