Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648)
Contemporary prints and maps of the battles and sieges of the Eighty Years War
Siege of Groenlo, 1627
GROLLA / OBSESSA ET EXPVGNATA / ab Illustrißimo / FRIDERICO HENRICO / Principe Arausionensium, / Comite Nassaviæ etc. / Auspiciis D.D. Ordinum Belgii / Confœderati
1627 or laterEtching; printed on paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type A); gilt edges left, bottom and right | Scale: 1:12,900 approx. | RCIN 722022
A map of Spanish-held Groenlo [Grol], defended by the Governor for the Spanish, Matthijs Dulken (active 1593-1629), and besieged from 20 July to 19 August 1627 by the Dutch, commanded by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (29 January 1584-14 March 1647), resulting in the surrender of the city to the army of the United Provinces. Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648).> Oriented with east-north-east to top.
Theodorus Niels, the surveyor and draughtsman of this map, states that he has done it with precision while in the presence of Prince Frederick Henry who had an interest in all things concerning fortifications. The details and outlines of the fortifications strongly resemble those of RCIN 722021 which was published by Hondius. Niels's version, however, includes detailed representations of minor and major routes which are lacking on the other excample.
According to the Rijksmuseum entry for this map (RP-P-AO-4-63C), it originated in Joan Blaeu's Toonneel der steden van de Vereenighde Nederlanden, 2 vols, Amsterdam (1649).
Theodoro Niels (active 1627) (surveyor)
After Theodoro Niels (active 1627) (draughtsman) [bottom centre:] In castris ad amußim delineavit Theodorus Niels, apud / Illustrißimum Principem rerum quæ fortificationem / concernunt curam habens.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) (publisher) [bottom right:] Excudit Guiljelmus Blaeuw.
Watermark: Sunburst
Condition: one fold line; creased around the edges. One fold line to mount, which does not coincide with the fold on print; small cut to bottom left corner of the mount; printed from a scratched copperplate; pressure marks from the mounts of items which were kept below this map in a different collection are present on the verso
Scale: 1:12,900 approx. Scale bar: Virgæ Rhÿnlandicæ [87 mm =] 300.
38.0 x 49.7 cm (image and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
41.7 x 54.9 cm (mount)
Printed title:
GROLLA / OBSESSA ET EXPVGNATA / ab Illustrißimo / FRIDERICO HENRICO / Principe Arausionensium, / Comite Nassaviæ etc. / Auspiciis D.D. Ordinum Belgii / Confœderati. [in cartouche, surmounted by the old shield of Groenlo, top right]
Inset:
[top left, in a cartouche:] GROLLA ut munita est ex quo capta / fuit a Pr. Frederico Henrico.
Additional text:
[below title, in a cartouche representing an unrolled, fringed banner, an alpha-numerical key:] LITTERARVM et NOTARVM / EXPLICATIO.
Annotations:
George III heading: Groll 1627.
Other annotations: (Recto) [bottom right and bottom centre, black pencil:] 1627. (Verso) [top left, on mount, black pencil:] II/9; [left of centre, on map, red pencil:] 1/147.
George III catalogue entry:
Groll Grolla obsessa et expugnata a Frederico Henrico Principe Arausionensium auspiciis Ordinum Belgii Confœderati; per Theod. Niels, apud G. Blaeu.
Subject(s)
Groenlo [Grol], Gelderland, Netherlands (52°02ʹ30ʺN 06°36ʹ40ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
C. Koeman. Atlantes neerlandici : bibliography of terrestrial maritime and celestial atlases and pilot books, published in the Netherlands up to 1880, I, Leiden 1967, p. 298, cat.nr. 8 (638)
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2859
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
