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Siege of Naarden (1813–1814)

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The siege of Naarden was an investment of the city of Naarden from November 1813 until May 1814 by a Dutch and Russian army as part of the liberation of the Netherlands during the War of the Sixth Coalition. This siege took months, since the French commander didn't believe that Napoleon had been defeated and had abdicated. Finally, the French soldiers were granted a retreat with honour.[1]

Siege of Naarden
Part of War of the Sixth Coalition

The arrival of soldiers and guns of the National Guard of Amsterdam at the entrenchments outside Naarden.
Date17 November 1813 – 12 May 1814
Location
Naarden, Netherlands
Result Russo-Dutch victory
Belligerents
 Netherlands
 Russia		  France
Commanders and leaders
Cornelis Krayenhoff Jacques Quetard de La Porte

Prelude

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In October 1813, Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig. As a result, the Sixth Coalition attempted to liberate the Netherlands, which had been under French occupation for almost 20 years. William Frederick, son of the last stadtholder of the old Dutch Republic, had been in exile in England, and returned to Holland in November 1813. He received military assistance from Prussian and Russian armies.[2]

The battle

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Russian cossacks were the first soldiers that approached Naarden. French soldiers retreated into the fortress, awaiting the (hoped for) return of Napoleon. This scenario happened in multiple cities in Holland, like Den Helder, Delfzijl and Gorinchem.[3] However, the French forces in Naarden didn't surrender and were highly capable of keeping their strength. They even had some Dutch soldiers fighting on their side, which were enlisted in the Grande Armée.[4] During the siege, most of the city was destroyed by bombardments. However, there were almost no casualties since the French and civilians were capable of hiding within the fortress walls.[5]

When the allied forces received the message that Napoleon was captured, the French forces didn't believe them and held on.[3] Finally, after many attempts, a special message from the French government was able to convince them after all. In May 1814, the French soldiers were given a retreat with honour.

Aftermath

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Although the siege of Naarden was strategically not highly relevant, the victory was of significant importance to William I. He needed to demonstrate that the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands was capable of surviving on its own as the great powers where redrawing Europe's borders. In the end, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was granted sovereignty (as opposed to becoming part of the British Empire or the Kingdom of Prussia), and tasked to function as a bufferstate.[6]

In the short term, however, Napoleon escaped from his imprisonment on Elba and returned to France. This resulted in the battle of Waterloo in June 1815.

References

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  1. ^ Gooilander (28 November 2010). "Siege of Naarden 1813–1814". Archived from the original on 24 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Vesting hield Fransen zes maanden veilig voor bommen en granaten, maar niemand weet het meer". Gooi en Eemlander. 20 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b de Vries, Menno. "Napoleon's impregnable fortress". YouTube.
  4. ^ Amersfoort, Herman (2018). The Dutch army in transition: from all-volunteer force to cadre-militia army, 1795-1830. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 447–478.
  5. ^ "The Diary of Albertus Perk and the Siege of Naarden: 1813–1814". www.napoleon-series.org. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. ^ Muskiet (5 November 2014). "Vienna 1815: the making of a European security culture". KNAW.
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