This last of the old-style epic duels was the most famous and popular battle scene subject painted in the first half of the 17th century in both enemy countries, Spanish Flanders and Holland. During 80 years both fought over the control of what to become the Dutch Republic.

 

The story is incredibly complicated as both fractions used numerous mercenaries from very diverse origin. The duel was fought in the year 1600 between 22 local Dutch cavalrymen from ‘s Hertogenbosch (led by Gerard Abrahams van Houwelingen, nicknamed Leckerbeetje) in Spanish service against 22 French cavalrymen from Normandy (led by de Breauté) in Dutch service. Later, in 1629, ‘s Hertogenbosch became and remained a Dutch town. So everybody could see himself in the winning camp. The subject was popular both with Flemish and with Dutch painters and their clients.

 

At the very start of the duel de Breauté killed both Leckerbeetje and his brother, but then the battle shifted. It ended with the surrender of captain de Breauté and four of his compatriots, the other Frenchmen were either dead or they had fled. These five had hoped not be harmed, but they were immediately executed. 

 

A fair number of painted versions of this duel exist, but ours stands out because of its dimensions, quality, vibrant colours and sheer beauty of this military ballet. At the RKD in The Hague our painting has not yet been fully researched: but there this painting (registered under the number 632295) and a similar larger version at the town hall of Gouda (number 24373) are, according to me erroneously, being attributed to the Dutch painter Gerrit van Santen. To me our painting stands close to the Flemish painter Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573 – 1647); it must date from the second quarter of the 17th century.  

 

 

The Eighty Years' War, which in fact became the  Dutch war of independence from Spain, (1568–1648) started as a religious and socio-economic revolt against King Philip II of Spain. The war ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. The Spanish Netherlands fell apart: Catholic Spain finally accepted an independent, (mainly) Protestant Dutch Republic of the Seven United Provinces. Flanders remained Catholic under Spanish Habsburg rule. Typical of that period was the use of mercenaries, which made the War a very international, but complicated affair.

 

The Battle of Leckerbeetje is by far the best-known cavalry duel from the Eighty Years’ War. It was fought February 5th 1600 outside ‘s Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc) on Vught Heath (the Vughterheide). Today it is part of the Dutch Republic. But in 1600 ‘s Hertogenbosch, capital of the Duchy of Brabant, was a Spanish, Catholic town. Its situation was very uncertain. Indeed at the start of the Eighty Years’ War its population was divided between a Catholic and a Protestant camp. In July 1579 the Catholics beat the Protestants in a fight on the market square. Thousands of Protestants fled. Between 1585 and 1622 the Protestants lead by Prince Maurice tried six times in vain to take the town back. They finally did so in 1629, under his successor and half-brother, Prince Frederic Henry.

 

As to “the Battle of Leckerbeetje”, it was the last duel in the old Medieval tradition. It was all about honour, insulted honour of course: a very chivalrous thing. It was fought between 22 local, Dutch cavalrymen in Spanish service against 22 French cavalrymen from Normandy in Dutch service. 

 

The incident had started November 1599 when a group of cuirassiers from ‘s Hertogenbosch lead by Leckerbeetje, attacked a larger group of French cavalrymen. They beat the French and made several prisoners that they took back to ‘s Hertogensbosch. Ransom for them was asked to their French captain de Breauté. 

 

De Breauté answered to his unfortunate lieutenant that he could not understand how they had been beaten, as there were twice as many Frenchmen. He wrote that “twenty Frenchmen are at least worth forty Dutchmen!” Leckerbeetje was not amused with this answer and challenged de Breauté for a duel with an equal number of cavalrymen on both side: 22. De Breauté accepted the invitation, though his superior, the Stadtholder and Prince of Orange, Maurice, had explicitly forbidden this.

 

The duel was won by the Dutchmen in Spanish service. Although de Breauté had fought a great battle, killing both Leckerbeetje and his brother at the very start, the remaining 20 Dutchmen fought bravely and were able to beat the Frenchmen. Only 4 more Dutch horsemen were killed, the French lost 14. 

 

Three Frenchmen escaped, leaving captain de Breauté with another 4 compatriots behind. These 5 finally surrendered on condition that they would not be harmed. But the inhabitants of ‘s Hertogenbosch were so angry at them for having killed their hero Leckerbeetje that they immediately executed all 5 in cold blood. Some sources say it was Grobbendonck, the governor in Spanish service of the town of ‘s Hertogenbosch, who had given the order.

 

 

This completely unimportant military engagement became a very popular subject of paintings, engravings, songs, poems and books during the first half of the 17th century, both in Flanders and in Holland. Of course every side could find himself in the result of the duel: “Dutchmen” (as ‘s Hertogenbosch fell in Dutch, Protestants hands in 1629) fighting for the Spaniards had beaten French cavalrymen fighting for the Dutch.

 

The first artist who started painting the Battle of Leckerbeetje must have been the Flemish painter Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573 – 1643). Many versions are either attributed to him, to his pupil Pieter Snayers and to their workshops and followers. On the Dutch side we know of paintings by Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot and by Gerrit van Santen.

 

Typical of these early representations of cavalry battle scenes is the lack of uniforms. These were only introduced at the very end of the 17th century. Our 44 horsemen recognized each other by the colour of sashes knotted around their left arm: red for the Dutchmen in Spanish service under Leckerbeetje and green for the Frenchmen under de Breauté in Dutch service. 

 

Cuirassiers wore then still a full, heavy armour and helmet, they protected themselves in a very old-fashioned way. But during that period, around 1600, they already used guns. Be it a gun with a single bullet. So one would try to approach an enemy as close as possible, have one shot at him at close range and then continue the battle fighting with a sword.

Within a few decades almost all metal protections were replaced by velvet coats and hats: these would still protect the men sufficiently, but foremost they would permit them to move more freely and promptly.

 

 

- Our painting represents the very start of the Battle of Leckerbeetje, when Leckerbeetje himself, his brother and a third Dutchman had just been killed.

- In the background we can see the city of ‘s Hertogenbosch with its imposing St John’s cathedral, in front of it the Vucht Heath ("Vuchter Heide") where the battle was fought; the small church at right is that of the village of Vucht.

- On the left- and right-hand side behind the battle ground each group has brought its 2 trumpeters on horseback, sounding the start of the fight; at left the two Frenchmen with a green flag, at right the two Dutchmen with a Spanish red flag decorated with the Burgundy cross (“Batons de Bourgogne”). It was based on the wooden cross where St. Andrew was crucified on. At the origin it was the flag of Burgundy (including Flanders). Following the marriage of Mary of Burgundy with Maximilian of Austria in Ghent in 1477 it became the Spanish Habsburg flag up till 1785.

- Right of the two French trumpeters there is a gibbet where, according to some sources, the 5 captured Frenchmen were to be hung immediately after the battle.

- In the foreground we see already three dead Dutchmen: at the centre under de Breauté’s horse lies Leckerbeetje himself, recognizable by the large red sash worn around his middle. The corpse at left must be that of Leckerbeetje’s brother, who had also been killed at the very start of the battle by de Breauté.

 

 

Flemish painter

Antwerp 1573 – 1647 Antwerp

 

Important painter of battle scenes, genre scenes, landscapes and of historical (biblical and mythological) scenes.

 

Pupil of Adam van Noort; other important pupils of van Noort were Jacob Jordaens and Sir Peter Paul Rubens. 

Vrancx probably travelled to Italy circa 1595/1597: he visited Venice, Rome and Naples. 

During the year 1600/1601 he became a Master in the Painter’s Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. In 1612 he was elected dean.

That same year he married a sister-in-law of the landscape painter Tobias Verhaecht.

 

Vrancx played an important role in the social life of his home-town Antwerp:

- in 1607 he joined the Rhetoric chamber “De Violieren” (he was also active as poet and as author of theatre plays);

- after 1610 he joined the Romanists (the Confrérie of St Peter and Paul), an association of 25 artists and other influential people who had travelled to Rome (in 1617 he was their dean);

- in 1613 he became an officer in the local civic guard, in 1621 he became captain.

 

 

Because it is such a marvellous representation of the famous Duel of Leckerbeetje.