Wargaming the English Civil War in 15mm, home of the English Civil War travelogue.
Showcasing dreadful painting and mediocre prose.
Amsterdam
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
Amsterdam? English Civil War? Surely a questionable/tenuous link... or an excuse for a 'jolly'.
Amsterdam, party capital of the low countries, is not too synonymous with the Civil Wars, standing in the shadows of Breda and The Hague.
Detail from 'Militia Company...Bicker'
Breda's claim is strong, where many adventuring young gentlemen learned soldiering before the outbreak of the Wars; The Hague, where so many Royalists exiled themselves during the Interregnum/Protectorate.
Amsterdam wasn't too popular with exiled Royalists; however, it did become home for many exiled republicans once the Restoration had returned the monarch to the throne. These exiled republicans would help build Amsterdam's wealth.
What Amsterdam does have is a city landscape that very much entered its golden age during the mid seventeenth century. Amongst the pungent aroma of cafes, stroopwafels, extortionate chocolate shops, frites and ladies whose virtue can be easily bought, are a whole plethora of seventeenth century churches, bell towers and an unrivalled collection of artefacts at the Rijksmuseum.
Plaque commemorating The Pilgrim Fathers, English Reformed Church Amsterdam
We'll start off with the English Reformed Church Amsterdam, located in a quiet backwater in the middle of the city, the English Reformed Church is actually part of the Church of Scotland.
the English Reformed Church
During the Reformation the church was closed when the city fathers disallowed all but Reformed worship.
The church lay unused for 20 years until it was given to the English-speaking worshippers in Amsterdam in 1607. Please note that the Begijnhof is a private residential square, the bouncers at the entrance will remind you that you have to be quiet.
Amsterdam's oldest wooden house, in the Begijnhof
The Rijksmuseum is clearly the big ticket item for the seventeenth century aficionado. Please note that you can not purchase tickets at the museum, they can only be bought online.
ECWtravelogue top tip: arrive early and head to the second floor and the Gallery of Honour to avoid the crowds.
The Gallery of Honour is currently home to the recently cleaned, and restored 'Night Watch' by Rembrandt (it will soon be moving to its own gallery at the end of the Gallery of Honour). Or to give the painting its correct title, 'Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq'. Supposedly called 'The Night Watch' due to the accumulated dirt that obscured much of the detail and dulled the colours.
It was fashionable for officers in Amsterdam's Militia to have rather grand portraits of themselves surrounded by a number of their soldiers and fellow officers (as you'll see as you scroll down through this post).
'The Night Watch'
In the next bay along is Rembrandt's 'The Standard Bearer', dated 1636.
'The Standard Bearer'
However, despite the obvious appeal of 'The Night Watch', the other side of the gallery is chockful of Vermeers (be still my beating heart). So forgive me whilst I indulge myself and post 'The Little Street'. The Vermeers are incredibly useful for selecting colours for your civilians.
'The Little Street'
ECWtravelogue top tip: once you have visited the Grand Gallery I suggest you return to the basement and start the museum route in the 1100-1600 Gallery. This allows you to access all parts of the museum without having to continually go up and downstairs and revisit galleries that you have already viewed.
When you have made your way back up to the second floor, there are some interesting coins and medals in a side gallery overlooking the museum's rather spectacular looking library.
Medal commemorating the Anglo-Dutch Fishery Treaty, 1636
The route will take you to some more militia portraits. The Militia were effectively Amsterdam's Trained Bands, such a shame that the fashion of grand portraits didn't exist in England (it would have made life so much easier).
'Militia Company of District VIII in Amsterdam under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker' by van der Helst, 1643
'Banquet at the Crossbowmen’s Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster' by van der Helst, 1648
Amongst the portraits of Amsterdam's military great and good, are some military artefacts. Including a buff coat and hat worn by Ernst Casimir van Nassau-Dietz at the Siege of Roermund. The hat having a hole created by a Spanish musket ball, which killed Ernst.
'Frederik Henry, Prince of Orange' by van Mierevely, 1632
Bandolier, with powder chargers 1640s
Musket and rest
Admiral Jacob van Heemskerck's armour and sword. Missing the left cuisse as it was shattered by a Spanish cannonball which ended the Admiral's life
A rather splendid rat catcher statuette, which surely was the inspiration for Matchlock Miniature's rat catcher figure.
It is inevitable that the Dutch navy is well represented in the museum, including the Royal Coat of Arms that was removed from HMS Royal Charles at the Battle of The Medway. Don't forget that prior to being Charles II's flagship, the ship was the pride of the Commonwealth's Navy, originally called Naseby.
Leaving aside the rather spectacular paintings, there is a collection of seventeenth century whaler's hats which came to light as they literally fell out of a receding glacier at Spitsbergen.
There's more seventeenth century clothing in the other side of the museum's basement in the 'special collections' galleries.
Linen shirt 1640-49, believed to have belonged to Willem Frederik
Not to mention a small, but beautifully formed arms and armour gallery.
Greenwich made cuirassier armour
An 'interesting' powder flask
Did I mention Delftware? It's everywhere.
Military camp 1660
Many Amsterdam guidebooks, and Google maps show a free gallery of the Amsterdam Museum, which is solely dedicated to Amsterdam's City watch. Depending upon your source it is either located close to the Begijnhof, or next to the H'ART Museum. Save your shoe leather. It is in neither location. Nor is it located inside the H'ART Museum. (The H'ART Museum is part of Moscow's Hermitage Museum).
And if you would like to see the Night Watch 'come to life'...
Postcodes for SatNavs English Reformed Church, Begijnhof 48
Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1
If you enjoyed reading this, or any of the other posts, please consider supporting the blog.
W hat's this, another Scottish entry for the inappropriately named ECWtravelogue? This time our spotlight falls on the Grampian region. This post is also a bit of a milestone, as this is my 500th post. Aberdeen was the site of two battles. In 1644 Montrose routed a Covenanter Army, led by Robert Balfour, 2nd Lord Balfour of Burleigh. On the morning of September 13th, 1644, the Covenanter forces left the town to confront the attackers. They took up a defensive position on a steep ridge southwest of the town, overlooking the valley of the How Burn. Montrose sent a messenger and drummer under a flag of truce to demand the surrender of the city, or the defenders could expect no quarter. He also requested that they send women, children and the elderly out of the town before his attack. Aberdeen's leading citizens and guild leaders were presented with an ultimatum near the current location of Justice Mill Lane. Despite rejecting it, they hosted the Royalist party graciously, of...
Yet more Scottishness from the ECWtravelogue summer jolly... Blair Castle Blair Castle , was garrisoned for the Royalist Engager cause, but was besieged by the New Model Army who took it quickly in 1650. bronze mortar barrel, inscribed "Thomas Pitt made this peece 1614", it also bears the Rose of England and Iacobus Rex The castle entrance hall is resplendently bedecked with C16th and C18th militaria, alas no clearly identifiable C17th weaponry. James Stanley, Lord Strange The family are closely related to James Stanley, Lord Strange (yes, that Lord Strange, who lost his head at Bolton), as a result there are a number of Stanley family portraits Outside the Castle entrance there are a number of artillery barrels. the majority of which are C16th, there is also an early C17th mortar. John, Earl of Atholl As ardent supporters of the crown, there are a large number of portraits of Charles I and his immediate family. Prince Rupert of the Rhine The tapestry room sports elaborate t...
The inappropriately named ECWtravelogue turns its attention to Lothian, scene of Oliver Cromwell's arguably greatest military victory. See also Edinburgh Before we turn our attention to the Second Battle of Dunbar, there are a couple of other Wars of the Three Kingdoms locations worthy of our attention. Borthwick Castle's cannon scars Borthwick Castle , was besieged by Oliver Cromwell's forces in November 1650; the garrison, short on supplies, surrendered after receiving only a handful of cannon shots. The damage to the walls from this attack is still visible. Borthwick is now a wedding venue. Dirleton Castle: post-Dunbar the castle held out and moss troopers from the castle made a considerable nuisance of themselves. So much so, that Cromwell ordered Monck and Lambert to take the castle, with 1600 men. The castle would fall due to a combination of starvation and mortar fire (destroying the drawbridge and inner gate) on the 10th November 1650. A number of the moss troopers...
The briefest entry for the current rash of Scottish entries. Brodick Castle was seized by Argyll in 1639; it would be reclaimed by James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, only to lose it to the Campbells in 1646. Hamilton would be captured at Preston, and be beheaded the 9th March 1649. Brodick Castle The Castle would again be garrisoned for the King in 1650. The garrison resisted repeated half hearted attempts to take the Castle, before it eventually fell to soldiers from the Ayr garrison in April 1652. The Roman fort atop Burnswick Hill was reutilised as a defensive earthwork with two demi-bastions added. Access to the site is along the Axeltree/Relief road. Park where the decent road runs out, a footpath takes you to the hill summit. OS grid NY185786 Dunaverty Castle Dunaverty Castle was garrisoned for the King by the MacDonalds, but fell to Leslie in 1647 who slaughtered the 300 strong garrison, and camp followers. This incident became known as the "Dunaverty Massacre...
The latest instalment of the ECWtravelogue summer road trip. This time attention turns to the Borders. The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13th September 1645, to the south west of Selkirk. After Montrose's victory at Kilsyth in August 1645, he made a critical error: rather than pressing on and consolidating his gains, he allowed his army to disperse, giving his enemies a chance to regroup. the battlefield from the walkway Montrose appeared to be unaware that Leslie had marched north from England with a substantial Covenanter army. On the 11th, Leslie had joined forces with the Lothian troops at Gladsmuir and then proceeded south. On night of the12th, unbeknownst to Montrose, the Covenanter army advanced toward Selkirk, disrupting the quarters of Montrose's rear guard. His seriously outnumbered army was taken by surprise by the advancing Covenanter forces, who routed Montrose's army from the field. The defeat marked the end of Montrose’s effective campaign in Scot...
After the excitement of Captain Frances Dalyell's Troop, recruiting the Army Of Montrose comes down to earth with a bump. Sorry. A very short-lived troop of horse that we don't really know much about. Raised by the Victorian's very own action hero, The Marquis of Montrose, to serve on Clavering’s brief campaign on the Scottish Border in early 1644. Reputedly boasting Scots gentry amongst their numbers. Their very brief fighting history being the taking of Dumfries; the siege of Morpeth; and a skirmish at Sunderland. And that, gentle reader, is pretty much all that is known about them; other than Blount described their cornet in The Art of Making Devises. I've chosen to present them as lancers, as I originally intended just to have the Gordon Horse as Montrose's harquebusiers. Mostly straight from the bag PP lancers. As I was being a cheapskate I rummaged in my spares box to find a trumpeter and a pair of mounted dragoon command figures - all three have had heads...
Montrose's army wasn't known for it's artillery or baggage trains, but they must have had them. A good rummage (who doesn't love a good rummage?) in the spares box provided some dragoon horseholders, who with a headswap for a Scots bonnet soon became lovers of Irn Bru and Tunnocks. A Museum Miniatures open wagon with load, with a couple of extra PP drums and a Donnington halberd fancying up the cart's baggage a bit. As Montrose wasn't really known for his artillery train I had a spare PP frame gun and crew lurking in the spares box. Also residing in the spares box was a Magister Militum pack mule, a suitable candidate to transport the frame gun between jobs. I would like to point out that my spares box is not enormous, nor does it hold riches beyond belief. In fact, apart from far too many standard bearers it is looking pretty empty now. Of course an artillery expansion requires a casualty marker from Warbases. If you enjoyed reading this, or any of the other p...
I must confess that I am really, really happy to have completed this unit. Not because I think they are stunningly good ( I know that they aren't); because they are one of the last planned unit of Highlanders that I intend to paint. That will be 144 teeny weeny Scots with checked fabric garments. Which is more than enough. And yes, before you ask this is the clan of Rob Roy MacGregor. Like many Scots soldiers in the Wars their allegiance flip-flopped depending upon which Army was furthering their own cause. In April 1603 James VI of Scotland issued an edict that proclaimed the name of MacGregor as "altogidder abolisheed". Why? A complicated story of interclan rivalry with the Clan Colquhoun which grew in intensity (fuelled by murder and executions) culminating in Battle of Glen Fruin. What did this mean? The 1617 Act of the Scottish Parliament stated: "It was ordained that the name of MacGregor should be abolished and that the whole persons of that name should renoun...
Continuing my therapeutic blogging (write rather than rant) antidote to incorrect English Civil War coat colour tables for wargamers, I give you the Royalist Regiments of Foot. For all of my coat colour articles see: Introduction Part 1 Parliamentarian coat colours Part 3 Scots coat colours Part 3B Montrose and the Irish Brigade Part 4 Dragoons, Horse and the New Model Army coat colours The Trained Bands London Trained Bands Auxiliary regiments Scarves Same rules apply here, as they did with the Parliamentarian coat colours: Regiments often got renamed when command passed to a new colonel - these regiments are listed under their first name e.g. Jacob Astley's Regiment was originally Richard Fielding's Regiment. Coat colour notes refer to contemporaneous references and some of the deductions made by Reid, Spring, Peachey and Prince. You will also notice that some regiments have several coat colours listed. Where there is some question aro...
When I planned my Army of Montrose, it was, as in real life, quite cavalry light. A unit of lancers and a unit of harquebusiers (for the Gordon Horse). But... well I fell down a rabbit hole... and, discovered the intriguing story of Captain Frances Dalyell alias Mrs Pierson. Well, once I knew about her, it just had to be done a Frances in 15mm. It was intended to be the final Montrose unit to be painted, unfortunately I was in headswapping mode and needed to scratch that itch. So here they are. Captain Frances Dalyell, alias Mrs Pierson, was reputedly the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Carnwath. There are many contemporary tales of women dressing as men and serving in the Wars, so many that Charles had a draft proclamation drawn up, setting out required standards of behaviour for Charles I’s army. It included a hand-written memo in the margin from the king himself stating "lett no woman presume to counterfeit her sex by wearing mans apparall under payne of the severest punis...
.jfif)
Comments
Post a Comment