Battle of Ane
Encyclopedia
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
.
Background
From the middle of the 11th Century the Bishops of Utrecht were given the lands of GroningenGroningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
and Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
as a fief by the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
. The inhabitants of Drenthe were unhappy about their rights and taxation of the Bishop of Utrecht. The local lords of the Drenthe city of Coevorden
Coevorden
Coevorden is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands. During the municipal reorganisation in the province in 1998, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo.- Population centers :...
, though nominally under the authority of the Bishop, began to oppose him.
The battle
On 28 July 1227 the armies of the Bishop of Utrecht Otto II of LippeOtto II van Lippe
Otto of Lippe was a son of Bernhard II, Lord of Lippe. He was bishop of Utrecht as Otto II from 1216 to 1227. Several of his brothers also held high ecclesiastical offices in the Rhineland.During the Fifth Crusade, Otto visited Palestine....
and a large group of rebellious Drenths led by Rudolph of Coevorden met on a field near the present-day village of Ane
Ane, Netherlands
Ane is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality Hardenberg, about 5 km northeast of the centre of Hardenberg. The village centre of Ane has about 120 inhabitants; together with the part of the surrounding countryside that is reckoned to belong to Ane,...
. The Bishop had traveled to this area to call the rebellious province of Drenthe to order, and he had called up many of his warlords to support him together with a couple of warbands supplied by the Bishops of Munster and Cologne.
The Drenths knew that they did not stand a chance if they faced this army in the field, and they managed to lure the Bishopric army into an area with soft and swampy ground called the ‘’Mommenriete’’. The horses of the Bishop’s army sank into the ground, and the knights with their heavy armour were unable to fight effectively because of this. The Drenthe rebel army was light, and was used to fighting on this kind of ground. This kind of fighting where armoured knights were beaten by light forces because of the soft ground bears many resemblances to the Battle of the Golden Spurs
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, known also as the Battle of Courtrai was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders...
in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in 1302.
The Drenthe rebels managed to beat the Bishop’s forces, and killed most of it including the Bishop Otto II of Lippe, and many of his supporting warlords. Otto’s successor, Wilbrand of Oldenburg, roused the Frisian people into supporting him against the rebellious Drenths which led to the Frisian-Drentic War in 1231-1233 that was initially won by the Drenths. In 1233 Wilbrand succeeded in suppressing the rebellion after beating the Drenths at Peize
Peize
Peize is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Located in the northern part of Drenthe approximately 10 kilometers South of the city of Groningen...
. As a pennance the Drenths had to build and maintain a monastery, Sancta Maria de Campe (Mariënkamp) near Coevorden. The location proved to be unsuitable and the monastery was moved to a place near Rolde
Rolde
Rolde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, and lies about 6 km east of Assen.Rolde was a separate municipality until 1998, when it became a part of Aa en Hunze....
in 1258. The monastery later grew out to become the city of Assen
Assen
Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
, the present day capital of the province of Drenthe.
In 1967 a monument was erected near Ane
Ane, Netherlands
Ane is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality Hardenberg, about 5 km northeast of the centre of Hardenberg. The village centre of Ane has about 120 inhabitants; together with the part of the surrounding countryside that is reckoned to belong to Ane,...
to commemorate this battle.
It has an inscription in Zuud-Drèents: "Slag bi'j Aone, 28 juli 1227, zie vocht'n ok veur oenze vri'jheid." ("Battle of Ane, 28 july 1227, they also fought for our freedom".)
Noble casualties
- Duke Gerard III of Gelre (wounded)
- Lord Gijselbert of Amstel
- Otto II of Lippe, Bishop of Utrecht
- Diderick van der Lippe, Bishop of MünsterBishopric of MünsterThe Bishopric of Münster was an ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western Lower Saxony...
- Gerhart van der Lippe, Bishop of BremenArchbishopric of BremenThe Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
- The lord of ArkelArkelArkel is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Giessenlanden, and lies about 3 km north of Gorinchem.Arkel is a former municipality. In 1986 it became part of Giessenlanden....
, and his cousin - Berend van Horstmar, CrusaderCrusadesThe Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
knight - Gerhart, Count of GoorGoorGoor is a town about 26 km south of Almelo in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It received city rights in 1263. The population is about 13,000.Goor was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of Hof van Twente....
- Diderick, Count of CleveCleve-Surname:* Astrid Cleve , Swedish biologist, geologist, chemist and researcher, first woman in Sweden to obtain a doctorate in science* Bastian Clevé , German film director...
- Baldewijn, Count of BentheimBentheimCounty of Bentheim is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, the district of Emsland, and the districts of Steinfurt and Borken in North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :The District has roughly the same territory as the County of...
- Engelbert, Lord of Groningen
- Lambertus van Nettelhorst, Knight (died)