Roger Williams (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Sir Roger Williams was a Protestant Welsh
soldier of fortune
.
Born in Penrhos, Monmouthshire
, Williams was said by Anthony Wood
to have attended Brasenose College, Oxford
. He spent most of his life soldiering, mainly on the continent. He was in the Netherlands
fighting on behalf of William the Silent
, Prince of Orange, when the latter was assassinated, and helped capture the assassin, Balthasar Gérard
. Williams was recognised as an expert on military matters by his contemporaries, and wrote A brief discourse of war (1590).
In 1585 he was sent to the Low Countries
with an army under the Earl of Leicester
's command, to confront the Spanish forces under the Duke of Parma
. Though the campaign was not a success, Leicester wrote:
and he was duly knighted after the Battle of Zutphen
in 1586 by Leicester.
Williams accompanied Sir Francis Drake
to Portugal, and later fought on behalf of the French Huguenot
s.
In 1587, Williams and his regiment were in Sluys (Sluis
) when the Duke of Parma laid siege to the town. After a heroic defence, marked by acts of heroism and genius on both sides, the English and Dutch defenders were forced to surrender on 4 August.
Parma gave generous terms; the garrison marched out with all their banners and baggage and all the honours of war. Parma sought Williams out and offered him a command where he would not have to fight either his fellow-countrymen or his co-religionists. Williams replied politely that if he ever fought in the service of any other than his queen, Elizabeth
, it would be in the service "of that hero of the Protestant cause, King Henry of Navarre
." He went on to serve Henry during the late 1580s and 1590s. He also fought for the Protestant Elector of Cologne, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
, and fought with the Dutch soldier of fortune, Martin Schenck von Nydeggen in Westphalia
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
soldier of fortune
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
.
Born in Penrhos, Monmouthshire
Penrhos, Monmouthshire
-History and amenities:Penrhos has an old Norman motte and bailey castle site. Raglan Castle is located just north of Raglan village. Penrhos sits on a tributary stream of the River Trothy.The parish church is dedicated to Saint Cadoc .-External links:* *...
, Williams was said by Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
to have attended Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
. He spent most of his life soldiering, mainly on the continent. He was in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
fighting on behalf of William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
, Prince of Orange, when the latter was assassinated, and helped capture the assassin, Balthasar Gérard
Balthasar Gérard
Balthasar Gérard was the assassin of the Dutch independence leader, William I of Orange...
. Williams was recognised as an expert on military matters by his contemporaries, and wrote A brief discourse of war (1590).
In 1585 he was sent to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
with an army under the Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
's command, to confront the Spanish forces under the Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...
. Though the campaign was not a success, Leicester wrote:
and he was duly knighted after the Battle of Zutphen
Battle of Zutphen
The Battle of Zutphen was a confrontation of the Eighty Years' War on 22 September 1586, near Zutphen , the Netherlands. It was fought between forces of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, aided by the English, against the Spanish, who sought to regain the northern Netherlands.Important...
in 1586 by Leicester.
Williams accompanied Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
to Portugal, and later fought on behalf of the French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s.
In 1587, Williams and his regiment were in Sluys (Sluis
Sluis
Sluis is the name of both a municipality and a town located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western part of the Netherlands....
) when the Duke of Parma laid siege to the town. After a heroic defence, marked by acts of heroism and genius on both sides, the English and Dutch defenders were forced to surrender on 4 August.
Parma gave generous terms; the garrison marched out with all their banners and baggage and all the honours of war. Parma sought Williams out and offered him a command where he would not have to fight either his fellow-countrymen or his co-religionists. Williams replied politely that if he ever fought in the service of any other than his queen, Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, it would be in the service "of that hero of the Protestant cause, King Henry of Navarre
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
." He went on to serve Henry during the late 1580s and 1590s. He also fought for the Protestant Elector of Cologne, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg was Archbishop-Elector of Cologne. After pursuing an ecclesiastical career, he won a close election in the Cathedral chapter of Cologne over Ernst of Bavaria. After his election, he fell in love with and later married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben, a Protestant...
, and fought with the Dutch soldier of fortune, Martin Schenck von Nydeggen in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
.