Guelderian Wars

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Yellow: Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Hennegouwen. Red: Guelders, Groningen and Frisia.
Yellow: Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Hennegouwen. Red: Guelders, Groningen and Frisia.

The Guelderian Wars (Dutch: Gelderse oorlogen) were a series of conflicts in the Low Countries between the Duke of Burgundy, who controlled Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Hainaut, and Charles, Duke of Guelders, who controlled Guelders, Groningen and Frisia.

The latter portion of the wars intersected with the larger conflict between France and Spain known as the Italian Wars.

The conflicts were characterised by the absence of large battles between the armies of both parties. Instead small hit and run actions, raids and ambushes were common practises.

Still, the impact on civilians was large, hostilities and incidents occurred throughout the Low Countries and were not restricted to the region of Guelders, climaxing with the sack of The Hague in 1528 and the (failed) siege of Antwerp in 1542, under the command of the Guelderian field marshal Maarten van Rossum.

The wars lasted from 1502 till 1543 and ended with a Burgundian victory. With this outcome, all of the Low Countries were now under the control of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.