Zoudenbalch - The Zoudenbalchs and The End of The Utrecht Civil War

The Zoudenbalchs and The End of The Utrecht Civil War

The fortunes of war favoured the belligerent parties in turn without either side gaining the upper hand, but it was clear that the military might of the Burgundian-Habsburg forces would ultimately prevail. Early in 1482 the Hook party therefore again sent a delegation to negotiate with Maximilian's plenipotentiaries at Schoonhoven, which once again included Gerrit Zoudenbalch. The negotiations at Schoonhoven failed but both parties continued their attempts to reach a peaceful settlement with further negotiations in Woerden, the Hague and Arnhem.

Pope Sixtus IV then intervened in the conflict and placed the population of the Sticht under an interdict, forbidding any church services to be held until they would allow their Prince-Bishop to freely enter Utrecht. This further raised tensions within the Sticht between the peace party who were tired of the war and the endless depredations, suffering and famine it was causing, and the ultra-Hook party which remained committed to protect the privilieges of the Sticht at any price. The bellicose diplomacy of Gerrit Zoudenbalch managed to prevent a compromise being reached during negotiations at Werkhoven in the autumn of 1482 but the tide of popular opinion was turning against the ultra-Hooks. The Treaty of Arras (1482) between Louis XI and Maximilian ruled out the possibility of any foreign support for the Hook party and further sapped morale in the beleaguered Sticht.

On 21 April 1483 the peace party in Utrecht led a coup against the Hooks and imprisoned Viscount January of Montfoort, Evert Soudenbalch (see below) and other Hook notables who had gathered to define their negotiating strategy with Maximilian. With the peace party in power, the Prince-Bishop could safely re-enter Utrecht; he speedily returned in triumph to settle in his old episcopal palace in the city together with his partisans. But the Hooks quickly struck back and on 8 May 1483 they re-occupied the city in a daring and stealthy night raid, capturing the Prince-Bishop, whom they then imprisoned in Amersfoort.

The Archduke Maximilian immediately set camp before the walls of Utrecht and laid siege to the city. His troops' bombardment of the city walls seriously undermined the city's defences and the Hooks quickly requested a truce. Viscount January of Montfoort, the generalissimo Engelbert of Cleves and Gerrit Zoudenbalch then left the city to negotiate terms with the Archduke. The Viscount was not prepared to accept Maximilian's terms without further consultations with his allies so Engelbert of Cleves and Gerrit Zoudenbalch remained behind as hostages whilst Viscount January returned to the city. Shortly thereafter the inconsidered action of a party of Maximilian's troops broke the truce and in reaction January of Montfoort's Hook militants re-commenced hostilities with their besiegers. As a result both Engelbert of Cleves and Gerrit Zoudenbalch were now considered to be prisoners of war.

The resumption of hostilities led to a hand-to-hand struggle for Utrecht which became uglier by the day with both sides suffering severe losses. With the chief Hook personalities dispersed, discouraged or in captivity, the peace party in Utrecht once again gained the upper hand over the viscerally anti-Burgundian Viscount January Maximilian, who had seen his stadtholder, Joost de Lalaing, and many of his men fall as casualties in the course of the siege, was now also inclined to peace. His conditions for capitulation were hard but not harsh and were readily accepted by the war-torn city. Having taken control of Utrecht the Archduke continued on to Amersfoort, where he liberated David of Burgundy. For financial, political and economic reasons it was in the interest of both Maximilian and David of Burgundy to effect a lasting reconciliation with their adversaries, and their moderate post-war policies reflected this need. Gerrit Zoudenbalch however remained under lock and key; he was imprisoned in the Castle of Schoonhoven and died in captivity towards the end of 1483. His brother, Evert Soudenbalch, wisely chose to effectuate a reconciliation with the Prince-Bishop, and continued to be one of the most prominent clergymen in Utrecht until his death twenty years later.