The miracle of Empel

Ferrer-Dalmau’s contemporary work illustrates, five centuries apart, what happened to the tercios during the Eighty Years’ War under the reign of Philip II. During the winter of 1585, heavy fighting took place in Flanders, fuelled not only by the fierceness of the weather but also by the temperatures. On the island of Bommel, between the Meuse and Waal rivers, the soldiers of the Old Tercio were outnumbered by Admiral Holak’s troops. To isolate the Spaniards, he decided to open the dike of the Meuse River to force their surrender, to which Bobadilla, the Spanish field master, replied: “The Spanish infantrymen prefer death to dishonour. We will talk of capitulation after they are dead”. While digging a trench on Empel Hill, one of the soldiers found a Flemish image of an Immaculate Conception, which was interpreted as a divine sign. The dawn of 8 December 1585 was so cold that the chroniclers claimed that the heavy night frost caused a layer of ice as high as two pikes (recent scientific analyses show that for this to happen, the temperature must have reached -20°C). With the Meuse frozen, the Spaniards advanced towards the besieging fleet, causing the Dutch to disband. Holak described the Spanish victory in the following terms: “It seems that God is Spanish to work such a great miracle for me”. During the reign of Philip IV, the Immaculate Conception was canonised.

Collection: Images

Project: 5. Power and powers in the history of Europe: oligarchies, political participation and democracy., 6. Under a cloak of terror: violence and armed conflict in Europe.

Chronology: XVI

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University

Link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/El_milagro_de_Empel.jpg

Resource type: Image

Format: Oil on canvas

Source: Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau

Language: Spanish

Date: 2015 (1585)

Owner: Álvaro Romero González (Modernalia)