Squire Francis War

The Squire Francis War (Dutch: Jonker Fransenoorlog) took place in the County of Holland between November 1488 and August 1490. It was the last outburst of the Hook and Cod wars. A Hook minority captured Rotterdam in early November 1488, and from there attempts were made to get towns and villages to become Hookist. This faction was led by Frans van Brederode (namesake of this war), a squire and descendant of an illustrious noble family. Frans revolted against the provincial administration of stadholder John III of Egmont dominated by the Cod.

Squire Francis War
Part of the Hook and Cod wars
Squire Francis War
Date 1488 – 1490 Location County of Holland Result Cods retain power in Holland

Background

When the Utrecht war of 1481–83 was settled in 1483, the Hook movement was in the minority. This decline in following started when William VI, Count of Holland died in 1417. The conservative-minded Hooks were mostly dominated by the Cods from 1484 onwards. The Hooks found refuge in places like Alphen, Montfoort, Zevenbergen and Sluis. The latter town became a place of refuge where Hooks and other exiles could settle. For example, the Hook nobles Jan van Naaldwijk, Jan and Zweder van Montfoort, Jan van Jaarsveld, Jan van Vliet, Walraven, Hendrik, Joris (the bastard), Anthonius van Brederode and Walraven (the bastard) van Brederode, Jacob van Alkemade and Floris van Alkemade, Jan van Tetrode, Otto van Botland, Dirk van Hodenpyl, Cornelis van Treslong and Reynier van Broeckhuysen were able to settle in Sluis.

In 1488, it was decided to set up a commission to appoint a new leader of the Hook because the Hook did not agree with the appointment of Maximilian of Austria as regent of the Netherlands on behalf of his son Philip the Handsome of Burgundy. The most important nobles among the Hook were mainly the Brederodes which made it not surprising that the new leader was elected from that family. There were also the Naaldwijks and the Montfoorts who were popular to a lesser extent. The three-member committee consisted of Walraven II of Brederode, Jan of Naaldwijk and Zweder of Montfoort. Walraven II was in an inner dilemma about taking up leadership himself and thought of his studying brother Frans. The latter was visited in Leuven and persuaded to travel with him to Sluis. There it was decided that Frans could lead the Hook.

Compaigns

On Nov. 13, 1488, a fleet of 43 cogs departed, with a number of battalions (about 800 to 1,000 men) on board. On November 15 they sailed up the Meuse and on November 16 they landed at Delfshaven, where a large group went ashore. On November 18, this group took the city of Rotterdam through the Schiedam Gate. From then on, piracy prevailed on the Maas and other rivers and the surrounding land around Rotterdam was plundered.

In mid-December 1488, a squadron of 700 men left for Schoonhoven. In mid-January this town was stormed several times, but these attempts at capture failed completely. The men commanded by Frans van Brederode set fire to Delfshaven and Schoonderloo during their plunder in 1488/1489, when they were threatened by their enemies. The Hooks took the castle IJsselmonde and the first skirmishes with the city of Schiedam took place. Jan III van Montfoort managed to capture the city of Woerden in the name of Frans van Brederode.