The Dutch (20 page)

“Our families have faced danger together many times in the past.”

“I have been told that by my father, my Lord.”

“Gustoff let me tell you something that my father, Lord Willem, told yours after another battle.”

“That was My Lord?”

“You fought well, very well; your ancestors have always fought bravely, for hundreds of generations, and always at the side of my blood. The ancient gods of the Droger Land bound our families together when time began. The old gods meant such ties should never be broken.”

“Aye my Lord,” was Gustoff's only comment.

The dedication of Amsterdam's first warship should have been a time of rejoicing for its proud citizens. Such a ship would be sending a message to the world that this powerful city planned to aggressively defend the Zuider Zee and guarantee freedom of the seas for the northern provinces of the new Republic. Instead, the insensitive methods use by Clifford van Weir to acquire the ship had left Amsterdam's citizens enraged and the message muted. The entire city was growing tired of the Baron's well-meaning but pretentious rule. The City Estate had petitioned many times to The Hague for his recall as Military Commander. The population would always be grateful for the decisive role the Baron played in eliminating the bandit gangs and all appreciated the wise economic decisions that followed. The improvements he ordered had provided the infrastructure that was now fueling the rapid growth of the ever-expanding city. His tolerant policy toward immigration provided a robust growing population filled with skilled entrepreneurs. His leadership made Amsterdam the most prosperous and talked about city in Europe. However the independent-minded citizens felt the time had come for the Baron to return control to local officials. His procrastination-strained relationships with his closest allies, such as the Magistrate and the High Sheriff, and the controversy over the new warship became a symbol of that city's discontent. The Baron, foolishly naming the ship “Abraham's Youngest Son,” had callously inflamed religious passions. The ship's name was considered a heretical misnomer by the faithful who knew that God had given the Prophet Abraham only one son. The name shocked the majority of the people who were now fervent Protestants who prided themselves on reading the scriptures each day. The ship's name even created consternation among Catholics and Jews who had previously been firm supporters of Clifford van Weir. A clarification issued by the Baron stating that the ship had been named in honor of his first Dutch ancestor, the Roman General Claudius Abraham Weir, did little to reduce the turmoil. It only reinforced the idea that the Lord of the Droger Land had a not-very-well hidden desire to become the Great Lord of Amsterdam.

While a warship would be helpful in defending the Zuider Zee, the inland lake leading to Amsterdam, there were sound reasons to refrain from prematurely building such a ship. The Dutch Sea Beggar Fleet was already doing a good job of protecting the Zuider Zee and keeping open important sea lanes for trade. Many politicians felt the construction of warships would force Spain to attack the seven Northern Provinces sooner, opening a new front within Holland itself. The ruling Dutch Estate, with its representatives from all the rebellious provinces, were already planning new defenses for the sea lanes. Most delegates felt all available funds must be allocated to build a stronger army to shore up the crumbling fortunes of the Dutch forces fighting in the south.

When the Baron first initiated the proposal for the warship's construction, the request received little support from the members of the City Estate who requested guidance from The Hague on the idea of constructing such a ship. Without awaiting a reply, the Baron made a unilateral decision to push ahead immediately, for he deemed he knew what was best for Amsterdam. He used his authority as military governor to authorize the construction without any further consultation with local politicians. In his haste, he then made a series of questionable judgments which inflamed powerful groups within the city. He chose the shipbuilder Henri Roulfs, an old friend and associate to build the warship. By selecting the prominent Rotterdam shipbuilder, no matter how innovative the final design might be, he embarrassed the shipwrights of Amsterdam. Many felt Henri Roulf's experience in building a few gunboats, did not elevate him to the status of a great architect of warships. The fact that the ship was being built at the designer's boat yard in Rotterdam, angered every guild member in Amsterdam. The budding armament industry, desperately needed to supply munitions for the war, felt unappreciated when the ship's main armament, ten bronze cannons, were cast in Germany. The Barons former supporters within the proud maritime community looked on with disbelief when a ship built to defend Amsterdam interests was constructed in Rotterdam and armed in Germany.

The physical characteristics of the finished ship also raised further concerns among the nautical community. It lacked the classic lines of a fighting ship. It had no forecastle and seemed small and fragile when compared to Spanish warships. Some experts questioned the wisdom of placing the main guns on a second deck near the water line. Yet even the harshest critic admitted that the narrow hull, the three tall masts and an extra long bowsprit would give the ship more speed than potential adversaries. The speed and the pure beauty of the two-decked vessel were displayed in sea trials on the lake. Despite the weight of ten medium caliber cannons, it sailed past and pulled rapidly away from every ship it encountered in various winds. The simmering citizens begrudgingly gave the ship the nickname “The Runaway Baron”. The controversies only heighten as the Baron appointed Jon van Weir, his eighteen year old son, to command the vessel. In doing so he passed over a host of eminently more qualified local captains. The Baron attempted to silence his critics by announcing that Gustoff Roulfs, the hero of the “Battle of the Flight of the Three Pound Shot,” would be appointed second in command. This did little to quiet the dissent for it was well known his father had built the ship, and Gustoff was a proponent of the German cannons.

Prince William of Orange, the Commander of all Dutch forces, arrived unexpectedly in Amsterdam and visited with the Baron at his residency. William , soon to be the “Father of the Netherlands,” knew these were desperate times. The earlier loss of Brussels and the eminent fall of Antwerp made this a desperate hour for the Dutch Republic. William needed the Northern Provinces of Holland and Zeeland to increase their financial support for the war effort. Increased expenditures by the merchants of Amsterdam lay at the heart of that equation. He had come to resolve the conflict between his friend Clifford and the most important city inside the new Republic.
Abraham's Youngest Son
gave Prince William a practical tool to placate his supporters in Holland's richest and most energetic of the seven Provinces. He decided to send the controversial ship on a mission to re-establish trade in the east, long dormant since the break with the king. The mere thought of reviving that profitable trade should soothe the hurt feelings among Amsterdam's merchant men. The solution began with a joint proclamation by the Estate General and the City lauding the contributions the Baron Clifford van Weir had made to Amsterdam. A holiday was proclaimed in his honor. The Baron, the good soldier, resigned his position and accepted reassignment to Prince Williams' command. His experienced horsemen were needed, more than ever, as Prince William manipulated the small Dutch Army against the larger and more powerful foreign forces. William did not have enough soldiers to defend the free Northern Provinces and repulse the massive Spanish Army ravaging the south. At least he could now send the Baron and his cavalrymen to harass his foe, as they had done earlier in the war.

The Prince of Orange reaffirmed Captain Jon van Weir's command of
Abraham's Youngest Son,
and gave the young captain thirty days to prepare the ship for the secret diplomatic mission through the world's most dangerous waters. It was ironic that the bulk of the Dutch trade in things like fish, fabrics and grain was still being carried on between the warring parties while Spain and its ally France, by their geographical location adjacent to the sea lanes leading to the east, and their influences with Italian city states, was able to exclude Dutch ships from the lucrative trade in the Mediterranean. The ship's mission was to carry three Dutch emissaries empowered to renegotiate new trade agreements with Italian city states, particularly Venice, and if possible even with the hated Ottomans. Jon began by appointing a ship's master with excellent navigational skills and acquiring a ship's pilot with Mediterranean experience. A dozen crack infantrymen and a few seamen fluent in the languages spoken along the Mediterranean coast were added to the ship's company. William convinced the Estate General to discreetly pay all outstanding bills for the ship's construction and provide some advanced wages to the sailors and soldiers making the journey.

Though Jon van Weir was young, he had already grown into a sophisticated young noble. After his mother's death the Baron, his father went to war. Lord Karl, the Baron's younger brother, was given the responsibility of raising Jon. Karl saw to it that Jon possessed the skills needed to project a style of ruling suited to the opening moments of the Dutch Golden Age. While his father was away, becoming an almost legendary military hero, his uncle, had modernized the way the family functioned in governing the Droger Land. Lord Karl had prepared his nephew for a newly evolving role when Jon became the next great Lord. In the democratic atmosphere of the day, Karl taught Jon to do more leading than commanding. His uncle saw to it that his nephew grew up without the usual class restraints of former lords like his father. Karl taught his nephew to be comfortable working with all social classes, while retaining the skills needed to command them.

Those new skills were helpful when Jon van Weir spent much of the last year monitoring the ship's construction. Henri Roulfs found it far easier to bond with the likable young man than his sometimes difficult father. Jon's youthful enthusiasm for the project reignited the spirit of creativity within the middle-age shipbuilder; at times it was the young noble's input that help drive the innovative design. Jon also became a bridge between Henri Roulfs and his estranged son Gustoff. While the father and son had not united, they were able to communicate through Jon. Gustoff's knowledge of big guns helped his father design a frame strong enough to carry the weight of the ordinance best suited for the warship.

For Henri initially found himself in a shipbuilder's quandary. He was given two conflicting goals to overcome during the design process. The first by the father was the requirement that the ship have speed to escape powerful enemy vessels. The second by the son that the ship be dominant enough to confront any adversary met on the high seas. While the son wanted a fighting ship that could slug it out with larger warships, the shipwright knew his father wanted a fast ship able to maneuver out of harm's way if necessary. By the time the hull was completed the builder was satisfied with the narrow underbody and sleek lines. When he placed the set of three tall masts properly and viewed them being rigged in square and triangular sails, he knew the goals of speed and maneuverability was met.

Henri's also knew his use of dense oak for the framing and planking made the ship extremely strong. Each gun position was reinforced by a live oak knee that would solidly brace the gun deck for the weight and recoil of even the heaviest guns. Space, rather than any structural weakness, limited the number to five cannons on each side of the ship. Gustoff‘s recommended choice of ten powerful but light-weight bronze cannons met Jon's criteria and it was on that gun deck that Henri introduced a new revolutionary design. While a second deck for cannons was becoming more commonplace in European warships, the deck usually had small round holes called “ports” which allowed little traverse for cannons. Henry devised a larger rectangular opening for each cannon that allowed gunners more space to aim their cannon. He also developed hinged scuttles on his ports, allowing them to be closed when the ship encountered stormy seas. Henri felt confident he met the requirements of both father and son.

Jon van Weir and Gustoff Roulfs began spending a great deal of time together whenever Jon came to Amsterdam. Gustoff was not quite ready to unite with his family in Rotterdam. The discussions between the two young men ranged far beyond the ship's cannons. They included every weapon, from the swivel guns on the quarterdeck deck to the best variety of small arms for the crew. A bond developed between the young men. Jon van Weir, the outgoing but guarded aristocrat and Gustoff Roulfs, the excitable burger's son, became an unlikely dynamic duo. The tall, handsome, well-educated young noble and the stocky, boisterous, illiterate, slightly older burger became a likable winning team. They became true friends and almost brothers. They enjoyed each other's company and trusted in the other's judgment. Both had suffered through parental difficulties. Jon felt his father had abandoned him at an early age; Gustoff felt his mother loved him, but never really cared for him. Sometimes they confided these painful feelings with each other. They found they made good decisions collectively and would debate the minutia of an issue until both were satisfied with the result.

Those solid decisions and Henri's brilliance in designing the forerunner of a frigate, would give them an advantage over enemy vessels they met. They were a team. Jon as captain would decide when to run or fight: Gustoff's would see to it that their ship's weapons were used to full advantage. They had faith in the ship's strength. It would withstand the considerable recoil of the cannons. Those guns would be accurate, powerful, and devastating. They believed they had the power to shatter the hull of any ship and could teach their sailors to use the weapons. Most importantly, Jon recognized that Gustoff would be a good and trustworthy companion on the long voyage to Italy. Both were well aware that their ancestors had shared similar adventures in the past. Each longed for this adventure.

The young captain laid the groundwork for their departure by meeting often with the ship's key personnel. Without disclosing the destination, he let a few important crew members know it would be a long and difficult journey they might not survive. He often spoke with the entire crew about the weapons because he wanted them to know that this ship was first and foremost a fighting ship. He gave the master the responsibility of purchasing a six month's supply of food and stores needed for a long voyage. The master and the pilot were told to acquire charts and instruments needed to navigate to the Italian peninsula. He told them he hoped to keep the ship as far away from the hostile shorelines as much as possible. He appointed a seasoned seaman to the Boatswain's position. The master said the large man had studied painting in Brussels before abandoning his brushes for life on the sea. The new boatswain was told to select a few of the crew's most trusted sailors to help acquire supplies. Since the master and the new boatswain would have the responsibility of the day-to-day operations aboard, Jon told them he wanted to be immediately informed of any unusual event, no matter how small. He told them he and Gustoff would take direct command in times of danger or uncertainly.