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armies heightened the festive joy even further. But what, in fact, was
the cause of the euphoric rejoicing after the battle of Kallo?
During the sixteenth century, Antwerp had developed to become
the biggest and richest port of The Low Countries and a centre of
international seaborne trade. During the revolt of the Northern
Netherlands against Spanish domination – the Eighty Years’ War
(1568-1648) – the city suffered terribly. It was plundered in 1576 by
mutinous Spanish troops in what became known as the ‘Spanish
Fury’, and again in 1583 by the French troops of Anjou (the ‘French
Fury’); two years later, on the orders of the Spanish king, it was subdued
by Alexander Farnese (the Fall of Antwerp). A consequence of
the revolt was that the Hollanders and Zeelanders blocked access to
the Scheldt, demanding such high tolls that the overseas trade fell still.
Commerce in Antwerp was also hit by the taxes imposed under
Spanish rule. Thousands of Protestant citizens forsook the city, not
wishing to be reconciled with the Catholic faith. Among those that
left were many merchants, craftsmen and artists, seeking to find a
better future elsewhere. The blockade of the Scheldt and the exodus of
so many citizens led to the decline of the once so flourishing and
wealthy port.
It is this fact of history that explains the joy at the victory of Kallo, as
the victory – ascribed to the intercession of the Holy Virgin and
St. Aloysius Gonzaga – rekindled hope among the impoverished
citizenry that the lost prosperity would be recovered. At a service in
the Antwerp Cathedral of Our Lady, attended by a great multitude of
the faithful, a Te Deum was sung in the presence of the victor,
Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand.
To mark the victory, the Antwerp magistracy decided to add a
triumphal chariot to the annual Ommegang and commissioned
Rubens to prepare a design for it.
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