European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Netherlands, The Dutch Republic. 1594. Medal (Silver, 51mm, 44.61 g 12), on the victories of Prince Maurice over the Spaniards, unsigned but by G. van Bylaer, 1597. (rose).A.DNO.FACTVM.EST.ISTVD.ET.EST.MIRABILE. IN. OCVLIS.NOSTRIS. (= this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes , Psal. cxviii, 23) View of Maurice’s army driving the Spaniards from the field, below, VICTORIA / TVRNOTANA / IANV.1597. Rev. (rose) ALPEN. BERC. MEVRS.GROL.BREVORT.ENSCH.OLD.OTM.LINGEN (= Alpen, Berchem, Meurs, Grol, Bredevoort, Enschede, Oldenzaal, Otmarse, Lingen ) 1597 above views of the 9 towns, arranged in a circle around the central inscriptions VENIT / VIDIT / DEVS / VICIT (= He came, he saw, God conquered ) and (bunch of arrows) VICTORIA.PARTA.SPATIO.TRIMESTRI. (= Victory won within three months ). Eimer 70. MI I, pp. 170-171, 163. Van Loon I, p. 482, i. A sharp, beautifully toned example. Good extremely fine. This is one of many Dutch medals commemorating the Battle of Turnhout in 1597, in which the Dutch forces drove off a Spanish army. This was extremely significant because up to this point the Spanish army had been virtually unbeatable. Thus, Turnhout gave the Dutch an enormous moral boost and the confidence to continue their long fight for independence. The city of Turnhout did not, however, remain in Dutch hands and is today in the province of Antwerp in Belgium.