European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Netherlands, The Dutch Republic. Plaquettepenning (Silver, 77.5mm, 91.44 g 12), on the death of Captain David Zweerts (Sweers), killed at the Battle of Texel, or Kijkduin, in 1673, by an unknown master, after Christoffel Adolfszoon and Wouter Muller, 1673. * DOE NAM MY, DAER ICK VOCHT, EEN YSER VYTER TYT * WIE SOVD EEN STERFLYCK LYF VOOR SOO VEEL EERS NIET WAGEN (= a fatal ball took away my life in the midst of the battle; who would not expose a mortal body to gain such glory? ) Bier bearing the armored body of Captain Zweerts; behind, a pillar bearing his coat of’s arms amidst banners and weapons; in a cartouche on the side of the bier, Jo DAVIT ZWEERTS Capt / Vier Zeeslagen Mannelijck bij / geweest - en den laertsten sonder Wijcken / gevelt den 21 Aug . 1673 (= Jonkheer David Zweerts, Captain, having fought valiantly at sea in four engagements, was killed, in battle, in the last, 21 August 1673 ). Rev. DUS MOET MEN JUYCHEN EN GEEN OORLOGSHELT BEKLAGEN DIE T LIEVE VADERLAND VOOR DWNGLADY BEVRYT (= so must one rejoice, and not lament a hero who frees his beloved country from tyranny ) Naval battle with ship on fire in the foreground; below, PVGNANDO (= by fighting ). Bemolt 262. Frederiks p. 45, 9b and fig. 138 (Wouter Muller, the reverse of this medal ). MI I, pp. 559-560, 223. TKMN 00848. Van Loon pp. 115-116, i. Very rare. A splendid, beautifully toned example of exceptionally fine quality. Usual blow-hole on the edge. Good extremely fine. The Battle of Texel, or Kijkduin, was the last serious battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, a very muddled affair that initially had Louis XIV and Charles II allied against the Dutch, and initially looked fatal for the Dutch Republic, but finally ended in a stalemate very favorable to the Republic. This came about because both the Empire and Spain, plus a number of German states, feared that France might become too powerful, and because the English Parliament had become seriously uneasy about fighting Holland, seeing the Dutch as natural Protestant allies against Catholicism (Charles II had become increasingly ”Papist”, while his brother James was rightly believed to have converted - especially after his marriage to Mary of Modena, picked for him by Louis XIV). As for Zweerts, he was captain of the 50-gun ship of the line Beschermer and was killed when an English cannonball took off both his legs. In the end the Dutch fleet clearly out fought both the English and French: apparently the nobles of both Britain and France disdained the Dutch as being a nation of ‘cheesemongers’; as a result at least three Dutch privateers were given the name, Getergde Kaasboer, or ‘Provoked Cheesemonger’!