Brielle - The Netherlands

Brielle or known in the English speaking world as Brill is the city was in the Dutch history an turning point. The Lowland countries were fed up with the Spanish rule, the Eighty Years  War (1568-1648)broke out. The first succes was when the Protestant rebels known as the Watergeuzen found out that the Spanish the city of Brill was poorly defended. The city is strategically located at Dutch coast in region of Holland, nowaday South Holland. It was an bold move but the action take the Spanish by surprise, they capture more cities and the rebellion against grew bigger. The date of the Capture of Brielle was 1 april 1572 and many think in the Netherlands that April Fool's Day is originated from this event. One thing for sure it was not an joke for the Spanish, when the Dutch rebels got an foothold in Holland. Brielle is an small fortified city and is the seat of the municipality of the same name that also comprise the villages of Vierpolders and Klaaswaal. The place can be found in the southern part of the province South Holland on he former island of Voorne. Another historic fact that Brielle was for an while an English possession from 1585 to 1617. Given to Elisabeth I in exchange for military and financial assistance in the fight against Spain. So lets take an look at the flag.

Three horizontal stripes two white ones and one red, the colors are derived from the noble family Van Voorne which granted city rights to Brielle. The meaning of it is not clear but the coat of arms has more to show. The supporter is an mythical creature named centaur but originally it was an capirussa, with an human head, body of an horse and ears and tail of an dog. People in medieval days thought an capirussa roams the land. But the creature changed from an capirussa to an centaur, maybe that one looks friendlier. Below an motto in Latin which meant "The first fruits of freedom", Brielle is the first liberated city of the Dutch Revolt. No information of that crown but it can derived from the noble family Van Voorne. Many old cities in South Holland and Noord Holland uses an horizontal striped flag, this one is solid.