Battle of Haarlemmermeer

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52°22′33″N 4°40′59″E / 52.37583°N 4.68306°E / 52.37583; 4.68306

Battle of Haarlemmermeer
Part of the Eighty Years' War

Battle of Haarlemmermeer circa 1621 by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum.
Date26 May 1573
Location
Haarlemmermeer
(present-day the Netherlands)
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic Geuzen Spain
Amsterdam[1]
Commanders and leaders
Marinus Brandt Count of Bossu
Strength
150 warships[2][3] 100 warships[2][3]
Casualties and losses
21 ships captured[2] Low

The Battle of Haarlemmermeer was a naval engagement fought on 26 May 1573, during the early stages of the Dutch War of Independence. It was fought on the waters of the Haarlemmermeer – a large lake which at the time was a prominent feature of North Holland (it would be drained in the 19th century).

A Spanish fleet and a fleet belonging to the city of Amsterdam (at the time still loyal to Spain),[1] commanded by the Count of Bossu, fought a fleet of rebellious Dutch Geuzen, commanded by Marinus Brandt, who were trying to break the siege of Haarlem. After several hours of fighting, the Geuzen were forced to retreat.

Trivia

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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is situated in what used to be the Haarlemmermeer.

Citations and notes

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  1. ^ a b Rijksmuseum, (Dutch)
  2. ^ a b c Fernández Duro p. 274
  3. ^ a b Harbottle p. 104

References

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  • Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1895). Armada Española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón. Vol. II. Madrid, Spain: Est. tipográfico "Sucesores de Rivadeneyra".
  • Harbottle, Thomas Benfield (2009). Dictionary of Battles from the Earliest Date to the Present Time. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-110-05778-8.