Battle of Heiligerlee
Heiligerlee, Groningen, Netherlands
What happened
Dutch rebels under Louis and Adolf of Nassau, brothers of William of Orange, fought a Spanish army under the Duke of Arenberg. The Dutch were rising against Spanish rule. Arenberg first avoided battle while he waited for reinforcements. At the monastery of Heiligerlee, Adolf's cavalry drew him into an ambush, and Louis's infantry defeated the Spanish force; Adolf died in the fighting.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the first Dutch victory of the Eighty Years' War. It gave hope to the rebels.
What came next
The rebel army captured no cities and was soon defeated at the Battle of Jemmingen. In 1572 the rebels captured the port of Brielle.
Did you know?
The Dutch national anthem, the 'Wilhelmus', written soon after, mourns Count Adolf in one of its verses.
Timeline
- April 1568The Eighty Years' War begins.
- 23 May 1568The rebels win at Heiligerlee.
- 1 April 1572Rebels capture Brielle.
- 10 May 1932The Wilhelmus becomes the official Dutch anthem.