| Siege of Grave (1586) | |||||||
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| Part of theEighty Years' War and theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) | |||||||
TheSiege of Grave in 1586 by DonAlejandro Farnesio – engraving byMichelangelo Cerquozzi | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Thesiege of Grave, also known as thecapture of Grave of 1586, took place from mid-February to 7 June 1586 atGrave,Duchy of Brabant,Low Countries (present-day theNetherlands), between the Spanish army led by Governor-General DonAlexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, and the Dutch-States and English forces under Baron Peter van Hemart, Governor of Grave, during theEighty Years' War and theAnglo-Spanish War (1585–1604).[1][2]
In February of 1586, theCount Peter Ernst of Mansfeld, by order of Alexander Farnese, laid siege to the town of Grave.[3][4] After three months, and faced with the failure of the English and Dutch forces to relieve the city, Grave surrendered to the Spaniards on 7 June.[1][2] The capture of the strategically important town of Grave by Parma, and the impotence of the English commander SirRobert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to relieve the town, in a time whereEngland had raised hopes to the Dutch rebels thanks to theTreaty of Nonsuch, was a complete military and political success for the Spanish authorities, and a severe blow for the Protestant cause, provoking the start of the disagreements of theStates-General of the Netherlands with the Earl of Leicester.[1][2][5]
A few days later, the Spanish army, commanded by the Prince of Parma, laid siege toVenlo, garrisoned and supported byDutch andEnglish troops led byMaarten Schenck and SirRoger Williams.[6] On 28 June 1586the garrison was forced to capitulate to the Spaniards.[6][7]