Spain's capture of Venlo in 1586 secured a key southeastern Dutch city for Parma during the Eighty Years' War.
Key Facts
- Date of Capitulation
- June 28, 1586
- Spanish Commander
- Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma
- Dutch Relief Commanders
- Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen and Sir Roger Williams
- Relief Troops in Night Raid
- ~170 Dutch and English soldiers
- Spanish Pursuit Force
- 2,000 soldiers
- Relief Troop Losses
- Nearly half killed or captured during pursuit
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War, Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese besieged the Dutch-held city of Venlo in 1586. The Dutch garrison sought relief from Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen and Sir Roger Williams, who attempted two separate operations to break the siege and prevent Spanish consolidation in the southeastern Low Countries near the German border.
On the night before the final capitulation, roughly 170 Dutch and English soldiers under Schenck and Williams infiltrated the Spanish camp, killing several soldiers and reaching Parma's tent, where they slew his secretary and personal guard. The Spanish camp was alerted and 2,000 troops pursued the raiders toward Wachtendonk, killing or capturing nearly half of Schenck's force. With both relief attempts having failed, the Dutch garrison surrendered on June 28, 1586.
Following the fall of Venlo, Parma's army moved in mid-July 1586 to besiege Neuss, an important Protestant stronghold in the Electorate of Cologne, virtually destroying the city and killing or capturing its entire garrison. Venlo itself remained in Spanish hands for over a decade; subsequent Dutch attempts to retake it in 1597 and 1606 both failed.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma.
Side B
1 belligerent
Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen, Sir Roger Williams.