THE BATTLE OF GEMBLOUX 1578: The Last Victory of the Hero of Lepanto

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After the 1673 dismissal of Duke of Alba as governor of Netherlands -- where the rebellion was consolidated in Holland and Zeeland islands -- and the death of Luis de Requesens, Spanish power in Flanders sank to almost nothing. New Governor don Juan de Austria dallied, Spanish soldiers were declared outlaws, and rebellion spread through all the Netherlands.

After some initial attempts at appeasement, don Juan was forced to call back the dreaded Spanish regiments of infantry, scraped together and army, confronted the rebels on January 31, 1578, and achieved total victory at Gembloux. This also marked the entry of one of the best generals of his time, Alexander Farnese.

This work will help readers understand in detail what happened in that period which was known as the Eighty Years' War.