(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
An engraving by the Flemish artist Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590). This piece comes from a large set dedicated to the Dutch war of independence (1568-1648). when the Dutch war of independence ended is clear: the Peace of Münster of 1648. When the war started is a subject of debat. There was never an official declaration of war bij Dutch rebels or Spain - the war escalated from minor skirmishes to large scale battles and sieges. Most Dutch historians from the 18th and 19th century put the official start of the war with the Dutch victory at the battle of Heiligerlee (23 May 1568) - in that way the length of the war was eighty years and the war started with a Dutch victory. Before the battle of Heiligerlee there were already minor skirmishes. One of the more large skirmishes was the battle of Oosterweel. A small army of about 2500 Dutch rebels were raiding the region Northwest of the city of Antwerp. A Spanish army of about 1000 men attacked the Dutch forces and quickly defeated the rebels - about 700-800 rebels died. Dutch prisoners were executed as the Spanish considered them rebels and not prisoners-of-war. Engraving from 1567-1570.
