Flooding for Freedom: The (Staggering) Siege of Leiden 1573/4 | Eighty Years War

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Learn a new job in tech starting from $200/mo! Sign up for a FREE TripleTen career consultation with my link: https://get.tripleten.com/sandrhomanhistory When Spanish general Francisco de Valdez and his troops laid eyes on the Dutch city of Leiden in the morning mists of October 30, 1573, they were met with an eerie sight: the city appeared to have sprouted wings. Its windmills, which had been dismantled in the surrounding countryside, had been reassembled within the city walls, preparing for a long resistance. This marked the beginning of a truly staggering siege characterized by starvation, mutiny, and a daring act of environmental warfare: the flooding of an entire region. Leiden, along with many other towns, had risen in rebellion against the foreign rule of the Spanish crown during what became known as the Dutch Revolt. In 1573, the Spanish dispatched General Francisco de Valdez to take the city and crush the uprising. Leiden now faced a severe test of endurance. Not only was the city's fate at stake, but also the broader struggle for Dutch independence. This is how modern historiography tells the story of the staggering siege of Leiden. Check out our all sorts of military history, military SIFI and military fantasy books that we recommend here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sandrhomanhistory Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/sandrhomanhistory Paypal (thank you: paypal.me/SandRhomanhistory We also have Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandrhoman Bibliography Brugmans, H., Geschiedenis van Amsterdam II, 80-jarige oorlog 1544-1621, Utrecht/Antwerp 1972. Duffy, C., The Fortress in the Early Modern World 1494-1660, London 1979. Geyl, P., The Revolt of the Netherlands (1555-1609), New York 1958. Groen G. van Prinsterer et al (eds.), Archives ou correspondance inédite de la Maison d'Orange-Nassau, 26 vols., Leiden 1835-1915. Groen, P. (ed.), The Eighty Years War. From Revolt to Regular War 1568-1648, Leiden 2019. Groenveld, S., et. al, De Tachtigjarige Oorlog, opstand en consolidatie in de Nederlanden (ca. 1560-1650), Zutphen 2012. Israel, J., The Dutch Republic. It's Rise, Greatness and Fall, Oxford 1995. Fagel, Raymond, Leids beleg en ontzet door Spaanse ogen, Leiden 1997. Nimwegen, O. van/Sicking, L., De Tachtigjarige Oorlog. Van opstand naar geregelde oorlog. 1568-1648, Amsterdam 2013. Parker, G., The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 1567-1659: The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in the Low Countries' wars, Cambridge 2004. Townsend B. S., Great Sieges of History: The Sacking of Haarlem, in: The Cosmopolitan 39 (Aug. 1905), pp. 447-453.