Battle of Heiligerlee (1568)

The Battle of Heiligerlee in the present province of Groningen on May 23, 1568 took place at the beginning of the Eighty Years' War, which ended with the Peace of Westphalia and led to the independence of the Netherlands.

The Dutch rebels were based on an army of 3900 infantry and 200 cavalry, led by Louis and Adolf of Nassau, two brothers of William I of Orange -Nassau.

The army of the governor of the Spanish in Groningen, Johann de Ligne, Count of Aremberg, consisted of 3200 infantry and 20 cavalry. The governor of the Spanish first avoided the confrontation and waited for reinforcements, but on May 23, but it came to battle. Aremberg lost between 1500 and 2000 men, while the rebels lost only 50 men, among them Adolf of Nassau. Even Johann de Ligne fell on the battlefield.

The army of the Dutch rebels took no cities, and was defeated in the Battle of Jemgum on July 21, 1568.