Battle of Haarlemmermeer

The Battle of Haarlemmermeer was a naval engagement fought on 26 May 1573, during the early stages of the Dutch War of Independence. It was fought on the waters of the Haarlemmermeer – a large lake which at the time was a prominent feature of North Holland (it would be drained in the 19th century).

Battle of Haarlemmermeer
Part of the Eighty Years' War
Battle of Haarlemmermeer circa 1621 by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum.
Date 26 May 1573 Location Haarlemmermeer (present-day the Netherlands) Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Geuzen	Spain  Amsterdam[1]
Commanders and leaders
Marinus Brandt	Count of Bossu
Strength
150 warships[2][3]	100 warships[2][3]
Casualties and losses
21 ships captured[2]	Low

A Spanish fleet and a fleet belonging to the city of Amsterdam (at the time still loyal to Spain),[1] commanded by the Count of Bossu, fought a fleet of rebellious Dutch Geuzen, commanded by Marinus Brandt, who were trying to break the Siege of Haarlem. After several hours of fighting, the Geuzen were forced to retreat.

Trivia

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is situated in what used to be the Haarlemmermeer.

Citations and notes

1. Rijksmuseum, (Dutch)
2. Fernández Duro p. 274
3. Harbottle p.104

References

• Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1895). Armada Española desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón. II. Madrid, Spain: Est. tipográfico "Sucesores de Rivadeneyra".
• Harbottle, Thomas Benfield (2009). Dictionary of Battles from the Earliest Date to the Present Time. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-110-05778-8.