Siege of Haarlem

Siege of Haarlem
	Part of the Eighty Years' War
	; Romanticized historical painting of Kenau leading a group of 300 women in defense of Haarlem, by Barend Wijnveld and J.H. Egenberger, 1854
Date	11 December 1572–13 July 1573
Location	Haarlem, County of Holland
Result	Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch Rebels; England ; French Huguenots; German Protestants	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Wigbolt Ripperda ; William the Silent	Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo
Strength
2,550 infantry and 225 cavalry (Haarlem); 5,000 soldiers; (William the Silent)	17,000–18,000 troops
Casualties and losses
2,000 dead or wounded; (Haarlem); 700 - 5,000 dead or wounded; (William the Silent)	1,700 dead; Thousands of casualties

The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From 11 December 1572 to 13 July 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer. After the naval battle of Haarlemmermeer and the defeat of a land relief force, the starving city surrendered and the garrison was massacred. The resistance nonetheless was taken as an heroic example by the Orangists at the sieges of Alkmaar and Leiden.

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