After the defeat of the Geuzen at the Battle of Haarlemmermeer, Haarlem had to surrender to the Spanish soldiers in 1573 after the Siege of Haarlem. As a result, the Protestant Lancelot van Brederode was beheaded and the castle was plundered and set on fire. Following this the castle was threatened by encroaching dunes. In 1579 Holland loaned the lordship to a side branch of the van Brederode family. In 1679, Wolfert van Brederode, last lord of Brederode, died, and the ruins became property of the States of Holland and the Dutch Republic. Ever since, the ruins have been property of the State. In the 19th century the ruins were one of the first buildings to be restored by the government, and they became the first national monument of the Netherlands.