Siege of Eindhoven ( 1583 ) The Siege of Eindhoven , also known as the Capture of Eindhoven of 1583 , took place between February 7 and April 23 , 1583 , at Eindhoven , Duchy of Brabant , Spanish Netherlands ( present - day North Brabant , the Netherlands ) during the Eighty Years ' War and the Anglo - Spanish War ( 1585 – 1604 ) . On February 7 , 1583 , a Spanish force sent by Don Alexander Farnese ( " Spanish : Alejandro Farnesio " ) , Governor - General of the Spanish Netherlands , commanded by Karl von Mansfeld and Claude de Berlaymont laid siege to Eindhoven , an important and strategic city of Brabant held by Dutch , Scottish and French soldiers under the States ' commander Hendrik van Bonnivet . After three months of siege , and the failed attempts by the States - General to assist Bonnivet ' s forces , the defenders surrendered to the Spaniards on April 23 . With the capture of Eindhoven , the Spanish forces made great advances in the region , and gained the allegiance of the majority of the towns of northern Brabant . The Spanish victory too , increased the crisis between Francis , Duke of Anjou ( French : " François de France " ) , and the States - General , despite the efforts of the Prince William of Orange ( Dutch : " Willem van Oranje " ) in preserving the fragile alliance between Anjou and the States - General by the Treaty of Plessis - les - Tours . Prelude . On September 29 , 1580 , Francis , Duke of Anjou ( younger brother of King Henry III of France ) , supported by William of Orange , signed the Treaty of Plessis - les - Tours with the States - General of the Netherlands . Based on the terms of the treaty , Anjou assumed the title of " Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands " and became sovereign of the United Provinces . On February 10 , 1582 , after a vain courtship of Queen Elisabeth I in England , Anjou arrived to the Netherlands , when he was officially welcomed by William of Orange in Flushing . In spite of his ceremonious installation as Duke of Brabant and Count of Flanders , Anjou was not popular with the Flemish and Dutch Protestants , who continued to see the Catholic French as enemies ; the provinces of Zeeland and Holland refused to recognise him as their sovereign , and William of Orange , the central figure of the " Politique s " who worked to defuse religious hostilities , was widely criticized for his " French politics " . When Anjou ' s army of 12 , 000 infantry and 5 , 000 cavalry arrived in late 1582 , William ' s plan seemed to pay off , as even Don Alexander Farnese feared that an strong alliance between the Dutch and French could pose a serious threat , but in fact , Anjou had very little influence in the Netherlands , and he himself was not satisfied with the restrictions of the treaty and wanted more power . On January 17 , 1583 , the French forces led by Francis of Anjou tried to conquer the city of Antwerp by surprise , but unfortunately for Anjou his plan was discovered . The inhabitants , still traumatised by the Spanish plunder seven years earlier , were determined to prevent another occupation by foreign troops by all means possible . Anjou was decisively defeated by the people of Antwerp , losing as many as 2 , 000 men . However , at the same time , the rest of the French forces gained control of a great number of towns , including Dunkirk and Dendermonde , and despite an explosion of anti - French feeling in rebel towns , the Prince of Orange managed to prevent an open breach with the French . Meanwhile , the Prince of Parma , Governor - General of the Low Countries in the name of Philip II of Spain , in command of an army of 60 , 000 soldiers , divided in various fronts , after the Spanish conquests of Maastricht , ' s - Hertogenbosch , Courtrai , Breda , Tournai , Oudenaarde , among others , between 1579 and 1582 , slowed his successful campaign for the moment , waiting to see what the French would do . < ref name = " Hernán / Maffi p . 24 " > Hernán / Maffi p . 24 < / ref > Siege of Eindhoven . In late January , Don Alexander , stationed in the loyalist ' s - Hertogenbosch , and after the show of the Duke of Anjou at Antwerp , decided to send a substantial force led by the Spanish commanders Karl von Mansfeld and Claude de Berlaymont to begin siege works at nearby Eindhoven , an important and strategic town of northern Brabant held by about 800 to 1 , 200 Scottish , French and Dutch soldiers under the States ' commander Hendrik van Bonnivet . On February 7 , the Spanish forces reached the gates of Eindhoven and laid siege to the fortress city . The States - General urged the Duke of Anjou to assemble his army and march towards Eindhoven , to relieve the city . Meanwhile , Philip of Hohenlohe - Neuenstein from his base at Geertruidenberg ( in 1588 the city was betrayed to Parma by its English garrison ) , sent 4 squadrons of cavalry and 5 companies of infantry to reinforce Bonnivet ' s forces . On March 18 , Francis of Anjou accepted the terms of the States - General , and the Prince of Orange , ultimately , asked to French commander Armand de Gontaut , Baron de Biron , to lead an army composed by Anjou ' s troops and those levied by the States to relieve Eindhoven . Although Biron was not very keen to accept , but the French statesman Pomponne de Bellièvre persuaded him to accept the charge . Thus , Prince William outlined a broad plan for the campaign and put Biron in charge of the joint force , consisting by 2 , 500 Swiss guards , 2 , 000 French arquebusier s , 3 , 500 Dutch , Scottish , French and English infantry , 1 , 200 cavalry , and 3 cannons . At the same time , Dutch troops stationed in Gelderland were ordered to advance through Utrecht towards Eindhoven , but were repeatedly turned back to Utrecht ' s border by the Spanish forces . English and Scottish companies based in northern Flanders also had orders to advance on Eindhoven , but these troops refused to move without their pay . On April 17 , with all preparations completed by the States - General and the Duke of Anjou ' s forces , the relief army commanded by Biron marched towards Eindhoven , but Bonnivet ' s forces , after nearly three months of siege , exhausted and decimated , could not resist more against the intense Spanish siege . Finally , on April 23 , the States ' garrison was forced to surrender , and the Spanish army entered victorious into Eindhoven , before Biron ' s joint forces could even cross the Scheldt . Consequences . With the conquest of Eindhoven , Parma ' s forces made great advances in the region , and gained the allegiance of the majority of the towns of northern Brabant . The Spanish victory also increased the crisis between the Duke of Anjou and the States - General . Anjou laid the blame for the fall of Eindhoven to the States , while the States were fed up with his ambitions , and the inefficiency and slowness of his troops . However , the Prince of Orange , strong supporter of the alliance , reiterated that they could not hope to defeat Parma without French aid . Biron moved his army to the north of Roosendaal , between Breda and Bergen op Zoom , where he intended lay siege to Wouw . On June 17 , and after the capture of Diest by the Spaniards on May 27 , his forces were seriously defeated by the Spanish army led by Parma at Steenbergen . The clear superiority of the Spanish Army of Flanders , the lack of pay , and the differences between the French troops ( mostly Catholics ) , and the Dutch and English troops ( mostly Protestants ) , ended with hundreds of desertions among Biron ' s troops . Meanwhile , the position of Anjou became impossible to hold with the States , and he eventually left the Netherlands in late June . His departure also discredited William of Orange , his main supporter , who nevertheless maintained his support for Anjou . The pace of the Spanish advance continued , and Dunkirk was the new target of the Prince of Parma . On July 16 , the bombardment began , and by late summer , the city was captured by the Spanish forces , along with Nieuwpoort , despite the efforts , one more time , of the Prince of Orange to relieve the besieged forces .