Capture of Breda ( 1590 ) The Capture of Breda or the Siege of Breda was a short battle during the Eighty Years ' War and the Anglo – Spanish War during which a Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau captured the heavily protected city of Breda . Using a clever tactic reminiscent of the Trojan horse a small assault force hid in a peat barge which entered the city which was then taken with a minimum number of casualties . It was the turning point of the war as the forces under Maurice were able to take the offensive . Background . The city of Breda was located in the confluence of the rivers Aa and Mark , in the province of Brabant and the main city of the zone . It was well fortified , and was surrounded by a defensive moat fed by waters of the Mark river . Breda had been under Spanish control from 1581 with the garrison of the city being formed by 500 men of infantry and a hundred of cavalry , which consisted of Italian and Spanish troops the majority being from Sicily in the service of Spanish Empire . Eduardo Lanzavecchia , the governor of Breda and Geertruidenberg was supervising the construction of fortifications of both cities as he knew that soon they would be under attack . He was in Geertruidenberg in early 1590 supervising the construction of the defenses there but in his absence , his nephew Paolo Lanzavecchia was acting governor of Breda . The Peat Barge . In February of 1590 , a nobleman from Cambrai , Charles de Heraugiere under orders from Maurice of Nassau was to make a covert reconnoiter of Breda . Disguised as a fisherman he was hoping to enter Breda and to study its weaknesses , garrison strength and general conditions . Heraugiere contacted Adrian van den Berg , loyal to the Dutch by trade who was used to entering and leaving Breda with a barge loaded of winter fuel , in this case peat . Heraugiere went into the city , hidden between the peat of the barge along with a small group of soldiers , but they discovered how incredibly easy it was as none of the garrison checked the barge . When they were in the heart of Breda they made a hasty exit with enough peat to keep them covered . Heraugiere soon realized a Trojan Horse style attack was too good an opportunity to miss and thus reported it to Maurice as soon as they returned . The plan was presented to Maurice of Nassau , who was glad to give it ' s approval and then ordered the operation the go ahead but in maximum secrecy . On the 25th of February Charles de Heraugiere was to lead the covert assault in charge of sixty eight hand picked Dutch and English soldiers . They waited next to the mouth of the Mark river for the arrival of the boat of Adriaen van Bergen and accompanied captains Logier , Fervet and Lieutenant Matthew Held . That same day Maurice of Nassau , Francis Vere and Count Hohenlohe with 800 Dutch and 600 English soldiers with 300 of cavalry arrived at Willemstad , thirty kilometers from Breda . There they would have to wait for the warning of Heraugiere if all had gone well . That same day Maurice of Nassau , Francis Vere and Count Hohenlohe with 800 Dutch and 600 English soldiers with 300 of cavalry arrived at Willemstad , thirty kilometers from Breda . There they would have to wait for the warning of Heraugiere if all had gone well . On the 26th Heraugiere and their men embarked on van Bergen ' s boat ; but he was too ill or overselpt and thus sent his two nephews who would pilot the barge . Overcoming the Mark in the direction of Breda , they had to overcome the extreme cold of the Dutch winter , ice caused difficulties thus making navigation difficult which delayed the voyage by a number of days . By Saturday evening however they had reached Breda and were at the outer gates early in the morning . Assault . Hidden under the piles peat they were able to enter the city with none of the soldiers checking as expected . Having deceived the soldiers of the garrison Heraugiere gave out the warning signal to Maurice , who then initiated the march of his troops towards the city without hesitation . At dawn Sunday March 4 , the attackers left their hiding place in the boat and they were divided in two groups : Heraugiere attacked the position of guard , while Fervet tried to seize control of the fort ' s arsenal . In a fast action , that took by surprise the Italian soldiers garrisoning the city ; the attackers killed forty defenders without any loss . So surprised were the Italians and Spanish that they dispersed into a total rout into the streets of the city . Before dawn , count Hohenlohe arrived at the doors of Breda with the Dutch cavalry and after him Maurice of Nassau with the main body of the army ; Count Solms , and Francis Vere being among them . By then the men of Heraugiere had already taken control of most the city . Surrender . With the Breda garrison completely surrounded and in total confusion Paolo Lanzavecchia negotiated with the attackers the conditions of the surrender of the city , that was decided according to the following terms : Consequences . The taking of Breda on the part of the Dutch and English troops , a city in the eyes of the Spaniards that was assumed to be safe , was a disagreeable surprise for the Spanish authorities . The Duke of Parma - Alexander Farnese was enraged by the cowardice of the Italian troops in charge of the defense of the city . He ordered three captains responsible for the garrison of Breda to be executed and a fourth official was expelled from the army . Finally the recriminations ended with Eduardo Lanzavecchia being stripped of his position as governor of Geertruidenberg . The huge success of the capture of Breda without barely a casualty was widely celebrated in the United Provinces . After years of defensive strategy combined with Spanish forces distracted with the protestant forces in France , the Dutch and English forces had at last achieved a decisive offensive success . The strategic value of the city led to patriotic celebrations and a number of commemorative coins were minted . With the taking of Breda Maurice of Nassau used the place as an operational base and from here he conquered the towns and cities of Heyl , Flemert , Elshout , Crevecoeur , Hayden , Steenbergen , Rosendaal and Osterhout . Charles de Heraugiere in light of his daring operation was designated governor of Breda and was also given a gold medal . The bargemen men were given a subsidy for life as well as many of the soldiers taking part in the city ' s capture . The Count of Mansfeld was sent to reclaim the city and after taking a number of small hamlets , he constructed a fort in Terheyde and then attempted to reduce to Breda by starvation . The Dutch and English forces under Matthew Held however controlled the vital rivers points around Breda and so the poorly attempted siege ended in failure and Mansfeld retreated . The city would remain in Dutch hands until 1625 , date in which the Spanish tercios of Ambrosio Spinola would be able to recapture it after a long siege . In 1637 Breda after yet another siege would return to Dutch hands once and for all . Legacy . At the castle of Breda , Spanjaardsgat or " Spanish Gate " indicates the place in which the boat used by the attackers supposedly went through .