Battle of Vlissingen
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The Battle of Vlissingen, engraving by Michiel Colijn, 1616
| date | April 17, 1573 |
|---|---|
| place | North Sea off Vlissingen |
| output | Stalemate with the withdrawal of the Spanish Armada |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Lieven Keersmaker |
|
Western Europe
Oosterweel - Dahlen - Heiligerlee - Jemgum - Jodoigne - Le Quesnoy - Brielle - Mons - Goes - 1. Mechelen - Naarden - Middelburg - Haarlem - Alkmaar - Geertruidenberg - Leiden - Delft - Valkenburg - Mooker Heide - Schoonhoven - Zierikzee - 1. Antwerp - Gembloux - Rijmenam - 1. Deventer - Borgerhout - 1. Maastricht - 2. Mechelen - 1. Steenwijk - Kollum - 1. Breda - Noordhorn - Niezijl - Lochem - Lier - Eindhoven - Steenbergen - Ghent - Aalst - 2. Antwerp - IJsseloord - Empel - Boksum - 1. Grave - 1. Venlo - Axel - Neuss - 1. Rheinberg - Zutphen - 1. Sluis - 1. Bergen op Zoom - 2. Geertruidenberg - 2. Breda - 2. Zutphen - 2. Deventer - Delfzijl - Knodsenburg - 1. Hulst - Nijmegen - Rouen - Caudebec - 2. Steenwijk - 1. Coevorden - 3. Geertruidenberg - 2. Coevorden - Groningen - Huy - 1. Groenlo - Lippe - Calais - 2. Hulst - Turnhout - 2. Rheinberg - 1. Moers - 2. Groenlo - Bredevoort - Enschede - Ootmarsum - 1. Oldenzaal - 1. Lingen - 1. Schenckenschans - Zaltbommel - Rees - San Andreas - Nieuwpoort - 3. Rheinberg - Ostend - 1. 's-Hertogenbosch - 2. Grave - Hoogstraten - 3. Sluis
Twelve Years Peace
2. Lingen - 3. Groenlo - Aachen - Jülich - 2. Bergen-op-Zoom - Fleurus - 3. Breda - 2. Oldenzaal - 4. Groenlo - 2. 's-Hertogenbosch - Slaak - 2. Maastricht - Leuven - 2. Schenkenschans - 4. Breda - 2. Venlo - Kallo - 3. Hulst
European waters
Vlissingen - Borsele - Haarlemmermeer - Zuiderzee - Scheldt - Lillo - Ponta Delgada - Bayona Islands - Gulf of Almería - 1st Cadiz - Azores - Strait of Dover - 2nd Sluis - 1st Cape St. Vincent - 1st Gibraltar - 2nd Gibraltar - 2nd Cadiz - Lizard Point - Dunkirk - Calais - Downs - 2nd Cape St. Vincent - 2nd St. Martin
America
Bahia - Matanzas - St. Martin - San Juan - Abrolhos - Pernambuco - South Chile
East Indies
Playa Honda - 1st San Salvador - 2nd San Salvador - La Naval de Manila - Puerto de Cavite
The Battle of Vlissingen was a sea battle and was fought in 1573 as part of the Dutch War of Independence .
Insurgents in the Spanish Netherlands had conquered Brielle and Vlissingen in April 1572 and then other cities in Holland and Zeeland and dominated the Flemish coast. The Geusen were called Mendigos del Mar (beggars of the sea) by the Spaniards .
On April 17, 1573, the Spanish Armada, commanded by Sancho d'Avila, wanted to bomb Vlissingen.
Under the command of Lieven Keersmaker, the mayor of Zierikzee , the Dutch ships initially managed to avoid direct confrontation with the Spanish Armada. When the Spanish Armada began bombarding Vlissingen with cannons, they attacked the Armada and sank five Spanish ships. The Spanish Armada managed to escape to Middelburg and Arnemuiden .
