Historical eventMarch 131567

Battle of Oosterweel

A Spanish mercenary army surprised a band of rebels at the Battle of Oosterweel in the Habsburg Netherlands, beginning the Eighty Years' War.

Everything on March 13Original source

In context

When
Thursday, March 13 1567459 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
16th century · 1560s
Calendar
Julian — as recorded at the time
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Dates before 15 October 1582 are in the Julian calendar, so the weekday shown follows the Julian reckoning of the time.

At a glance

Dates: From 1567-03-13.

Place: Antwerp, Belgium.

Type: battle.

What came before

Part of: Eighty Years' War.

Background Beginning in 1566, Protestant mobs in the provincial states of the Netherlands began destroying Catholic art and images (the Beeldenstorm ) to protest the taxes, restrictions on religion, and harsh rule of Philip II of Spain , sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands . In March 1567, under the leadership of a young nobleman, Jean Marnix, rebels gathered and built a fortified compound at Oosterweel, approximately 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) from Antwerp . [ 1 ] ^ Motley (1855) , pp. 60–61.

Timeline

Battle Attempting to deal with the gathering of the rebels, Margaret of Parma , the Spanish governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, employed a mercenary army to confront the rebels. The army was provided in large part by the loyalist Count Egmont and led by Philip de Lannoy, Seigneur De Beauvoir, who served as the commander of the governor's bodyguards. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] On 12 March, the Spanish mercenary army prepared for the battle in secret.

What happened

Aftermath The slaughter caused Calvinists to immediately cease the open defiance of Spanish authority. Calvinist worship all throughout the Netherlands was affected, and many dissidents including William the Silent fled to other countries. [ 1 ] ^ Parker (2014) , p. 151.

The Battle of Oosterweel took place on 13 March 1567 near the village of Oosterweel, near Antwerp, in present-day Belgium, and is traditionally seen as the beginning of the Eighty Years' War. A Spanish mercenary army surprised a band of rebels and killed or captured almost all of them.

March 13 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

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Also in 1567

  • September 13Siege of Inabayama CastleThe siege of Inabayama Castle, the final battle in Oda Nobunaga's campaign to conquer Mino Province, began; it culminated in a decisive v…
  • July 24Mary, Queen of ScotsMary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son, who became James VI.
  • July 29James VI and IThe infant James VI was crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.

Everything we record for 1567 →

Sources

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“Battle of Oosterweel”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/battle-of-oosterweel-1567-march-13, accessed October 28, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Battle of Oosterweel happen?

March 13 1567 — 459 years ago, on a Thursday.

Is this a Julian or a Gregorian date?

It is the date as recorded at the time, on the Julian calendar. The Gregorian equivalent falls about ten days later; sources from different countries may give either.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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