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Battle of Gembloux (1578)

Battle of Gembloux
Part of the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
Batalla de Gembloux 1578.jpg
Engraving of the Battle of Gembloux by Frans Hogenberg.
Date January 31, 1578
Location Gembloux, Brabant, Spanish Netherlands
(present-day Belgium)
Result Decisive Spanish victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic States-General
 England
Spain Spain
Commanders and leaders
Dutch Republic De Goignies  (POW)
Dutch Republic Count of Boussu
Dutch Republic William de La Marck
Martin Schenck
Emanuel Philibert de Lalaing
Count of Egmont
Marquis d’Havré
Kingdom of England Henry Balfour
Spain John of Austria
Spain Alexander Farnese
Spain Cristóbal de Mondragón
Spain Ottavio Gonzaga
Spain Count of Mansfeld
Spain Francisco Verdugo
Strength
25,000 men 17,000–20,000
(Only engaged 1,200 cavalry in the first phase of the battle)
Casualties and losses
8,000–11,000 dead
(6,000 killed in the cavalry charge led by Parma)
Hundreds of prisoners
20 dead or wounded
(12 dead in action)

The Battle of Gembloux took place at Gembloux, near Namur, Low Countries, between the Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria (Spanish: Don Juan de Austria),Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands, and a rebel army composed of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloon soldiers under Antoine de Goignies, during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). On January 31, 1578, the Spanish cavalry commanded by John's nephew, Don Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma (Italian: Alessandro Farnese, Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio), after pushing back the Dutch cavalry, attacked the Netherlandish army, causing an enormous panic amongst the rebel troops. The result was a crushing victory for the Spanish forces. The battle hastened the disintegration of the unity of the rebel provinces, and meant the end of the Union of Brussels.

After the Sack of Antwerp by Spanish mutineers on November 4, 1576, Catholics and Protestants of the Low Countries concluded the Pacification of Ghent, to remove all Spanish troops. The Spanish tercios were in fact withdrawn to Italy in April 1577, after the new Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands, the famous Christian knight, and half-brother of Philip II of Spain, Don John of Austria (victor of Lepanto), had signed the Perpetual Edict.


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