The Sack of Antwerp 1576 Spain's Fury and the Dutch Revolt

In 1576, the richest city in Europe was put to the torch by mutinous Spanish soldiers. Antwerp, the commercial jewel of the Low Countries, had been a center of banking, trade, and art — home to the Fuggers, the first stock exchange, and the workshops of Bruegel and Rubens. But after decades of war, the Spanish Army of Flanders, unpaid and starving, turned on the city they were meant to protect. The three-day rampage known as the Spanish Fury killed thousands and destroyed half the city. This episode traces the path to disaster: Philip II's empty coffers, the mutinies that preceded the fall, the sack itself through the eyes of a survivor, and its aftermath — the Pacification of Ghent, which united the Dutch provinces against Spain. We also examine whether the Fury was a calculated act of terror or a breakdown of military discipline, and how it fueled the Black Legend. Featuring the Duke of Alba, Luis de Requesens, and the defiant city of Antwerp. #SpanishFury #AntwerpSack #EightyYearsWar #DutchRevolt #DukeOfAlba #LuisDeRequesens #ArmyOfFlanders #Tercios #BlackLegend #PhilipII #PacificationOfGhent #LowCountries #16thCentury #MilitaryHistory #Mutiny #SiegeWarfare #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo