The Siege of Breda

In El sitio de Breda (The Siege of Breda) Pedro Calderón de la Barca recounts a historical event: In June 1625 the garrison of Breda in Holland, under the command of Justino de Nassau, brother of Mauricio, surrendered to Spinola after nine months of siege. Spínola conquered the city through a labyrinth of trenches and fortifications. To this end, 96 redoubts, 37 forts and 45 flat batteries were built to isolate Breda and surrender it due to hunger and in turn protect the besieging army from an external attack. The victory of Breda was also reflected in Velasquez’s painting «The Surrender of Breda» as a relevant success of the politics of Spain and Felipe IV during the seventeenth century.

(Description is in English, book edition is in Spanish)