Capture of Brielle

Capture of Brielle
Part of the Eighty Years' War
Depiction of the capture of Den Briel, by Anthonie Waldorp
Date April 1, 1572 Location Brielle, the Netherlands Result Dutch victory • Boost to the Dutch rebel cause

The Capture of Brielle by the Watergeuzen, on 1 April 1572 marked a turning point in the uprising of the Low Countries against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. Militarily the success was minor as the port of Brielle was undefended, but it provided the first foothold on land for the rebels at a time when the rebellion was all but crushed, and it offered the sign for a new revolt throughout the Netherlands which led to the formation of the Dutch Republic.