Zutphen, battle of

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Zutphen, battle of, 1586. During the Netherlands War of Independence, Elizabeth I sent troops under the earl of Leicester to aid the rebels. In 1586 they laid siege to Zutphen in the eastern Netherlands, defended by a Spanish garrison under Prince Alexander of Parma. The Spanish sent a relief column and on 22 September Leicester attempted to intercept it, but without success. He was forced to retire after suffering considerable losses, including the death of his own nephew, Sir Philip Sidney. The town was relieved and the siege abandoned.

Richard A. Smith