Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
[5] Historian John Lothrop Motley wrote of him "no man had studied military science more deeply, or practiced it more constantly" at his day.[7] Alba achieved notoriety for his role during the Eighty Years' War in the Spanish Netherlands, where his prolonged campaigns and repressive political actions caused his figure to be reviled in European history as a symbol of tyranny.[8] Born into a prominent Castilian military family, Alba first distinguished himself in the 1535 conquest of Tunis during the Ottoman–Habsburg Wars as part of a long conflict for predominance over the western Mediterranean Sea.He then commanded the Spanish troops at the Battle of Mühlberg (1547), where the army of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V defeated the German Protestant princes in the Schmalkaldic War.Militarily, Alba repeatedly defeated the troops of William of Orange during the first stages of the Eighty Years' War but he failed to extinguish the rebellion, and in 1573 he was recalled to Spain in temporary political disgrace.In 1524, when he was seventeen, he joined the troops of Constable of Castile, Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, II Duke of Frías, during the capture of Fuenterrabía, then occupied by France and Navarre.In 1566, Alba's son and heir, Fadrique, broke his promise of marriage to Magdalena de Guzman, lady of Queen Anne of Austria, which led to his arrest and imprisonment in the Castle of La Mota in Valladolid.The Duke of Alba was in charge of Tercios, the elite Spanish ground troops during the Battle of Mühlberg on the banks of the river Elbe.The newly appointed Pope Paul IV, an enemy of the Habsburgs, prompted King Henry II of France to expel the Spanish from Italy.[14] The Pope called for a truce, giving time for a French army commanded by Francis, Duke of Guise to march on Naples.[15] In April 1559, Alba was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis which ended their war with France and released Spanish resources for maximising its economic exploitation of New Spain.[16] On 26 December 1566 Alba received the Golden Rose, the blessed sword and hat granted by Pope Pius V, through the papal brief Solent Romani Pontifices, in recognition of his singular efforts in favor of Catholicism and for being considered one of his champions.To tackle the civil and religious rebels, King Philip II sent Alba to Brussels on 22 August 1567, at the head of a powerful army.A few days later, on 5 September 1567, Alba established the "Council of Troubles", popularly known in the Netherlands as the "Court of Blood," to prosecute those responsible for the riots of 1566, especially those deemed heretics.The Spanish troops advanced under banners with the Latin legend Pro lege, rege, et grege, which in English means For the law, the king, and the people [literally, the flock].The Spanish Siege of Haarlem, characterized by brutality and savagery on both sides, culminated in the surrender of the city and the execution of all the garrison, estimated at 2,000 men.After five years of repression, more than 5,000 executions[22] and numerous complaints to the Spanish court, Philip II decided to change policy and relieve the Duke.These failures of the Ebolistas to end the Dutch revolt raised the distrust of the king, and Philip II again granted the Duke of Alba an important position in court.Some of van Daalen's detractors compared his conduct with the atrocities committed by the Duke of Alba, still well remembered in Dutch historical memory.
Spanish namesurnameThe Most ExcellentDuke of AlbaConstable of PortugalPhilip I of PortugalJohn, 6th Duke of BraganzaTeodósio II, 7th Duke of BraganzaViceroy of Portugal and the AlgarvesArchduke Alberto of AustriaGovernor of the Habsburg NetherlandsPhilip II of SpainMargaret of AustriaLuis de Requesens y ZúñigaViceroy of NaplesCharles I of SpainBernardino de MendozaGovernor of MilanFerdinando GonzagaCristoforo MadruzzoPiedrahítaLisbonIberian UnionSpanish EmpirePortugalFernando de ToledoFadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de GuzmanSpanish CrownCaptain GeneralFour Years' WarSiege of FuenterrabíaOttoman–Habsburg warsConquest of TunisAlgiers expedition (1541)Italian WarsSiege of PerpignanSchmalkaldic WarBattle of MühlbergSiege of WittenbergDutch RevoltBattle of JemmingenBattle of JodoigneSiege of MonsWar of the Portuguese SuccessionBattle of AlcântaraSpanishPortugueseNetherlandsgeneralJohn Lothrop MotleyFranceProtestantismEnglandEighty Years' WarSpanish NetherlandstyrannyCastilianHoly Roman Emperor Charles Vcommander-in-chiefItalian War of 1551–1559NaplesCouncil of TroublesWilliam of OrangePortuguese succession crisis of 1580Province of ÁvilaFadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de QuiñonesIV Count – I Duke of BenaventeMaría PachecoDjerbacapture NavarreAlba de TormesBenedictineRenaissanceJuan BoscanhumanismConstable of CastileÍñigo Fernández de Velasco, II Duke of FríasFuenterrabíaGrand MasterIllustrious Order of the Golden FleeceSpanish MonarchyMary Tudorgrandees of SpainWinchesterDuke of HuéscarFadrique Álvarez de ToledoAnne of AustriaCastle of La MotaValladolidGarcía Álvarez de Toledo and OsorioVillafranca del BierzoCharles VViennaOttomanSiege of GünsGarcilaso de la VegaCagliariMarquess of VastoLa GoletaHayreddin BarbarossaFrancis ICharles V, Holy Roman EmperorProtestantTerciosriver ElbeElector of SaxonyAnthonis Morcommander in chiefPope Paul IVHabsburgsHenry II of FranceKing of NaplesBona SforzaQueen of PolandNeapolitan sumsFrancis, Duke of GuiseBattle of San QuentinTreaty of Cateau-CambrésisNew SpainItalian peninsulaIsabel de ValoisJacques JonghelinckPieter Borthe Golden FleeceEnglishWillem Key