Antwerp Falls to Parma

July 27, 1585

After a year-long siege punctuated by floating fire ships and a daring pontoon bridge across the Scheldt, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, took Antwerp for Philip II. Half the population fled north to Amsterdam, carrying their trade connections with them. Amsterdam's golden age began with Antwerp's funeral. The merchant exodus to Amsterdam transferred northern Europe's commercial infrastructure and initiated the Dutch Golden Age.