On July 21, 1568, the Battle of Jermingen broke out in the Dutch War of Independence. Louis, the younger brother of William, Duke of Orange, led an army of 12,000 (including 2,000 cavalry) against the 15,000 army (including 3,000 cavalry) commanded by the Duke of Alva in Spain. Louis's army suffered a crushing defeat, with more than 7,000 casualties captured and only 300 casualties in the Spanish army.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was the first country in the world to break out in a bourgeois revolution. Although the battle was defeated miserably, the indomitable spirit of the Dutch continued to be carried forward by those who came after it. Finally, independence was won a few years later (1609)