Francisco Verdugo

Who was Francisco Verdugo?

Francisco Verdugo, Spanish military commander in the Dutch Revolt, born in 1537 in, became Maestre de Campo General, in the Spanish Netherlands. He was also the last Spanish Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel between 1581 and 1594.

He has been described as a brave, courteous and very experienced soldier, who rose from the rank of musketter, which he held at the siege of Haarlem, to the governor of Frisia.

When he was 20 he participated in the Battle of Saint-Quentin in August 1557.

Nominated Governor of Haarlem in 1573, as an Admiral of the Spanish Fleet he helped to conquer Flanders. In 1576, he became Councilor of State for several of the Flemish territories.

After the arrival in Brussels in 1577 of Juan of Austria, the half brother of King Philip II of Spain, religious Catholic zealots were kept at bay and Verdugo was promoted to Governor of Breda, and later of Thionville and Namur. He married in 1578, aged 41, Dorothea von Mansfeld, one of the daughters of Graf, or Count, Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, being thus the brother in law of his famous bastard son Ernst von Mansfeld,.