Blog - Historical women's costume 80 years war, Capture of Brielle

Historical women's costume 80 years war, Capture of Brielle

On April 1, 1572, Alva lost his glasses. Brielle was the first Dutch city to be relieved of the Spaniards. This happened partly by accident. The sea beggars had not come to Brielle with the intention to relieve it of the Spaniards. She actually wanted to plunder Enkhuizen, but due to a navigation error and bad wind, they ended up in Brielle.

The Sea Beggars were mainly Calvinist refugees who had fled to the sea from the Netherlands when Alva entered the Netherlands. They were allied with William of Orange but were also pirates, adventurers and freebooters.

When the Sea Beggars were off the coast at Brielle, they were asked by the Dutch population of Brielle to relieve the city from the Spaniards. A small Spanish garrison was present at the time.

The outfit of a Dutch middle-class woman at the time of the Battle of Brielle did not look much different from that of a woman in England or France. The 'simple' fashion of the Middle Ages had made room for more complex fashion in which the forms came into their own. Clothing was built up in many layers around this time.