Siege of Breda (1637) when word came that the Dutch had suddenly invested the city of Breda with a besieging army of 18,000. Breda was the capital city of the baronial fief that had once been the crown jewel in the Dutch estates of the Nassau family in the Habsburg Netherlands before the war started. Frederick Henry had therefore a personal interest in recapturing the city and its surroundings. The siege was preceded by an attempt to surprise the garrison on 21 July 1637 by Dutch cavalry under Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz. However, the gates were closed in time and the Dutch skirmishers
Capture of Breda (1590) Crèvecoeur near 's-Hertogenbosch, Steenbergen, Roosendaal, Oosterhout, and others. Charles de Heraugiere in light of his daring operation was designated governor of Breda and was also given a gold medal. The bargemen men were given a subsidy for life as well as many of the soldiers taking part in the city's capture. The Count of Mansfeld was sent to reclaim the city and after taking a number of small hamlets, he constructed a fort in Terheyde and then attempted to reduce Breda by starvation. The Dutch and English forces under Matthew Held however controlled the vital rivers points around Breda and