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) with Eduardo Lanzavecchia being stripped of his position as governor of Geertruidenberg. The huge success of the capture of Breda without barely a casualty was widely celebrated in the United Provinces. After years of defensive strategy combined with Spanish forces distracted with the Protestant forces in France, the Dutch and English forces had at last achieved a decisive offensive success. The strategic value of the city led to patriotic celebrations and a number of commemorative coins were minted. With the taking of Breda Maurice of Nassau used the place as an operational base and from here he conquered Elshout, Fort