The Surrender of Breda was the seat of the Orange family, who had a castle there. In 1624, the suspension of hostilities in Germany enabled the Spanish to concentrate their forces towards Breda. Although attacking such a formidable fortress was widely considered to be unwise, Ambrogio Spinola made the bewildering executive decision to march on Breda, accompanied by the Marquis de Leganés and Carlos Coloma. Spinola had made a military reputation for himself in 1604 and been rewarded with the Order of the Golden Fleece for conquering Ostend in Flanders. Consequently, the siege of Breda was not only a clash between the Netherlands and
Congress of Breda fresh congress at Aix-la-Chapelle was arranged, where all warring states would participate, to offer formal approval to the agreement between Britain and France. The peace was formally concluded with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 in which all parties participated although the terms had already been agreed in advance by Britain and France at Breda. The terms proved deeply unsatisfactory to Maria Theresa of Austria who was outraged that Austria had lost Silesia and that the British had agreed so at Breda, without any Austrians being present. In the long run, that contributed to the breakdown of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance.