November 4, 1576 · Brabant Theater
November 4, 1576
Spain went bankrupt in 1575 and stopped paying its army. The tercios — the best infantry in Europe, unpaid for months — mutinied, stormed the richest city in northern Europe, and sacked it for three days. Perhaps 8,000 people were killed and a thousand buildings burned. No one ordered it; the men were collecting their own wages.
Commanders