English Fury at Mechelen



The English Fury at Mechelen was an event in the Eighty Years' War on April 9, 1580 in which the city of Mechelen was conquered by Calvinist forces from Brussels supported by English mercenaries and brutally sacked.

Prelude
In 1579, the Lordship of Mechelen was one of the few territories in the Netherlands that had remained loyal to the Spanish King. Most surrounding cities, like Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent were ruled by Calvinists. There in 1580, plans were made to take over all remaining loyal cities, to deny the Spanish army any stronghold behind the frontline.

Mechelen taken
The Calvinist mayor of Brussels, Olivier van den Tympel, gathered a military force, supported by English mercenaries under command of John Norreys and Scottish under command of captain Stuart.

After a short battle with Mechelen's Schutterij and civil guards, the city was easily taken. But then, the English mercenaries turned against the population and plundered homes, churches and monasteries. Some 60 civilians were killed. The later Archbishop Mathias Hovius hid in a cupboard for 3 days and then fled the city, dressed as a peasant.

Mechelen remained under Calvinist rule until it was reconquered in 1585 by the Spanish under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma as one of the last cities in the Southern Netherlands.

The 1580 event was named the English Fury after the Spanish Fury that hit the city in 1572.