Today in 1572 Spanish troops under Don Frederik (the Spanish General Fadrique Alvarez de Toledo) occupied and plundered Zutphen in the Netherlands. This would eventually drag Elizabeth into the conflict to support the Protestant Netherlands, against the Spanish Catholics, and 12 years later the poet Sir Philip Sidney would die in Zutphen as the conflict went on and on. It was one front of the Spanish Anglo war that lasted through the end of the 16th century.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.