Duke of Alva
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Military History
- Subcategories: Politicians, Diplomats, Generals, Military Officers, Soldiers, Dictatorships, Dictators, Tyrants
- Curriculum: Renaissance History, Spanish/Portuguese History
Article abstract: Military significance: As chief minister to Philip II of Spain, Alva was sent to quell Calvinist uprisings in the Netherlands in 1567. With the iron-fisted ruthlessness that had earned him the nickname “Iron Duke,” Alva set up a dictatorship in the Netherlands that lasted until 1573.
The duke of Alva was a Spanish general and statesman born into one of the most distinguished noble families in Spain. At the age of fourteen, he earned notoriety as an officer in Emperor Charles V’s campaigns against France. After the Battle of Fuenterrabía...
[The entire page is 750 words long]
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