1566 Spanish king Philip II names Fernando Alvarez, duke of Alva

1567 Battle at Oosterweel: Spanish troops destroy Geuzenleger

1568 Don Carlos, son of Spanish king Philip II, dies at about 23

1568 Battle on Eems: Dutch Water garrison beats Spanish

1568 Battle at Heiligerlee: Dutch rebels beat Spanish, 100s killed

1569 Juan the Avila, Spanish minister/writer

1570 Battles between Spanish troops and followers of sultan Suleiman

1570 Spanish viceroy Alva banishes Zutphen City's only physician, Joost Sweiter, "because he is a Jew"

1571 Spanish troops occupy Manila

1572 Spanish army begins fires in Haarlem Netherlands

1572 Spanish army beats Geuzen fleet under Admiral Lumey

1572 Spanish troops begin siege of Haarlem

1572 Spanish troops attack Maastricht

1572 Spanish army under Alva's son Don Frederik plunders Mechelen

1572 Spanish army occupies/plunders/destroys Mechelen

1572 Battle at Saint-Ghislain: Spanish army beats The Genlis' mercenaries

1572 Spanish co-land guardian duke of Medinaceli arrives in Lock

1573 Battle of South Seas - Dutch rebels beat Spanish navy

1573 Spanish attack Alkmaar

1573 Spanish prince of Eboli, dies

1573 Haarlem surrenders after 7 months to Spanish army

1574 Fleet under Admiral Boisot seize Spanish

1574 Storm breaks Leiden dike; drowns 20,000 Spanish soldiers

1574 Spanish garrison of Middelburg Netherlands surrenders

1574 Spanish troops plunder Krommenie, Wormerveer and Jisp Netherlands

1574 Sea battle of Reimerswaal - Admiral Boisot beats Spanish fleet

1575 Spanish troops conquer Oudewater, almost all inhabitants died

1575 Spanish viceroy Gilles of Hierges attacks Oudewater

1575 Spanish troops conquer Buren

1576 Spanish defeat Walloons and take Antwerp Belgium

1576 Spanish troops occupies and plunder Maastricht

1576 Dutch provinces begin consultation about Spanish existence

1576 Muitende Spanish troops conquer Aalst

1576 Muitende Spanish soldiers conquer Zierik Sea

1576 Spanish army under Mondragon conquerors Zierik sea

1577 Spanish army/German mercenaries conquer Namur

1577 Spanish land guardian Don Juan of Habsburg signs "Eternal Edict"

1578 Don Juan d'Austria, Spanish land guardian of Netherlands, dies at 31

1578 Juan de Escobedo, secretary of Spanish land guardian Don Juan, murdered

1579 Juan de Juanes, Vicente J Maeip, Spanish relig painter, dies at 56

1579 Artois/Henegouwen/French-Flanders sign Treaty/Peace of Parma recognizing Spanish duke van Parma as land guardian

1580 Spanish troops lands in Ireland

1580 Francis Drake with Spanish treasure returns to England

1580 Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish Writer

1580 Baltazar Alvarez, Spanish jesuit/writer, dies at 47

1580 Battle at Hardenberg: Spanish troops beat rebels

1580 Spanish king Philip II puts 25,000 gold coins on head of prince Willem of Orange

1581 Slag om Goor

1582 Spanish Netherlands/Denmark/Norway adopt Gregorian calendar

1582 Theresia van Avila, Spanish mystic writer, dies

1582 Saint Teresa of Avila, Spanish Saint

1583 Spanish and Walloon troops conquer Dunkerk

1584 Spanish army leader Richebourg conquerors Liefkenshoek, België

1584 Willem van Oranje vermoord

1585 Spanish army under Tassis beats Amerongen Staatse troops

1585 Caspar de Robles, Spanish viceroy of Frisia, dies at about 57

1586 Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna/marquis of Aytona

1586 Battle at Boxum: Spanish troops under Tassis beat state army

1587 Spanish troops conquer Lock

1587 Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz Spain and sinks Spanish fleet

1588 Medina Sidonia's Spanish Armada returns to Santander

1588 Medemblik surrenders to Spanish army

1588 Sea battle at Grevelingen: English fleet battles Spanish armada

1588 English assault on Spanish Armada

1588 Spanish Armada under Medina Sidonia anchors

1588 English Admiral Howard van Effingham beats Spanish Armada

1588 English fleet beats Spanish Armada

1588 Attacking Spanish Armada defeated and scattered by English defenders

1588 Spanish Armada sails to overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I

1588 English fleet defeats Spanish armada

1588 Admiral Howard beats Spanish Armada

1588 Spanish Armada heavily destroyed in storm at Coruna

1588 Spanish Armada sails from Lisbon to England

1588 Spanish Aramada under Medina-Sidonia departs Lisbon to invade England

1588 Spanish Armada sets sail for Lisbon, bound to England

1588 Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral, dies

1588 Jose Ribera, Spanish painter

1589 Spanish troops conquer Geertruidenberg

1591 Juan de la Cruz, de Yepes, Spanish Carmelet/poet/saint, dies

1591 Battle at Flores Azores: Spanish beat English

1591 Spanish troops in Zutphen surrenders to Willem Louis/Mauritius

1596 King Philip II devalues Spanish currency

1596 Spanish fleet sails from Lisbon to Ireland

1597 Jose de Anchieta, Spanish jesuit/missionary, dies

1598 Spanish troops under of Bernardino de Mendoza conquer Doetinchem

1598 Spanish general strategist Bernardino de Mendoza occupies fort Rhine

1598 Spanish king Philip II receives sacraments

1598 Spanish theater plays "Moros y Los Cristianos" in Rio Grande

1598 1st theater performance in America (Spanish comedy-Rio Grande)

1599 Ottavio Piccolomini, Italian/Spanish marshal

1600 Battle at Newport: Earl Mauritius van Nassau beats Spanish Army

1600 Jose the Acosta, Spanish missionary (Peru), dies at 59

1600 Pedro Calderon de la Barca, born in Madrid, Spain, writer, dramatist, Spanish Golden Age, works include, 'La vida es sueno', or, 'Life is a Dream'

1601 Spanish garrison of Meurs surrender to earl Mauritius

1601 Spanish garrison of Rhine birch surrenders to Earl Mauritius

1601 Alonzo Cano, Spanish painter/sculptor, Cathedral Granada

1601 Baltasar Gracian, born in Belmonte, Aragon, Spain, Spanish Baroque prose writer, wrote 'El heroe' or 'The Hero', 'El politico', or 'The Politician', 'El discreto', 'The Discreet One', exiled for 'Criticon', or 'Faultfinder'

1602 Maria de Jesus de Agreda, Maria Coronel, Spanish franciscan

1602 Battle at Kinsale, Ireland: English army beats Spanish

1602 Spanish force in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsdale

1604 Spanish army under Spinola recaptures Oostende

1604 Spanish garrison of Sluis surrenders to count Maurice

1604 Spanish garrison of Aardenburg surrenders to Mauritius

1605 Spanish army under General Spinola occupies Wachtendonk

1605 Spanish army under of general Spinola conquerors Lingen

1606 Spanish troops under Spinola occupies fort Rhine birch

1607 Battle at Gibraltar: Dutch fleet beats Spanish/Portuguese fleet

1607 Don Juan Alvarez, Spanish Admiral (Gibraltar), dies in battle

1608 Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, Spanish royal painter, dies

1608 Martinus A del Rio, Spanish lawyer historian/theologist, dies

1611 Antonio Perez, secretary of Spanish king Philip II and rebel, dies at 71

1611 Tomas L de Victoria, Spanish composer/singer/organist, dies

1614 El Greco, Spanish painter (View of Toledo), dies (birth date unknown)

1616 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Spanish writer (Don Quixote), dies at 69

1616 Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish Novelist

1616 Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo

1617 Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Rio de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)

1617 Nicolas Antonio, Spanish scholar, Censura de historias fabulosas

1622 Spanish silver fleet disappears off Florida Keys; 1,000s die

1622 Juan de Valdes Leal, Spanish painter/sculptor

1624 Spanish silver fleet sails to Panama

1625 Spanish troops under Spinola conquer Breda

1625 Francisco Gomez de Sandoval y Rojas, Spanish marquis of Denia, dies

1625 Portuguese and Spanish expedition recaptures Salvador (Bahia)

1627 Spanish government goes bankrupt

1628 Bay of Matanzas Cuba: Piet Heyn captures Spanish silver fleet

1629 Spanish garrison surrenders to prince Frederik Henry

1629 Piet Heyn, lt-admiral (Spanish silver fleet), dies in battle at 51

1629 Juan Jose, of Austria, Spanish general and governor of Netherlands

1630 Ambrogio Spinola, Spanish marquis of Balbases, dies at about 61

1630 Spanish troops occupy Mantua

1630 Jose Saenz d'Aguirre, Spanish cardinal

1631 Admiral Tholen conquerors 30+ Spanish frigates

1635 Lope de Vega, Spanish Playwright

1635 Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna, dies at 48

1635 Spanish marshal Piccolomini conquerors Schenkenschans

1639 Dunes (Marten Tromp defeats Spanish armada under De Oquendo)

1639 Sea battle at Dunes: Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp beats Spanish Armada

1639 Juan R Alarcon y Mendoza, Mexican/Spanish playwright, dies at 58

1636 Spanish troops occupy Corbie at Amiens

1640 Portugal regains independence after 60 years of Spanish rule

1640 Uprising against Spanish king Philip IV

1643 Battle at Rocroi/Allersheim: French army destroys Spanish army

1645 Francisco Gomez Quevedo y Villegas, Spanish author and poet, dies at 64

1645 Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish Writer

1646 Baltasar Carlos, son of Spanish king Philip IV, dies

1647 Joos Banckert, Swiss Admiral (Spanish silver fleet), dies at 48

1647 People's uprising against high prices and Spanish rule in Naples

1648 Spanish troops/feudal barons strike down people's uprising in Naples

1648 Tirso de Molina, Spanish author, dies at about 63

1648 Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, Spanish poet (Del Rey Abajo), dies at 40