The Great Gallery
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1568–1648

The Thirty Years' War & the Dutch Revolt

The Dutch rebelled against Spanish rule from 1568 and the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) spread across Germany and beyond, one of Europe's deadliest conflicts. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended both wars, made the Dutch Republic independent and started the modern idea of countries with borders.

Why artists painted it

Some artists painted heroic generals; others, like Callot, showed how terrible war really is. Spain's Velázquez painted a famous scene of a defeated Dutch commander handing over the keys, with surprising kindness.

The Surrender of Breda The Surrender of Breda · Diego Velázquez, 1635

13 artworks about this moment

The Surrender of Breda The Surrender of Breda Diego Velázquez · 1635 👁️ Painted at the time The Dutch governor hands the keys of the city of Breda to the Spanish general Spinola in 1625, and Spinola kindly stops him from kneeling. The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster Gerard ter Borch · 1648 👁️ Painted at the time Delegates from Spain and the Dutch Republic raise their hands to swear to the peace treaty of 1648 that ended the Eighty Years' War. The Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain Peter Snayers · 1635 👁️ Painted at the time In 1620 the Catholic army defeated the Protestant Bohemian forces outside Prague on the White Mountain, an early victory in the Thirty Years' War. The Defenestration of Prague The Defenestration of Prague Václav Brožík · 1890 🕰️ Painted about 240 years later In 1618 angry Protestant nobles threw two Catholic officials out of a window of Prague Castle. The Battle of Lützen, 1632 The Battle of Lützen, 1632 Peter Snayers · 1642 👁️ Painted at the time Armies clash across a wide plain at the Battle of Lützen in 1632, where the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus won the battle but was killed. The Sack of Magdeburg, 1631 The Sack of Magdeburg, 1631 Workshop of Matthäus Merian · 1659 👁️ Painted at the time An army attacks the German city of Magdeburg in 1631, one of the worst moments of the Thirty Years' War, when most of the city was destroyed. Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster Bartholomeus van der Helst · 1648 👁️ Painted at the time Members of Amsterdam's civic guard celebrate the Peace of Münster in 1648 at an enormous feast, a group portrait of dozens of men in their Sunday best. Allegory of the Peace of Westphalia Allegory of the Peace of Westphalia Jacob Jordaens · 1654 👁️ Painted at the time Jacob Jordaens fills a canvas with gods, figures and symbols of peace to celebrate the Peace of Westphalia, the treaties of 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War. Iconoclasts in a Church Iconoclasts in a Church Dirck van Delen · 1630 👁️ Painted at the time Rioters climb ladders to smash saints' statues and stained glass inside a church, as Protestants did during the Dutch Revolt of the 1500s. Dutch Ships Ramming Spanish Galleys off the Flemish Coast Dutch Ships Ramming Spanish Galleys off the Flemish Coast Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom · 1617 👁️ Painted at the time A tall Dutch warship rams Spanish galleys off the coast of Flanders in a battle of the long Dutch fight for independence from Spain. Before the Battle of the Downs Before the Battle of the Downs Reinier Nooms · 1639 👁️ Painted at the time Dutch and Spanish fleets face each other before the Battle of the Downs in 1639, where the Dutch admiral Tromp destroyed a Spanish fleet off the English coast. Prince Maurice at the Battle of Nieuwpoort, 1600 Prince Maurice at the Battle of Nieuwpoort, 1600 Henri Ambrosius Pacx · 1600 👁️ Painted at the time Prince Maurice of Orange leads on a white horse at the Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600, a big Dutch victory over the Spanish in the fight for independence. The Siege (Defense of a Church Courtyard during the Thirty Years' War) The Siege (Defense of a Church Courtyard during the Thirty Years' War) Karl Friedrich Lessing · 1848 🕰️ Painted about 200 years later Defenders hold out in a churchyard during the Thirty Years' War, with a stormy sky overhead.