The Battle on the Zuiderzee

The Battle on the Zuiderzee (October 11, 1573). Naval battle during the Eighty Years' War in which a Dutch fleet destroyed a larger and better-equipped Spanish fleet on the Zuiderzee. In 1573 the Spanish Governor Maximilian de Henin Count of Bossu sent a fleet consisting of about 30 ships to halt the attacks and destroy the enemy force. This fleet also included his flagship, the Inquisition. It was not until October 11 that the wind turned and the Dutch could execute a surprise attack. During this attack, the Spanish flagship was boarded by the Dutch and during the course of the battle ran aground.