| Alessandro Farnese | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Farnese by Otto van Veen | |
| Duke of Parma and Piacenza | |
| Reign | 15 September 1586 – 3 December 1592 |
| Predecessor | Ottavio |
| Successor | Ranuccio I |
| Governor of the Spanish Netherlands | |
| Reign | 1 October 1578 – 3 December 1592 |
| Predecessor | John of Austria |
| Successor | Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort |
| Born | 27 August 1545 Rome, Papal States |
| Died | 3 December 1592 (aged 47) Arras, Kingdom of France |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Infanta Maria of Portugal |
| Issue | Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma Margherita, Hereditary Princess of Mantua Cardinal Oddoardo |
| House | Farnese |
| Father | Ottavio Farnese |
| Mother | Margaret of Parma |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature | .PNG) |
Alexander Farnese (Italian: Alessandro Farnese, Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Nephew to King Philip II of Spain, he served in the Battle of Lepanto and the subsequent campaigns of the Holy League against the Ottoman Empire, being latter appointed general of the Spanish army during the Dutch revolt until his death in 1592. During the French Wars of Religion, he decisively relieved Paris for the Catholic League.[1]
His talents as a commander, strategist and organizator earned him the regard of contemporaries and historians as the greatest general of his age,[2][3][4] as well as one of the best in history.[2][5] He stood out for his equal proficiency at war and diplomacy.[6] Under his leadership, Philip II's army achieved the most comprehensive successes in the history of the Eighty Years' War, capturing more than thirty towns between 1581 and 1587 before being diverted from the Netherlands to the French theater.[7] His campaigns gave Spain back permanentely control of the southern provinces, establishing the cultural and religious separation which would eventually become the nation of Belgium.[1][3][7]
- ^ a b de Groof, Bart (1993). "Alexander Farnese and the Origins of Modern Belgium". Bulletin de l'Institut Historique Belge de Rome. 63: 195–219. ISSN 0073-8530.
- ^ a b Creasy, Edward (1851). The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World.
{{cite book}}: Check|authorlink=value (help) - ^ a b Eric J., Griffin (2012). English Renaissance Drama and the Specter of Spain: Ethnopoetics and Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780812202106.
- ^ De Carlos Bertrán 2018, p. 8.
- ^ Diccionario enciclopédico hispano-americano de literatura, ciencias y artes: Apéndice 24–25. Segundo apéndice 26–28. Montaner y Simón. 1891.
- ^ Keegan, John; Wheatcroft, Andrew (2014). Who's Who in Military History: From 1453 to the Present Day. London: Routledge. p. 229-231.
- ^ a b Tucker, Spencer (2009). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East [6 volumes]: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. p. 821.