Nieuwpoort 1600 ― The Battle of the Dunes

Nieuwpoort 1600 uses specially commissioned artwork to reveal one of the greatest battles of the Eighty Years' War--one whose influence on military theory and practice ever since has been highly significant.

The Eighty Years' War began as a limited Dutch rebellion seeking only religious toleration from their Spanish overlords, but it quickly escalated into one of the longest wars in European history. Spain's failed invasion of 1599 and the mutinies that followed convinced Dutch leaders that they now should go on the offensive. This campaign pitted two famous leaders' sons against each other: Maurice of Nassau and Archduke Albert VII. One led an unproven new model army, the other Spain's "unbeatable" Tercios, each around 11,000-men strong.

The Dutch wanted to land near Nieuwpoort, take it and then march on to Dunkirk, northern home port of the Spanish fleet, but they were cut off by the resurgent and reunited Spanish army. The two forces then met on the beach and in the dunes north of Nieuwpoort.

Bouko de Groot has a BA in Art History and an MA in Egyptology. He has served in the army and is a published author of a number of academic, popular scientific, and business journalistic articles. When not writing about current affairs, he continues to study and write about military history. He is Dutch and currently lives in The Hague.

Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, leading him to study Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.