The Joyous Entry of the Duke of Anjou, 1582-1600 (oil on panel)

François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (1556-1584) son of the French King Henri II rides into Antwerp on 19 February 1582 intending to fool the citizens into accepting him as their ruler. The triumphal arch on St. Jan's Bridge was erected for the occasion. The Dutch rebels wanted him instead of King Philip II of Spain but Antwerp nevertheless fell into Spanish hands in 1585, and the Northern Netherlands became a republic. Eighty Years' War was an armed revolt under the leadership of Protestant William of Orange when the Dutch struggled to gain independence from Spanish rule under the Catholic Philip II.