The Spanish army retaliates when towns and villages defect to Orange. After Mechelen and Zutphen, it was Naarden's turn in 1572: a large part of the population was slaughtered. The struggle is hardening, also between civilians in the Netherlands. Some side with the legitimate authority, the Spanish king, while others join the revolt. In Haarlem, the Orangists fight bravely for months to keep their city out of the hands of the Spaniards. But hunger eventually forces them to their knees. Only at Alkmaar 'victory begins'; that's where the Spanish army has to run off. It is unfortunately no longer possible to determine whether Brechtje, a reconstruction based on a female skeleton in a mass grave, played an important role in this.
