| The Spanish Fury |
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On 4 November 1576 , troops from the Spanish Tercios started the sack of Antwerp leading to three days of horror among the population of the city, at the time the cultural, economic and financial center of the Netherlands . The cause of the sack of Antwerp was the huge delays in the payment to the soldiers by the Spanish Crown of Philip II . The Spanish soldiers, tired of fighting in numeric inferiority against rebel troops, without a rest and without their salary, decided to "pay themselves" by looting Antwerp. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of houses were burnt. The cruelty and destruction of these three days of rage became known as the Spanish Fury. This shocking event alienated many in the Netherlands, even Catholics, against the Spanish Habsburg monarchy, and tarnished Philip II's already-damaged reputation. The Spanish Fury was one of a series of events which led to the downfall of Spain's Golden Age . DERIVED MEANING The Spanish Fury is also a nickname for the Spanish National Football Team . SEE ALSO |