Editing Alkmaar (section)

===Siege of Alkmaar===
In 1573 the city underwent a [[Siege of Alkmaar|siege]] by Spanish forces under the leadership of [[Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba|Don Fadrique]], son of the [[Duke of Alva]]. The citizens sent urgent messages for help to the [[Prince of Orange]]; he responded by promising to open the floodgates of the dykes and flood the region if the need arose, which despite the protestations of the peasantry, fearful for their harvest, he proceeded to do.

Some of his dispatches fell into the hands of Don Fadrique, and, with the waters beginning to rise, the Spaniards raised the siege and fled.  It was a turning point in the [[Eighty Years War]] and gave rise to the expression ''Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie'' ("Victory begins at Alkmaar"). The event is still celebrated every year in Alkmaar on 8 October, the day the siege ended.