Editing Roermond (section)

===Spanish Netherlands===
[[File:Bor-Nederlantsche-Oorloghen 9160.tif|200px|thumb|Attack on Spanish Roermond by [[William the Silent]] in 1572]]

Between 1543 and 1702 the area was part of the [[Spanish Netherlands]], known in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] as ''Ruremunda''.

On 23 April 1568 the [[Battle of Rheindalen]] occurred near Roermond, which signalled the start of the [[Eighty Years' War]]. In 1572, Roermond was occupied by the Dutch [[William the Silent]]. On 23 July 1572, 13 [[Catholic]] clerics were murdered in the town of Roermond by militant Dutch [[Calvinists]] ([[Martyrs of Roermond]]). Roermond was recaptured by the Spanish duke [[Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba|Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo]].

Under Spanish rule, Roermond became a bastion of the [[Counter-Reformation]]. On behalf of the [[Inquisition]], people were encouraged to report suspects of witchcraft and heresy. In 1613, 64 witches were burnt on Galgeberg hill near the {{ill|Kapel in 't Zand|nl}} in Roermond, the largest [[Witch-hunt|witch trial]] in the Netherlands ever.

In 1632 the Dutch Stadhouder [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange|Frederik Hendrik]] conquered Roermond along with Venlo and Maastricht during his famous "March along the Meuse". Attempts in the next few years to annex [[Antwerp]] and [[Brussels]] failed, however. The northern Dutch were disappointed by the lack of local support. The Counter-Reformation had firmly reattached the local population to Roman Catholicism, and they now distrusted the [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] Northerners even more than they loathed the Spanish occupiers.

Between 1632 and 1637, Roermond was under the control of the [[Dutch Republic]], and again from 1702 to 1716. Between 1716 and 1794, it was part of the [[Austrian Netherlands]] within the [[Habsburg monarchy]].