On This Day

Spanish army starts fires in Haarlem, Netherlands

Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland.

Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Haarlem had a population of 162,543 in 2021.

Haarlem was granted city status or stadsrechten in 1245, although the first city walls were not built until 1270. The modern city encompasses the former municipality of Schoten as well as parts that previously belonged to Bloemendaal and Heemstede. Apart from the city, the municipality of Haarlem also includes the western part of the village of Spaarndam. Newer sections of Spaarndam lie within the neighbouring municipality of Haarlemmermeer.

Historical Significance

Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands.

Events Before

  1. Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of Catholic states formed by Pope Pius V destroys an Ottoman fleet in a significant defea

    Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of Catholic states formed by Pope Pius V destroys an Ottoman fleet in a significant defeat off Western Greece

  2. Spanish troops occupy Manila

    Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people.

  3. Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England

    Catholic Italian businessman Roberto Ridolfi leaves England

  4. Miguel Lopez de Lagazpi founds Manilla in the Philippines

    Miguel Lopez de Lagazpi founds Manilla in the Philippines

  5. Catholic rebellion in Scotland

    Catholic rebellion in Scotland

Events After

  1. The Geuzen set fire to the city of Woudrichem

    Woudrichem is a city and former municipality in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

  2. Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, granting religious freedom in Poland

    The Warsaw Confederation, also called the Compact of Warsaw, was a political-legal act signed in Warsaw on 28 January 1573 by the first Convocation Sejm (Sejm konwokacyjny) held in the Polish...

  3. Turkey and Venice sign a peace treaty

    Turkey and Venice sign a peace treaty

  4. The spire of Beauvais Cathedral, France, which made it the tallest human-made monument in the world at the time, collaps

    The spire of Beauvais Cathedral, France, which made it the tallest human-made monument in the world at the time, collapses (never rebuilt)

  5. Polish Parliament selects Duke of Anjou as king

    Polish Parliament selects Duke of Anjou as king

More from the 1570s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 17, 1572?
Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area.
Why is Spanish army starts fires in Haarlem, Netherlands significant?
Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands.

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