Who was the Grand Duke of Alba and Iron Duke in the Netherlands that defeated William the Silent's invading army?
Battle of Jodoigne The Battle of Jodoigne was fought October 20th 1568 between Spanish and Dutch forces. The Spanish under Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba destroyed the rear guard of William the Silent's invading army, forcing him to abandon his invasion of the Netherlands and to retreat into Germany.
Dutch States Army The Dutch States Army (Dutch: "Staatse leger" ) was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic. This mercenary army was brought to such a size and state of readiness that it was able to hold its own against the armies of the major European powers of the extended 17th century, Habsburg Spain and the France of Louis XIV, despite the fact that these powers possessed far larger military resources than the Republic. It played a major role in the Eighty Years' War (opposite the Spanish Army of Flanders) and in the wars of the Grand Alliance with France after 1672.