Farnese has made himself master of many towns in the southern part of the Netherlands after a series of sieges, and on August 17, 1585, finally recaptures Antwerp, which had closed its gates to rebels and government forces alike.

Among Farnese’s officers is the Bavarian soldier Johann Tserclaes, Graf von Tilly, who had begun his military career in a Spanish regiment, and who will end it as a major figure in the Thirty Years War.

Antwerp's surrender at the end of thirteen months, concluding one of the most celebrated sieges of military history, incites the still resisting northern provinces to close the Scheldt River to foreign shipping.

From this time onward, the whole of the southern part of the Netherlands once more recognizes Philip II as its sovereign.

The capture of Antwerp is the climax of Farnese's career: the construction of a solid line of defense against the United Provinces consolidates the union of the Catholic Netherlands, which will eventually become Belgium.