Hendrik began his advance to the top of the Spanish army at an early age. He was but fifteen years old when he broke off his aristocratic education. He followed in the footsteps of his elder brothers and enlisted in the Spanish army. At the Twelve-Year Truce, thirty years later, he had risen to the rank of Stadtholder of Spanish Guelders, the present-day northern part of the Dutch province of Limburg and the German Lower Rhine Region. As commander of that area he celebrated a number of triumphs in the battle against the Dutch States Army and even became generalissimo of the Spanish army in the Low Countries. As such he came to fight in a battle against his cousin Fredrik Hendrik of Orange in 1629 at the Siege of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. But this time, however, he lost. This led to great dissatisfaction with the Spanish rulers. It made Hendrik decide to switch to the States Army. He gave free passage past the river Meuse to Frederik Hendrik, commander-in-chief of the Dutch States army, upon which Spanish Guelders was conquered in just eight days. Because of this treason, the Spanish condemned Hendrik to death. But luckily for him, this verdict was never put into practice.
For more information on this portrait, press A For more information on Hendrik the generalissimo, press B For a song about Hendrik, press C