Alessandro Farnese, the Duke of Parma (1545-1592), led the Spanish suppression of the Dutch Revolt. He doubled the size of Spain's holdings in the Netherlands through his conquests and ensured Spanish rule in the southern provinces for another 129 years.

Serving as Spain's governor-general of the Netherlands from 1578 to 1592, Alessandro Farnese, the third duke of Parma, distinguished himself with a tolerance and restraint uncommon in his day. These qualities, combined with diplomatic acumen and military astuteness, made him Spain's most successful military leader during the Revolt of the Netherlands (1566-1648). Throughout his 15-year tenure, Farnese checked the redoubtable William of Orange, stymied the United Provinces, restored and cemented Spanish hegemony in the largely Catholic southern provinces, and crowned his considerable achievements with a devastating offensive.

Farnese was born the scion of a distinguished Italian family. His great-grandfather Pope Paul III had created the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza in...