La Rendición de Breda Diego Rodriguez De Silva y Velazquez (1599-1660)

Description of Diego Velázquez’s painting The Surrender of Breda

The famous painting by the legendary 17th century Spanish artist Diego Velázquez, entitled The Surrender of Breda, was painted by him in 1635, based on actual historical events that took place in Europe during his lifetime. The painting itself was intended for the so-called Great Hall of the new palace of King Philip IV Buen Retiro, who ruled Spain at that time.

The plot of the picture was built entirely on historical events, and the actions unfolding on it were related to the then situation around the fortress of Breda, located in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It was in this city that the famous compromise was written to protest against the religious persecution of King Philip II, who was accused, in fact, of blasphemy.

It was the fortress of Breda that was the center of the struggle of the armies of many European countries for dominance in the region during the so-called Thirty Years’ War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648. During this time, until the accession to the throne of King Philip IV of Spain, Breda changed hands several times during the war.

It was in the early years of the Thirty Years’ War that Spanish forces fought against the armies of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and thus succeeded in holding a great deal of territory in the Netherlands that fell to Spain. After that, Spain also successfully resisted other adversaries, including the English and Portuguese.

The painting depicts the important moment of handing the keys to the fortress of Breda to Spanish commander-in-chief Ambrosio Spinola, who was just able to achieve such stunning successes for his country. After a short period of time, though, Spain was weakened economically by the war and had to give up a number of its conquests, including those in the Netherlands.