Francisco de Valdez

Francisco Valdez (1522? – 1580?), was a Spanish general during the Eighty Years War. He had command over the Siege of Leyden (1573-1574).

Early life

Born a peasant, Valdez served Emperor Charles V in the 1546 war with the Protestants factions of the Holy Roman Empire, and in 1550 he led an expedition against Tunis. In 1567 he accompanied the Duke of Alva to the Netherlands, where he was employed in keeping the country under Spanish subjugation. He was married to Magdalene Moens in 1574.

Siege of Leyden