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The interaction of a number of factors allowed a small corner of North-Western Europe to remain in revolt against a super-power, and eventually gain independence for some of the provinces. <Tab/>The Netherlands was a very hard country to attack; with numerous large rivers, swamps and many walled towns; each of which required a pro-longed siege to capture. As a result, it was very hard for the Spanish to made progress …

…strength of the revolt. The timing of events and foreign policy in relation to France, England and especially the Ottoman empire was therefore crucial. The revolt therefore survived because of an interaction of factors on two fronts; which ultimately ensured that the military force and money behind it required to quell the revolt would be sufficient to survive the level of military power that Spain was able to devote to the Netherlands given its circumstances.