Francis Vere

Sergeant Major General Sir Francis Vere was an English army officer and politician who served during the reign of Elizabeth I and fought mainly in the Low Countries during the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585–1604 and the Eighty Years' War. Vere was promoted to commander of English and Scottish troops in the Low Countries in 1589, a position he retained during fifteen campaigns against the Spanish with almost unbroken success, most notably at the Battle of Nieuwpoort. Enjoying excellent relations with the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau, Vere worked in close co-operation with them to help secure their independence from Spain.