Spinola, Ambrogio Di

Born 1569, in Genoa; died Sept. 25, 1630, in Castelnuovo Scrivia. Spanish military leader.

Descended from the Genoese aristocracy, Spinola served under the Spanish king beginning in 1598. After assembling an army of Spaniards at his own expense, he fought against Maurice of Nassau, prince of Orange, in Flanders and defeated him in 1604 at Ostend. In 1614, in connection with Spain’s intervention in the struggle over the Berg-Jülich-Cleves succession, he fought in battles in Jülich and Cleves. Sent to reinforce the military forces of the Hapsburg bloc at the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), Spinola occupied part of the Palatinate in 1620. He was granted the title of marqués de los Balbases by the Spanish king in 1621 and the same year was recalled to Flanders. He seized the Dutch fortress of Breda in 1625. During the War of the Mantuan Succession, Spinola’s troops besieged Casale; they occupied part of the city in 1630 but failed to take the fortress.