Magdalena Moons (24 January 1541 – 15 June 1613) was a Dutch woman known for her role in saving the city of

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

during its first siege by Spain in 1574 during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

. Moons was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. A Catholic, she was the daughter of the judge Pieter Moons. She promised the 30 years older Spanish commander,

Francisco de Valdez Francisco Valdez (1522? – 1580?) was a Spanish general during the Eighty Years War. He had command over the besieging forces of the Army of Flanders during the Siege of Leiden commencing in 1573 and led the failed attack on the city of Delft ...

(1511-1580), to marry him if he stopped

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

attacks on the starving city for a while, as her relatives were there, with the result that reinforcements were given time to arrive and the siege was broken. The story was famous in its time and often told by both sides during the war. Moons died in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moons, Magdalena 1541 births 1613 deaths Dutch people of the Eighty Years' War People from The Hague