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What if the Netherlands in the last years of the Dutch revolt managed to capture Antwerp. What would be the consequences of this in the Netherlands? Antwerp was the main target at that point, but theDutch did not manage to capture it from the Spanish. I think with a couple of minor butterflies in the last years of the war, the Dutch would be able to capture it. Antwerp was one of the major cities in Brabant and a very important port. It could become a major rival to Amsterdam (the most important reason why Holland was never that interested in capturing it after the revolt). Would Antwerp still become a major port in this scenario, even though the Netherlands would not control a large part of the Schelde? Would this actualy cause the Dutch to try to gain more area near Antwerp in later wars to secure this city, since it would be dangerously close to the border. Would Antwerp being part of State Brabant cause it to become one of the provinces, instead of a generality land. That had always been the main argument after all, Breda, Den Bosch and Bergen op Zoom were too minor for province status. Or would the fact that Brabant would be catholic be enough reason for it to remain a generality land? Or would Antwerp be an important enough harbor for it to change status (by attracting several protestant merchants who set up shop in Antwerp).

Or would Antwerp be simply be turned into a major fortress to stop the Spanish (and later French).

What would the results be for the Southern Netherlands lacking Antwerp. If Antwerp is as Dutch as Den Bosch or Nijmegen, noone would consider it part of the Southern Netherlands. Would it still be considered a dagger on the throat of England (or what was the expression again) or are Ostend and Bruges dagger enough?

BTW I want it to make it clear for everyone, I am not interested in a Dutch Antwerp in any other way. So don't come up with a scenario in which Antwerp never fall to the Spanish during the Dutch revolt, or the Netherlands capturing Antwerp during the War of Spanish succession (or Antwerp remaining Dutch after the Belgian revolt or what ever POD you can imagine). I am interested in the changest that would happen of Antwerp were captured during the last years of the Eighty year war.
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