The Sea Beggars, whose ships blockade the…
1574 CE
The Sea Beggars, whose ships blockade the sea outlet for Brussels, use symbols associated with the Ottoman Empire, with whom the Dutch rebels are united in their common opposition to the Catholic Habsburgs, often through the French diplomacy facilitated by the Franco-Ottoman alliance.
William I of Orange, seeking Ottoman assistance against the Spanish king, had sent an agent to the Ottoman Porte to obtain succor in 1566, and it may have been in response to this plea that the Sultan, in 1574, sends his fleet in the Conquest of Tunis.
Suleiman the Magnificient had even proposed to send troops at their request.
The Sea Beggars used an insignia that reads, Liever Turks dan Paaps ("Rather Turkish than Popish").
Their ships raise the Turkish flag: a crescent on a red background.
The Sea Beggars also wear crescent-shaped insignias on their caps.