Francis Vere

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 (1585–1604) and the Eighty Years' War. Vere was a sergeant major general of English and Scottish troops in 1589, a position he retained during fifteen campaigns fighting the Spanish, with almost unbroken success – most notably at the Battle of Nieuwpoort. He enjoyed excellent relations with the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau, working in close co-operation with them to help secure the country for the cause of independence.