Created in 1567 to suppress a local rebellion that escalated into a conflict with global ramifications between Habsburg Spain and the Dutch Republic, the Army of Flanders became the destination of the largest migratory flow of military workforce (both male and female) in its time. Over nearly 140 years, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from all walks of life and from an area ranging from Scotland to Sicily, and from Portugal to Poland served in its ranks alongside local Walloon and Flemish troops.
Not since the days of ancient Rome had so many soldiers from so many and diverse social and cultural backgrounds served together for such a long period within a common administrative framework and a clearly defined geographical area, supported by a budget that often exceeded that of many European powers of the same period.