<P> Farnese finally laid siege to the great seaport of Antwerp . The town was open to the sea, strongly fortified, and well defended under the leadership of Marnix van St. Aldegonde . Farnese cut off all access to the sea by constructing a bridge of boats across the Scheldt . The city surrendered in 1585 as 60,000 Antwerp citizens (60% of the pre-siege population) fled north . All of the southern Netherlands was once more under Spanish control . </P> <P> In a war composed mostly of sieges rather than battles, he proved his mettle . His strategy was to offer generous terms for surrender: there would be no massacres or looting; historic urban privileges were retained; there was a full pardon and amnesty; return to the Catholic Church would be gradual . </P> <P> Meanwhile, Catholic refugees from the North regrouped in Cologne and Douai and developed a more militant, Tridentine identity . They became the mobilizing forces of a popular Counter-Reformation in the South, thereby facilitating the eventual emergence of the state of Belgium . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> The Battle of Lepanto </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Artist </Th> <Td> Paolo Veronese </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Td> 1571 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Medium </Th> <Td> Oil on canvas </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Dimensions </Th> <Td> 169 cm × 137 cm (67 in × 54 in) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Location </Th> <Td> Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy </Td> </Tr> </Table>

How did the catholic response to the protestant reformation