Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...freed him from inactivity when, in 1577, Don Juan, by then the Spanish governor-general, charged with suppressing the revolt, appealed for his support. In 1578 Farnese fought energetically in the Battle of Gembloux, in which the rebellious Dutch forces were routed, and punished a number of towns with a harshness that contrasts with his subsequent attitude.
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