Frederik van den Bergh was born in
Ulft. He first fought on the
Dutch side of the conflict. In 1582 he was promoted to ritmeester gaining control of a cavalry unit. A year later he became governor of
Venlo, handing command of his cavalry to his brother. In 1584 he, his brothers
Herman and
Hendrik and their father
Willem IV van den Bergh went over to the Spanish side in the war because they weren’t happy with their career possibilities. One of his first actions in Spanish service was taking part in the
Siege of Grave in 1586. He was shot in the leg during this action. In 1586 he recovered and took part in an assault on
Nijmegen. He was hit on the head by a falling stone passing out and missing the rest of that action. He played a major role in action at the
Ijssel near
Zutphen where he defended a ramp on the West Bank of the river against Dutch attacks. Next he served at
Groningen during the winter of 1587 where he commanded a Spanish unit successfully. He distinguished himself when he successfully evacuated his unit from the east to the west bank of the Dollard river. This crossing was made dangerous because of floating ice in the river. Next he took part in breaking the siege of Groningen. In 1595 he assisted in breaking the siege of Grol against Maurice of Orange, an action in which Herman also played a role. He was made stadholder of
Frisia,
Groningen,
Drenthe,
Overijssel and Lingen. He governed from Lingen and held this position from 1595 until Maurice of Orange won a two-week long siege of the city on 12 November 1597. In 1598 he conquered
Doetinchem and
Schuilenburg castle. A new lordship would have been created in Doetinchem and granted to him as a reward but Gelre and Zutphen refused to recognize it. In 1597 he attempted to take
Steenwijk. He also took part in the siege of Zaltbommel. In 1598 he was promoted to general-fieldmarshal. In 1600 he took part in the
battle of Nieuwpoort and the
siege of Oostende. He also took part in the
siege of 's-Hertogenbosch of 1601 against Maurice of Orange and William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg were his personal actions compelled them to retreat to prevent an open battle. 2 years later he again succeeded defending
‘s-Hertogenbosch from Maurice of Orange. He was promoted to captain of the archdukes personal guard, the archduke governing the Netherlands. At the same time he was made the commander of all Spanish troops in
Flanders. He was successful and won victory after victory in this position, putting Spain in a favourable military position when the
twelve year’s truce was signed. In 1604 he was made stadholder of Artesia (Comté d'Artois), a post he held until 1611. He was stadholder of
Upper Guelders from 1611 to 1618. When Spanish troops retook some of the territory he governed in the north he also reclaimed his position as stadholder there. ==Personal life and death==