 The looting, although greatly exaggerated in later centuries, was particularly violent because Farnese was in bed with fever during the three days of the sack.Maastricht remained part of the Spanish Netherlands until 1632, when Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange took the city for the Dutch Republic (Capture of Maastricht).Maastricht, which had been an important city in the Netherlands throughout the Middle Ages declined after the mid-16th century but other factors may have contributed to this.