Dutch Revolt

Dutch Revolt Dutch Revolt Prince Maurice at the Battle of Nieuwpoort by Pauwels van Hillegaert. Oil on canvas. Date 1566–1648 Location The Low Countries (present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) Present-day Germany (Worldwide colonial warfare) Result Treaty of Münster Independence of the Dutch Republic Recognition of Spanish sovereignty of Southern Netherlands by the Dutch Republic Belligerents United Provinces Spanish Empire Supported by: Supported by: England (1585– Holy Roman 1648) Empire France (1635– 1648) Commanders and leaders William the Silent Philip II of Spain Maurice of Duke of Alba Nassau John of Austria Frederick Henry Duke of Parma Elizabeth I James VI and I Archduke Albert Robert Dudley Ambrogio Spinola The Dutch Revolt (1566–1648)[note 1] was the revolt in the Low Countries against the rule of the Habsburg King Philip II of Spain, hereditary ruler of the provinces. The northern provinces (the Netherlands) eventually separated from the southern provinces (present-day Belgium and Luxembourg), which continued under Habsburg Spain until 1714. The northern provinces adopted Calvinism and Republicanism whereas the southern provinces became wholly Catholic again due to the expulsion of Protestants and the efforts of the Counter-Reformation and remained under absolutist rule. The Dutch Revolt has been viewed as the seedbed of the great democratic revolutions from England, to America to France.[1] The religious "clash of cultures" built up gradually but inexorably into outbursts of violence against the perceived repression of the Habsburg Crown. These tensions led to the formation of the independent Dutch Republic, whose first leader was William the Silent, followed by several of his descendants and relations. This revolt was one of the first successful secessions in Europe, and led to one of the first European republics of the modern era, the United Provinces. Due to the nature of the conflict, the factions involved, and changing alliances, modern-day historians have put forward arguments that the Dutch Revolt was also a civil war.[2] King Philip was initially successful in suppressing the rebellion. In 1572, however, the rebels captured Brielle and the rebellion resurged. The northern provinces became independent, first in 1581 de facto, and in 1648 de jure. During the revolt, the United Provinces of the Netherlands, better known as the Dutch Republic, rapidly grew to become a world power through its merchant shipping and experienced a period of economic, scientific, and cultural growth. The Southern Netherlands (situated in modern-day: southern Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and northern France) remained under Spanish rule. The Dutch imposed a rigid blockade on the southern provinces that prevented Baltic grain from relieving famine in the southern towns, especially from 1587 to 1589. Despite achieving independence, from the end of the war in 1648 there was considerable opposition to the Treaty of Münster within the States General of the Netherlands since it allowed Spain to retain the Southern Provinces and permitted religious toleration for Catholics.[3] The first phase of the Eighty Years War can be considered the Dutch Revolt. The focus of the latter phase was to gain official recognition of the already de facto independence of the United Provinces. This phase coincided with the rise of the Dutch Republic as a major power and the founding of the Dutch Empire. Contents Background Taxation Protestantism Centralization Initial stages (1555–1572) Prelude to the rebellion (1555–1568) Nobility in opposition 1566 — Iconoclasm and repression William of Orange Resurgence (1572–1585) Pacification of Ghent Unions of Arras and Utrecht Act of Abjuration The Fall of Antwerp De facto independence of the north (1585–1609) Twelve Years' Truce (1609–1621) Final stages (1621–1648) War recommences Colonial theater From war to peace Peace Aftermath Nature of the war Effect on the Low Countries Effect on the Spanish Empire Political implications in Europe See also Notes References Further reading Historiography External links Background In a series of marriages and conquests, a succession of dukes of Burgundy expanded their original territory by adding to it a series of fiefdoms, including the Seventeen Provinces.[4] Although the Duchy of Burgundy itself had been lost to France in 1477, the Burgundian Netherlands were still intact when Charles of Habsburg, heir to the Netherlands via his grandmother Mary, was born in Ghent in 1500. Charles was raised in the Netherlands and spoke fluent Dutch, French, and Spanish, along with some German.[5] In 1506, he became lord of the Netherlands. In 1516, he inherited the kingdoms of Spain, which had become a worldwide empire with the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and in 1519, he inherited the Archduchy of Austria. Finally, he was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1530.[6] Although Friesland and Guelders offered prolonged resistance under Grutte Pier and Charles of Egmond respectively, The Seventeen Provinces of the virtually all of the Netherlands had been incorporated into the Netherlands prior to the Dutch Habsburg domains by the early 1540s. Rebellion Taxation Flanders had long been a very wealthy region, coveted by French kings. The other regions of the Netherlands had also grown wealthy and entrepreneurial.[7] Charles V's empire had become a worldwide empire with large American and European territories. The latter were, however, distributed throughout Europe. Control and defense of these were hampered by the disparity of the territories and huge length of the empire's borders. This large realm was almost continuously at war with its neighbors in its European heartlands, most notably against France in the Italian Wars and against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean Sea. Further wars were fought against Protestant princes in Germany. The Dutch paid heavy taxes to fund these wars,[8] but perceived them as unnecessary and sometimes downright harmful, because they were directed against their most important trading partners. Protestantism During the 16th century, Protestantism rapidly gained ground in northern Europe. Dutch Protestants, after initial repression, were tolerated by local authorities.[9] By the 1560s, the Protestant community had become a significant influence in the Netherlands, although it clearly formed a minority then.[10] In a society dependent on trade, freedom and tolerance were considered essential. Nevertheless, Charles V, and from 1555 his successor Philip II, felt it was their duty to defeat Protestantism,[6] which was considered a heresy by the Catholic Church and a threat to the stability of the whole hierarchical political system. On the other hand, the intensely moralistic Dutch Protestants insisted their theology, sincere piety and humble lifestyle were morally superior to the luxurious habits and superficial religiosity of the ecclesiastical nobility.[11] The harsh measures of suppression led to increasing grievances in the Netherlands, where the local governments had embarked on a course of peaceful coexistence. In the second half of the century, the situation escalated. Philip sent troops to crush the rebellion and make the Netherlands Catholic once again. Although failing in his attempts to introduce the Spanish Inquisition directly, the Inquisition of the Netherlands (existed until 1566) was nevertheless sufficiently harsh and arbitrary in nature to provoke fervent dislike.[12] Centralization Part of the shifting balance of power in the late Middle Ages meant that besides the local nobility, many of the Dutch administrators by now were not traditional aristocrats but instead stemmed from non- noble families that had risen in status over previous centuries. By the 15th century, Brussels had thus become the de facto capital of the Seventeen Provinces. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the districts of the Netherlands, represented by its nobility and the wealthy city- dwelling merchants, still had a large measure of autonomy in appointing its administrators. Charles V and Philip II set out to improve the management of the empire by increasing the authority of [13] the central government in matters like law and taxes, a policy European territories under the rule of which caused suspicion both among the nobility and the merchant the Philip II of Spain around 1580 class. An example of this is the takeover of power in the city of (the Spanish Netherlands in light Utrecht in 1528, when Charles V supplanted the council of guild green) on a map showing modern- masters governing the city by his own stadtholder, who took over day state borders. worldly powers in the whole province of Utrecht from the archbishop of Utrecht. Charles ordered the construction of the heavily fortified castle of Vredenburg for defence against the Duchy of Gelre and to control the citizens of Utrecht.[14] Under the governorship of Mary of Hungary (1531–1555), traditional power had for a large part been taken away both from the stadtholders of the provinces and from the high noblemen, who had been replaced by professional jurists in the Council of State.[15] Initial stages (1555–1572) Prelude to the rebellion (1555–1568) In 1556 Charles passed on his throne to his son Philip II of Spain.[6] Charles, despite his harsh actions, had been seen as a ruler empathetic to the needs of the Netherlands. Philip, on the other hand, was raised in Spain and spoke neither Dutch nor French. During Philip's reign, tensions flared in the Netherlands over heavy taxation, suppression of Protestantism, and centralization efforts. The growing conflict would reach a boiling point and lead ultimately to the war of independence. Nobility in opposition In an effort to build a stable and trustworthy government of the Netherlands, Philip appointed his half-sister Margaret of Parma as governor.[6] He continued the policy of his father of appointing members of the high nobility of the Netherlands to the Raad van State (Council of State), the governing body of the seventeen provinces that advised the governor. He made his confidant Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle head of the council.

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