2.3: text Digging Deeper

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

5. The Time of Discoverers and Reformers

2.3. Prelude to the Dutch Revolt 

What is this lesson about?

In the sixteenth century, the seventeen provinces of the Low Countries were not unified. Charles V and Philip II tried to centralise this region of their empire and eliminate Protestants. This brought the Low Countries to the point of civil unrest. While the nobles tried to attain a compromise with governor Margaret of Parma, a violent Iconoclasm took place. This drove Philip to take extreme measures against Protestants.

Main Questions

1. What political and religious changes did Charles V want to make in his empire?
2. What were the Low Countries like in the 16th century?
3. What were the Dutch nobles' reasons to write the Petition?
4. What were the events leading to Philip II sending an army to the Netherlands?

people in this lesson

Margareth of Parma

Philip II

Charles V

emperor Holy Roman Empire

regent of king Philip II in the Netherlands

 king of Spain and the Netherlands

Word Duty

WORD DUTY

States-General: a meeting of representatives from the 17 Dutch Provinces.

centralisation: different areas whom at first were separated are brought 

together and are now ruled by 1 person.

to abdicate: a monarch stepping down from the throne

Petition: a document that 200 nobles handed to Margaret of Parma, asking the king to end the inquisition, lower taxes and give back more power to the Dutch nobles.

Geuzen (Beggars): protestants who fled from Alva and supported William of Orange and his rebellion.

Compromise: a deal in which both sides give in a little to reach an agreement.

Iconoclasm (Beeldenstorm): the event in which Protestants destroyed images and statues in Catholic Churches in 1566.

Important dates in this lesson:

1555: Charles V abdicates the throne

1555: Philip II becomes king of Spain and the Netherlands

1566: The Petition of Nobles

1566: Iconoclasm

1567: Alva arrives in the Netherlands

Centralising the Low Countries 

During the sixteenth century, the Netherlands as a country did not yet exist. The Netherlands consisted of present day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

And it was made up of 17 Provinces (gewesten). Every province was ruled by a nobleman and had its own laws and even its own currency. The only time they would come together was when they each sent representatives to the States General. This was a meeting of representatives from all the 17 provinces. Today the “Staten-Generaal” still exists as the “Eerste en Tweede Kamer”. Under Charles V these meetings only were arranged when he called them together, which rarely happened. 

The provinces and their nobles were very pleased with their personal control and power. Their lord, Charles V, had different opinions on this matter. All that power and control had to be brought to one place in the Low Countries and put firmly in Charles's hands. We call this centralisation. He chose Brussels as his capital. Here he appointed a governor to rule in his name. He mainly did this to have more control over his provinces so he could ask for more taxes.

1a. Which of these modern countries did NOT belong to
The Netherlands under Charles V

1. The Netherlands
2. Belgium
3. Germany
4. Luxembourg

1b. What was the capital city of
The Netherlands under Charles V

1. Amsterdam
2. Brussels
3. The Hague
4. Antwerp

1c. In the 16th century, the States-General was a meeting of representatives from the 17 Dutch provinces

1. true
2. false

a meeting of the States General in "de Ridderzaal" the 17th century

"de Ridderzaal" in 2017. During the "Troonrede" the king always starts with the words: "leden der Staten Generaal..."

a session of the "Tweede Kamer der Staten Generaal" in The Hague.

STATES GENERAL

Click the blue text
STATES GENERAL in the previous slide to find the answers to these questions:

2a. How many seats does the "Tweede Kamer" have?

1. 75
2. 100
3. 125
4. 150

2b. How many seats does the "Eerste Kamer" have?

1. 75
2. 100
3. 125
4. 150

2c. Another word for the States General is:

1. government
2. parliament
3. council
4. president

2d. A parliament is basically the people's:

1. representatives
2. subjects
3. government
4. monarchy

2e. How do members of parliament get appointed?

1. they are appointed by the king
2. they are elected by the Dutch people
3. their jobs are give to the highest bidders
4. their parents were also parlementarians, so they inherited the job

Persecution in the Low Countries 

Many people in the Low Countries wanted everyone to be able to worship however they liked. People held Protestant and Catholic beliefs. However, Charles V was firmly Catholic. In 1521, he had ordered Luther’s writings to be publicly burned. In 1522, he set up an Inquisition in the Low Countries to find and kill Protestants. 

The officials of the Inquisition had a difficult job because nobody wanted to co-operate with them, not even Catholics.

In 1546, Charles V gave the Inquisition more power. He also made heresy treason: a crime against the ruler, not religion. Inquisition officials could arrest anyone, even a noble. They could work in any of the provinces and towns of the Low Countries. This went against the charters of many towns. 

a woman is being publicely burned after she was found guilty of herecy by the Inquisition.

graph of the Inquisition in Flanders

3. Why were so many people willing to die for their religious beliefs in the sixteenth century?

4. What were the most important actions Charles V took against protestantism in the Netherlands?

5a. Study the graph.
Which three years had the most
prosecutions?

5b. Study the graph.
Which three years had the most executions?

5c. Study the graph.
Was the Inquisition
succeeding in Flanders?
Explain your answer.

Philip II

In 1555 Charles V abdicated the throne. He had been waging wars for most of his reign, against France and Italy and against the Ottomans who were advancing into eastern Europe. He had failed to keep the Catholic Church united and his attempts to centralise the government were not very successful. Now he was old and tired.

He left Spain and the Netherlands to his son Philip II and the rest of his empire to his brother Ferdinand.

So, king Philip II became the new ruler of the Low Countries in 1555. He was also Catholic and tried to make the Inquisition more efficient. He was born and raised in Spain, spoke Spanish, not Dutch. As he wanted to stay in Spain he appointed his half sister Margaret of Parma as governor of the Netherlands. She was to go to Brussels and rule the Netherlands in his name.

Philip II still owned a vast empire that included the Spanish territories in the Americas.

Philip used the American colonies to get its gold and silver in order to finance his wars.

Philip’s reign made everything people in the Low Countries disliked about life under Charles V (the centralisation, the taxes, the Inquisition) worse. 

Philip was Spanish and saw the Low Countries as important only for taxes, which he put up. His advisors were Spanish. Philip kept a Spanish army in the country (mainly to be able to wage war against France). 

In 1559, Philip told the States General that he wanted them to agree taxes for the next nine years (so he did not have to call them again for that time). The States General said they would agree if he removed the Spanish army, gave them more political rights and accepted some Low Countries advisors. Philip and his governor, Margaret of Parma, did nothing.

right: Margaret of Parma was Philip's half sister.

He appointed her as governor of the Netherlands. She had to make sure that Philip's policy was executed.

below: reenactors play out a battle between Spanish and Dutch soldiers

6a. Philip II tried to centralise the Low Countries

1. true
2. false

6b. This took away power from the Dutch nobles

1. true
2. false

6c. Philip II was at war with France

1. true
2. false

6d. Philip II did not need the Low Countries to finance his wars

1. true
2. false

The Petition

Many Dutch nobles, including William of Orange, warned Philip and Margaret about the growing discontent over religion, taxes and the political situation. On 5 April 1566, two hundred nobles forced their way into Margaret’s palace with a list of demands called the Petition (Smeekschrift). It asked her to end the Inquisition and call the States General (not due to meet until 1568) to discuss their 'grievances'. It did not criticise her or Philip, but the threat of revolt was clear. 

Margaret was shocked by the size of the group, their violent arrival and their demands. A Spanish councillor said: 'What, Madam, are you afraid of these beggars?' The nobles took the word 'beggars' (geuzen in Dutch) and used it to gain support. Within weeks, Long Live the Beggars! was shouted in the streets everywhere. 

Dutch nobles hand the Petition to Margeret of Parma at her palace in Brussels.

the Dutch word for the Beggars is "Geuzen".

7. Copy this overview into your notebook and fill in the empty boxes.

8. Why did the supporters of the Petition
call themselves "Beggars"?

Margaret wasn’t sure what to do. Give in to the nobles and go against the wishes of the king? or stick to the orders of the king and risk a revolt by the Dutch nobles? She made a compromise: she promised to stop the Inquisition, but only until the king’s response arrived.

Two nobles took the petition to Philip, all the way to Spain. When Philip read the petition he was furious. He ordered the execution of the two nobles. He had no intention of giving the Dutch what they wanted.

Meanwhile Margaret had slowed down the Inquisition in order to keep the peace in the Netherlands. 

Hendrik of Brederode hands the Petition of Nobles to Margaret of Parma. Engraving by Famiano Strada (first half 17th century)

coin from 1567 with a portrait of Margaret of Parma

9. Write down an example of a compromise from your own life.

10. Which action by Philip II illustrates that
he was not happy with the Petition?

Protestants did not have their own churches. Therefore they gathered in the open fields. These sermons were called "hagepreken".

Of course, these open field sermons were not allowed by Philip II.

Iconoclasm 

While Margaret hesitated, the people of the Low Countries acted. Angry at the executions, and encouraged by the slowing of the Inquisition, they directed their anger at the Catholic Church. Protestants had to hide their churches from view, so they moved them outside, preaching their sermons in the fields and forests (hagepreken). During one of these sermons in the Flemish village of Steenvoorde, the preacher talked about the taxes, executions and excesses of the church. The Protestants present got furious, and went to a local monastery, destroying the altar and statues. 

This inspired many other Protestant groups. Over the next few weeks the unrest would spread to the tip of Groningen. People charged and destroyed churches, not only for their religious convictions but also out of poverty, frustration or just to plunder. 

This event is called the Iconoclasm ('Beeldenstorm'). 

two pictures illustration the Iconoclasm in 1566

Why was it so extreme? 

The religious and political differences between the Low Countries and Spain caused widespread discontent. The Inquisition took the property of many people it persecuted, adding to the homeless on the streets. Bad harvests and widespread unemployment meant many people were starving, yet they were heavily taxed. Many of the local town guards did nothing to stop the riots. The guard of Middleburg, when asked to arrest the iconoclasts, said: 'We will not fight for Church, Pope or monks.

below: in Utrecht you can still see the results of the Iconoclasm. These images on the "Domkerk" were destroyed.

left: an engraving of the iconoclasts at work, made in the 1580's. 

right: the same picture, with letters A-I for the next question.

11. Take a close look at the pictures in the previous slide.
Of each of the letters A - I write down what happens

12. Was the prosecution of protestants by the Inquisition
the only reason for the Iconoclasm?
Explain your answer.

Philip’s rage

By 1567, the outbreaks of violence were aimed at political, as well as religious targets across the country. Margaret told Philip, in a panic, that the country was in revolt. Most nobles (including William of Orange, Egmont and Horne) tried to calm things down. But the revolt was starting before they had a big enough army to win. Margaret sent soldiers to crush the risings. News came that Philip was sending an army, so many nobles left for the German states. Some had not decided what to do. In August 1567, the Spanish Duke of Alva arrived with 10,000 soldiers and took over the government. He was ready to crush the rebellion.

When he heard that Alva was coming, William of Orange left for his lands in Nassau, Germany. His friends, the count of Horne and the count of Egmont stayed and tried to get William to stay too, telling him he would lose all his power and land. Their last words to him are said to have been: 'Farewell count without land', to which William answered: 'Farewell counts without heads.' 

The duke of Alva arrives in Brussels on 

August 22, 1567.

He brings 10,000 Spanish soldiers with him and he is determined to restore order to the Netherlands and punish the iconoclasts.

Make your own summary using the main questions:

1. What political and religious changes did Charles V want to make in his empire?
2. What were the Low Countries like in the 16th century?
3. What were the Dutch nobles' reasons to write the Petition?
4. What were the events leading to Philip II sending an army to the Netherlands?

Here you can see links to five video fragments we watched in class

Verleden van Nederland:

Fragment 1

Fragment 2

Fragment 3

Fragment 4

Fragment 5

13. Which question(s) would you like to be discussed
in class when we check this lesson?

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