These were the final words of William of Orange, nicknamed Father of the Fatherland, after being shot in 1584. These words encapsulated the dire circumstances faced by the Dutch at that moment, embroiled in a war of independence after enduring decades of oppression from their Hapsburg overlords. Years of punishing taxation, Hapsburg centralisation, religious persecution, and contravention of long-held privileges boiled over into the Dutch Revolt.
To understand why the Dutch decided to shake off the Spanish yoke, it must be established how they came into the Hapsburg fold. A century of competent rulership saw Burgundy encompass much of eastern France and the Low Countries via dynastic matchmaking and conquest, still the Duchy found itself in a precarious position by 1477. Duke Charles the Bold’s ambitious quest for realm unification ended with his death, earning his other epithet as ‘the Rash’ by being killed in battle and leaving no male heir. Enter the Hapsburgs. Faced with an impending French invasion, Charles’ widow strategically betrothed their only daughter, Mary, to Maximilian I, successfully deterring the threat of invasion. Yet, Mary’s early death curtailed the union, transferring Burgundian territories passed under Habsburg dominion and Maximilian began to consolidate his new lands. Maximilian’s son, Charles V, then extended Hapsburg rule over the Netherlands in a decades-long war of subjugation, absorbing Dutch provinces into the Empire.
Since time immemorial, taxation has been begrudgingly paid. Philip II had inherited a grave financial situation from his father, who had engaged in expensive foreign wars across Europe. So expensive were Charles’ wars that much of the costs were passed onto the prosperous Netherlands, with the deficit skyrocketing from 415,878 Flemish pounds in 1531 to nearly seven million by 1555. The Dutch were obliged to pay taxes directly to the emperor and were liable for provisioning men and finances to defend the empire. Particularly grating, was their taxes being spent to wage war against foreign powers who, posing no threat to the Dutch, were often important trading partners and crucial sources of wealth for the Dutch economy. Realising the strain it would place on their finances, the Dutch were recalcitrant to Philip’s new levy to fund his war against the Ottomans.
A condition attached to Maximilian’s and Mary’s marriage included the granting of the Grand Privilege to the Dutch, thus securing Dutch privileges and initially weakening Hapsburg control over the Netherlands even before Maximilian had crossed the Rhine to marry his bride. The Hapsburgs, aiming to tighten their grip, initially sought the nobility’s loyalty to maintain lucrative Netherlands taxes. Dutch nobles were commonly found in the higher echelons of the church, army, and administration while those who belonged to the most eminent families were elevated to the prestigious Order of the Golden Fleece and invited to sit in the Council of State. However, under Hapsburg rule, the Council’s consultative function had eroded. Forced to make concessions to levy his new taxes, Philip II was led to cementing his authority by undermining the consultative function of the Council. He sidelined Dutch members and reduced its involvement in governance; effective control was entrusted to Granvelle, culminating in William’s resignation in 1567 and his self-exile to his estates in Nassau.
The religious atmosphere of this time was encapsulated by the Reformation and the subsequent Counter-Reformation that fragmented western Christianity. Protestantism had spread across northern Europe, and sizeable minorities of Lutherans and Calvinists called the Netherlands home by the mid-sixteenth century. The Hapsburgs were staunch papal allies and committed to suppressing these heretics by any means necessary, including reviving the inquisition.
Edicts under Charles V proclaimed death for Lutherans, with an estimated 2,000 Protestants being executed during his reign. The persecution intensified with Philip II’s ascension, who swore to zealously uphold Catholicism. Through reforming the bishopric system in 1559, Philip introduced inquisitors into every Dutch province, while some newly enthroned bishops, notably those of Roermond and Middelburg, were selected for their anti-Protestant vitriol. The Dutch practised religious toleration and were aghast at this state-sponsored religious persecution. Staunch Protestants became more entrenched in their beliefs and joined Calvinist communities across the Netherlands. Calvinists refused to surrender to persecution and practised a church organisation and theology that proved to be readily adaptable to group resistance. Indeed, the Calvinists would assume a pivotal role throughout the Revolt and initiated the Beeldenstorm that saw the iconoclastic destruction of countless Catholic artworks and decorations across the Netherlands in 1566.
The Dutch enjoyed a tradition of constitutionalism that contributed to their identity. Its origins lay in the privileges granted to cities and guilds by various rulers during the mediaeval period, some of which, notably the Joyous Entry of Brabant, laid out the division of power between the ruler and the ruled. These were affirmed in the Grand Privilege following the Burgundian Succession. Such privileges acted as conduits for the formulation of political rights and duties for the Dutch, providing protection against arbitrary and corrupt rule while also stipulating their right to disobey if the ruler violated their privileges. From this came the principle of liberty, often described as the ‘daughter of the Netherlands,’ that was venerated by the Dutch as the source of their prosperity and welfare. Thus, the persecution of Protestants was met with outrage by all Dutchmen, who saw it as an egregious contravention of their established local privileges that the ruler swore to uphold.
By Christopher Turner