The chaotic Europe was originally the stage of The French competition, and the Netherlands was originally a small country, which was not known to the world, but in a short period of time, they quickly rose and became a force to be reckoned with. Their success was both unexpected and justified. Free, open and adventurous, they broke free from the control of Philip II, Europe's most powerful monarch, and became a maritime power from a small state that could only be made a living by fishing for herring.
The shackles of Spain
History tells us that the peoples of the world have never managed themselves according to the same model. In the eyes of King Philip II of Spain, the Dutch were no different from their American possessions, and their great wealth made him the most powerful absolute monarch in Europe, and he believed that he should be supreme in the hearts of the Dutch. As long as he controlled the Netherlands, he could dismember France forever, making it impossible for him to compete for hegemony in Europe on his own.
In 1559 Philip gave governorship of Holland, Fries, Zeeland, and Utrecht to William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, who had expected this vassal to become an agent in Holland, abolish all laws, collect taxes, and establish a heretical inquisition. But the Dutch did not buy Catholicism, and most of them were Protestant.
The lords of the Netherlands had united in Brussels to negotiate with Margaret, the daughter of Charles V, the dutch viceroy. This incident is enough to see the difference between the Netherlands and Spain. Rallies in the Netherlands were considered a legitimate activity, and in the eyes of the Spaniards were undoubtedly rebellious. Philip responded to the Dutch petition with Spanish and Italian armies, and the commander-in-chief, the Duke of Albert, had jurisdiction and the power to suppress rebellions. The little lord of holland, who had seen this battle, wanted to give in, but instead it was William of Nassau, who was supposed to be subordinate to Philip, who encouraged the people to take up arms against the oppression of the Spaniards.
Blood irrigated the fertile soil of independence
William of Nassau, though a prince of the Holy Roman Empire, had no army or money. Eighteen Dutch nobles, including counts Egmont and Horne, who supported William, were sentenced to death in the new court in Brussels, but their sacrifice awakened the bloodiness of the people, and the blood watered the fertile soil for the birth of the Inter-Provincial Republic.
Fierce fighting
The Dutch were not a warlike people before, but they made the Spaniards suffer in order to fight for freedom, and they showed unprecedented bravery. During the siege of Haarlem, Spain threw the head of one of its captives into the city, while the inhabitants of the city threw down the heads of 11 Spanish captives with a note that read: "10 are the tithes we have given you, and 1 is the interest we have paid." However, the city of Haarlem was still unable to withstand the Spanish offensive. After the city surrendered, the victors hanged all officials, priests, and more than 1,500 residents.
But the Dutch were not discouraged, and in the 1574 Battle of Leiden they showed amazing courage and indomitable fighting spirit. They broke the embankment to divert the water, causing the sea to flood the village, and sent more than 200 ships through the Spanish fortifications into the city to support. It is said that the besieged inhabitants often used pigeons to communicate with the Prince of Orange. The Dutch finally ushered in a turning point, in 1576 the Spanish army mutinied in Flanders because they could not receive pay, plundered the city of Antwerp, Spanish soldiers rushed into the city and killed as many as 7000 or 8000 men, women and children. The Dutch provinces took the opportunity to make peace with the mutinous forces and exchange prisoners, the Spaniards dismantled the military fortifications, and the provinces achieved a brief peace.
Birth of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
King Philip II of Spain, who was gradually unable to control the Netherlands, sent his brother Don Juan of Austria to the Netherlands to clean up the situation. The hero of the Battle of Lepanto eventually preserved 10 provinces for Spain. In 1577 Don Juan left as Governor of brabant as Governor of the Netherlands, while William of Nassau was proclaimed Governor of Brabant by the people of Brussels.
However, William, who was honored, was unable to make Brabant and Flanders free provinces. The local nobles, jealous of William's power, invited Archduke Macias of the Habsburgs to be their master, and William suddenly became a deputy general. It is ironic that a Catholic aristocrat became the leader of a group of Protestants. A mountain can not accommodate two tigers, which will inevitably lead to a feud between William and Grand Duke Marcias.
The Dutch Provincial Republic was born in such a complex environment that in 1579 the northern provinces established the "Utrecht League", and soon after the southern cities of Ghent, Bruges, and Antwerp also participated. William was declared head of the seven provinces, commander of the army. The 10 provinces, led by Blatterbon and Flanders, were still willing to become vassals of Spain, and at this time they formed the "League of Arras" and declared their continued allegiance to Philip II. In 1581, the United Provinces officially abolished the rule of King Philip II of Spain over the Netherlands, thus gaining independence.
The end of the Prince of Orange
There is no doubt that william's betrayal in Nassau caused Philip II to lose seven provinces of the Netherlands, so the king of Spain wanted to offer a heavy reward of 25,000 gold for William's first rank. Despite becoming consul of the new state, William's life was not good, and in addition to being wanted by the King of Spain, he also had to face the threat of the Duke of Anjou in France, who had become the Duke of Blate and the Count of Flanders and defeated the Dutch army.
In 1583, a Spaniard named Giorini shot and wounded William in Antwerp, and a year later, Another Franche-Comte Gérard beat him to death in front of William's wife in Delft, in the south of the Netherlands. Gérard eventually received a certificate of nobility from Philip II, like that given by Charles VII to joan of Arc.
William died, but holland did not perish. William was preparing to become a Count of holland when his son Morris refused the title, but the League of Seven Provinces declared him consul of holland. He cemented the liberal cause that his father had started.
Text: Lantai Lingjun
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