The Dutch Revolt : Part 1, 1555-1609 Quiz

Answer: Calvin

Although most Netherlanders were deemed to be Roman Catholic at the time, there was a small but vocal group of Calvinists gathering in the country. With Philip II a devout Catholic, trying to impose strict religious conformity in the Netherlands, this was always going to create considerable difficulty.

Other problems that may have caused the revolt include the perception of unfair taxation and xenophobia from the Netherlands regions against the Spanish.

Answer: Margaret of Parma

Philip II's illegitimate half-sister, Margaret of Parma, was appointed as governor of this part of the Spanish Empire, and Granvelle was appointed head of the States General, which was the Parliament of the Netherlands. Granvelle was a very unpopular man in the United Provinces at the time, so Philip and Margaret's association with him would always cause problems. One of Margaret's main mistakes was her over-reaction to the problem faced by her government in a letter to Philip, causing him to send the Duke of Alba to bring the area under control again, which made things worse. Alba took over as governor in 1569. Egmont was a Catholic statesman from Flanders who was executed by Alva, even though he almost certainly didn't want a revolt against Spain.

Answer: Iconoclastic Fury

The Iconoclastic Fury occured as a result of the news in April 1566 that heresy laws against Calvinism wouldn't be monitored so harshly. This gave hope to the many French Huguenots, as they knew that local magistrates were prepared to overlook such practices. Buoyed by this news, Protestants started to hold open-air ceremonies in the United Provinces, and this eventually turned into the Iconoclastic Fury, which was the desecration of Catholic churches and images.

This unexpected event changed the direction of the revolt, turning it into a full-scale rebellion.

However, at this point William the Silent was still on the Spanish side. The sacking of Antwerp didn't occur until about ten years later.

Answer: All of them

Despite being an experienced leader, Alva fared badly as Governor-General of the Netherlands. He made the mistake of imprisoning and executing Dutch counts Egmont and Hoorn for their part in the discontent (even though both of them were Catholics and probably didn't want a full-scale rebellion).

This led William of Orange to become a rebel when he was still in doubt as to what to do. In 1568, Alva set up the Council of Troubles to try and root out heresy in the Netherlands, and thousands were executed as a result of this, including Egmont and Hoorn. Alva also tried to raise money by imposing the Tenth Penny tax, where every tenth penny of sales was given to the government, but even the Catholic Netherlanders opposed this, and as businesses closed down in opposition, this caused much of the Netherlands to come to an economic standstill.

Answer: Saxony

William never actually directly opposed Philip II in his early years, but he opposed the idea of Spaniards obtaining power in his country rather than Dutch people. William's wife was Anna of Saxony, so he was able to stay in the region that was ruled by his wife's father, who had the title of Elector of Saxony. France was still under Catholic rule, so it wasn't safe for William to take refuge here. England wasn't an option either because Elizabeth I was reluctant to support the rebels because no-one believed they had a chance of victory. Holland and Zealand were under the jurisdiction of Spain, so this also wasn't a very safe option.

Answer: Ottoman Empire

Peru was a Spanish colony, but a revolt didn't take place in the country for over 200 years after it was conquered by Spain. Although Philip detested any country that had a Protestant ruler, he never actually declared war on the English until the 1580s, and although Philip gave a lot of financial aid to the Catholics in the French Wars of Religion, he didn't interfere in the fighting. Spanish interference in both countries would affect Spain later on, but the fighting against the Ottoman Empire was the main problem the Spaniards faced between 1568 and 1571.

This eased when Don John secured a decisive victory against the Ottoman Empire in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. Don John would later try to deal with the United Provinces, with little success.

Answer: A group of nobles opposing Spanish rule

The 'Sea Beggars' were named after a large group of nobles presented a petition to Margaret of Parma, and one of her councillors was heard to call them a group of beggars. After originally being supressed by Alba, the 'Sea Beggars' were successful in plundering Spanish ships and ports and returning to England.

However, in 1572, Elizabeth I refused them entry to her harbours, as she didn't want to provoke Spain. This led the 'Sea Beggars' to launch a desperate attack on Brielle, and later Flushing, which were under Spanish control. Because they were so unexpected, both attacks succeeded, and eventually they spread resistance southwards, dealing a massive blow to the Duke of Alba and Spain.

Answer: Antwerp

The Spanish Fury took place in Antwerp after Philip declared the Spanish state bankrupt in 1575. Spanish troops fighting against the rebels were given no leave and no pay, and the the distance from Spain to the Low Countries added to their grievances. Because of this, the Sack of Antwerp took place in November 1576. Spanish troops decided to 'pay themselves' by pillaging the city that was the economic capital of the Netherlands.

The population of Antwerp had plummeted to 40,000 by 1585, with this event alienating many Dutch people who were loyal to Philip, particularly Catholics.

It also meant that any remaining hope of peace had all but vanished.

Answer: Don John of Austria

The Duke of Parma followed the victor at Lepanto, Don John of Austria, into the position of Governor. Don John tried to negotiate a peace treaty with William the Silent many times, but William didn't believe he was trustworthy, and he was later proved right. Don John only lasted two years before he died of typhus, but he wasn't the most successful of governors.

He didn't get along very well with Philip II, and he wasn't received well by the States General and the people of the United Provinces. He was an example of another excellent general who had blackened his reputation in the Netherlands, like Alba.

Answer: Union of Arras

The Union of Arras was signed in 1579 and recognised Philip II as the lawful ruler of these states. One of the key conditions of the agreement was that Catholicism was deemed to be the only lawful religion, and that Calvinism was outlawed. It was from here that the Duke of Parma started his reconquest of the central and Northern states of the Netherlands.

The Union of Utrecht was signed by the rebel states not long afterwards, and covered most of the nothern Netherlands states.

Answer: Duke of Anjou

Maurice of Nassau was never a reasonable choice, as he was William's son. Nevertheless, Maurice took over from William after his father's death and proved to be a key figure in the outcome of the Dutch Revolt. The Earl of Leicester also came in after the death of William the Silent, whilst the Earl of Warwick never featured in the Dutch Revolt.

As for the Duke of Anjou, he was only slightly more popular than Alva was in the Netherlands after his appointment. The Dutch were unhappy that a French Duke was chosen to free them, and the Duke had to try to take Antwerp and other cities by force, failing to in the case of Antwerp. Holland and Zealand even refused to recognise Anjou as their leader.

Answer: Assassination of William of Orange

All of these would have been a setback for the rebels, but William's assassination was the only event that took place in 1584. William was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic called Balthasar Gerard, after Philip II offered a reward for his murder. He never escaped the Low Countries, and instead suffered a painful execution.

The Huguenots in France weren't actually defeated until the 17th century, and the Fall of Antwerp was earlier. As for the breakdown in relations between the Netherlands and England, this never really took place during the Dutch Revolt.

Answer: England

1588 was the year of the unsuccessful Spanish Armada against England, which severely hit the Spanish fight in the Netherlands. The French campaign probably had more effect, but the role that Alessandro Farnese (the Duke of Parma) had to play in the Armada started the downfall, as it led to the Dutch regrouping. Parma was ordered into France in 1589 after the death of the French king.

The wars with the Ottoman Empire had died down by this point.

Answer: Ghent

The activity of the Dutch rebels was largely confined to the modern day Netherlands area, so Ghent, which is now in Belgium, wasn't recaptured. Breda was conquered again in 1590, Groningen in 1594 and Grave in 1602.

Answer: 12 years

The main reason that the Dutch had for calling a truce to the revolt was so that they could rebuild their navy, so that they were better prepared the next time they went to war with Spain. It was unlikely that the Twelve Year Truce was anything but a ceasefire before the next war started, although neither side knew when fighting would be renewed of course.

The Dutch would go on to gain independence for the land that now makes up the modern day Netherlands, whereas the Spanish kept hold of the lands that are now modern day Belgium, and parts of France and Luxembourg.