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42-705: After the Pacification of Ghent in 1576, Amsterdam was forced to subject itself to the Prince of Orange and the States of Holland , but the city government wanted to stay loyal to King Philip II of Spain , and was opposed to adopting the Reformed church as the state religion. Only when the new regent John of Austria recognised the Pacification did Amsterdam follow his example. Lengthy negotiations followed about

84-736: A castle in Ghent , prompting Egmont's wife and their eleven surviving children (from the thirteen they had together) to seek refuge in a convent . Pleas for amnesty came to the Spanish king from throughout Europe, including from many reigning sovereigns, the Order of the Golden Fleece (both being knights of the Order, and thereby theoretically immune from trial by any but their peers of the Order), and

126-522: A city, they had the right to gather for their own religious services. After a Hedge Preaching, the issue rapidly escalated. A commission of old Geuzen and a large group of former exiled residents, many of whom owned land and warehouses on the Lastage , organised a gathering to plan their next move. The next day the Dam Square was closed off from the public. The catholic vroedschap (the city-council)

168-512: A few weeks at most. To facilitate its governance in permanent session, they appointed a rotating presidency. The president, selected from one of the provincial delegations, assisted by one or two of the pensionaries , would preside over the meetings for a week at a time. This system continued during the later Dutch Republic and the pensionaries began acting as an executive committee of the States General. The first order of business for

210-535: A formal peace with the rebellious provinces of Holland and Zeeland . In 1566, the Habsburg Netherlands experienced considerable political upheaval and civil unrest, which culminated in the iconoclastic fury of that year . Its ruler, Philip II of Spain , responded by appointing Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba as Governor-general , and in 1567 he arrived there to restore order, accompanied by an army of mercenaries. Philip soon replaced

252-596: A large military presence put severe strain on the royal finances, especially because Spain was fighting expensive wars against the Ottoman Sultan and in Italy at the same time. Alba's attempts to finance these expenses by new taxes also estranged previously loyal subjects from the royalist cause. Then, in 1572, a group of privateers with letters of marque from William (known as watergeuzen ) were unexpectedly successful in an invasion into Holland and Zeeland. Orange

294-868: A result of the Alteratie, the parish-churches and chapels came into the hands of the Protestants, who renamed them. The oldest parish church of the city, the St. Nicolaschurch, was rechristened as the Oude Kerk , and the Heilige Stede became the Nieuwe Zijds Kapel . The New Church was taken over by the Calvinists after an iconoclastic movement in September. The large number of monasteries of

336-608: A split between Habsburg Netherlands, never to be reconciled. Lamoral, Count of Egmont Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (18 November 1522 – 5 June 1568) was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War , whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands . The Count of Egmont

378-571: The Raad van State (Council of State). When Spanish troops mutinied because of lack of payment and sacked the towns of Zierikzee and Aalst, the States General of the Netherlands was immediately convened by the States of Brabant and County of Hainaut on 8 September 1576 to deal with the mutinous troops. Holland and Zeeland, as rebellious provinces, were not invited. Aerschot, acting in

420-599: The Count of Horn , he protested against the introduction of the inquisition in Flanders by the cardinal Antoine Perrenot Granvelle , bishop of Arras . Egmont even threatened to resign, but after Granvelle left, there was a reconciliation with the king. In 1565, running short of funds as he had continued the representation of the Low Countries entirely from his own pocket, Egmont went to Madrid to beseech Philip II ,

462-649: The Satisfactie (Eng: Satisfaction), a treaty that would put the city under the authority of the Prince of Orange and the States of Holland. After an incursion into the city by the Geuzen on November 23, 1577, the city government finally signed the treaty on February 8, 1578. In 1578, Amsterdam was one of the most important cities that had not yet joined the Prince of Orange in his rebellion against King Philip II. The war

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504-714: The Square du Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavelsquare in Brussels commemorates the Counts of Egmont and Horn, in historical overview usually mentioned together as "Egmond en Hoorne" and hailed as the first leaders of the Dutch revolt, as the predecessors of William of Orange, who grew to importance and obtained the leadership after their execution, and who was assassinated in 1584 in Delft , having succeeded in liberating parts of The Netherlands in

546-570: The Bishop, principally in 1600. Despite the taint of treason and the family's impoverishment, his niece Louise of Lorraine-Mercœur , was chosen to become the Queen consort of Henry III of France in 1575. The Count of Egmont is the main character in a play by Goethe , Egmont . In 1810, Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Egmont Overture an overture and incidental music for a revival of

588-540: The Inquisition which angered Philip. After Philip II sent the Duke of Alba to the Netherlands, William of Orange decided to flee Brussels . Having always declined to do anything that smacked of lèse majesté , Egmont refused to heed Orange's warning; thus he and Horn decided to stay in the city. Upon arrival, Alba almost immediately had the counts of Egmont and Horn arrested on charges of heresy, and imprisoned them in

630-615: The Netherlands, and contributed to the resistance against the Spaniards. The Count of Egmont lies buried in Egmont's crypt in Zottegem , a Belgian city in which Egmont is remembered by his two statues , his museum and his castle . Egmond Castle in Egmond aan den Hoef was destroyed in 1573 and in 1997 a statue in his memory is erected on the site of the ruins. A statue erected on

672-573: The Spanish army under control and their local liberties returned, the Walloon nobles and southern provinces no longer had any reason to rebel. However, the northern, Calvinist-controlled provinces were as unwilling to give up their religion as Philip II was to allow them to practice it. The French-speaking provinces thereby concluded the Union of Arras , prompting the northern provinces to answer with their own Union of Utrecht . These two agreements produced

714-519: The Spanish tercios to Italy in April 1577, the provinces started to diverge again. Don Juan signed the Pacification on 12 February 1577, thereby apparently giving royal assent to it. He took care, however, to stress the clauses about maintaining the Catholic religion outside the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. The States General then accepted him as the legitimate governor-general and even agreed to pay

756-433: The States General was to bring about peace with the rebel provinces so as to form a common front against the marauding mutineers. Hatred of these marauders united rebel and loyalist alike. The States General, therefore, appointed a committee to negotiate with the Prince of Orange and the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Because the Prince's troops were already invading the province of Flanders , where they were made welcome in

798-534: The arrears of the royal troops, the refusal of which had arguably been the cause of the problems with the mutineers. This agreement was enshrined in the Edict of 1577 . However, the Edict of 1577 seemed to provide for a return to the status quo ante in which the States General would not be permanently in session. Holland and Zeeland protested against this arrangement and refused to submit to it. Neither would they give up

840-405: The aspects of both a peace treaty between the rebellious and the "loyal" provinces, and a project for a further defensive union. That further union was concluded on 9 January 1577 by the (first) Union of Brussels . The problem with the Pacification was that the provinces agreed on little, other than the need to confront the marauding mutineers. Once that problem had been solved by the withdrawal of

882-444: The beginning of the negotiations. Its ratification by the States General on 8 November 1576 was undoubtedly hastened by the sack of Antwerp by Spanish mutineers on 4 November, which helped sway many opinions toward ratification. The preamble of the treaty held the previous Spanish government in Brussels responsible for the war. The provinces of the Netherlands agreed to jointly drive out the Spaniards and their supporters "to restore

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924-506: The citizens to their rights, privileges, and liberties and their former prosperity". Article 1 provided for a general amnesty for acts on both sides after the troubles started in 1568. Article 3 provided that, "once the Spaniards had been driven out", the States General would return the country into the hands of the King, decide the issue of religion (which had been an important cause of dissension), and return all military installations taken by

966-624: The city came under the control of the new city-government, and were given new, non-religious purposes, such as orphanages or prisons. Valuable books were collected in the New Church. Another consequence of the Alteratie was the reinforcement of the city walls . Pacification of Ghent The Pacification of Ghent , signed on 8 November 1576, was an alliance between the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands . The main objectives were to remove Spanish mercenaries who had made themselves hated by all sides due to their plundering, and to promote

1008-455: The deaths of Charles the Bold in 1477 and Philip I of Castile in 1506. Now they authorized the provincial states to raise troops to defend against marauding foreign (especially Spanish) mercenaries. More importantly from the perspective of constitutional history, the States General also embarked on a program of institutional innovation. Previously, the States General only were in session for

1050-524: The early years of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). Egmont's offices and vast estates were forfeited upon his execution, escheating to the Prince-Bishop of Liège . By inheritance he had been count of Egmont (or Egmond), prince de Gavre and van Steenhuysen, baron de Fiennes, Gaesbeke and La Hamaide, seigneur de Purmerent, Hoogwoude, Aertswoude, Beyerland, Sottenghien, Dondes, Auxy and Baer. Some of these lands were eventually returned to his heirs by

1092-484: The fortresses they had occupied, as provided for in the Pacification. The relations between the new governor-general and the States General also soon deteriorated. The States-General even appointed their governor-general, the Archduke Matthias . In 1579, Alessandro Farnese became the royalist governor-general. He immediately offered to return to the southern Catholic nobles their original privileges. With

1134-492: The free movement of goods and persons, the freeing of prisoners of war, the return of confiscated properties (especially those of the Prince of Orange), the reimbursement of the Prince for his expenses in the conduct of the war against the government troops before 1572, and the problems caused by the need to equalize the inflated currency in Holland and Zeeland with that in the other provinces. The Pacification, therefore, bore

1176-420: The king of Spain, for a change of policy in the Netherlands, but met with little more than courtesy. Soon thereafter, the ' Beeldenstorm ' started, the massive iconoclasm of Catholic churches in the Netherlands, and resistance against the Spanish rule in the Netherlands increased. As a devout Catholic, Egmont deplored the iconoclasm, and remained faithful to the Spanish king. Nevertheless, he and Horn opposed

1218-723: The king's kinsman the Emperor Maximilian II , all to no avail. On 4 June, Egmont and Horn were condemned to death, and lodged that night in the King's House in Brussels . On 5 June 1568, both men were beheaded before the Town Hall on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels's main square), Egmont's uncomplaining dignity on the occasion being widely noted. Their deaths led to public protests throughout

1260-462: The most important advisors to former regent Margaret of Parma , either by summarily executing those such as the counts of Egmont and Hoorn , or by driving them into exile, as he did to William the Silent . The leader of the royalist faction, Philippe III de Croÿ remained in favor. At first, Alba had little difficulty in repelling the rebel military incursions, led by William. However, maintaining

1302-500: The previous year and therefore knew what the main stumbling blocks for reaching agreement were. They also knew that speed was of the essence because the arrival of the King's brother, Don Juan, was imminent (he was to arrive in Luxembourg in early November), and it would be easier to reach agreement if the "royalist" side was not encumbered by his control. The delegates reached an agreement on 30 October, less than three weeks after

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1344-427: The rebellious city of Ghent , the negotiations were held in that city. The delegates met in the first week of October 1576. The rebels were represented by Paulus Buys , Grand Pensionary of Holland, and Philips of Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde ; the States General sent Elbertus Leoninus , a professor at Leuven University , among others. These negotiators had already met during the abortive negotiations at Breda

1386-411: The rebels to the authority of the king. In article 5, they declared that all placards by Alba for the suppression of heresy were revoked, and nobody would be punished for religious offenses before the States General decided the matter of religion. Article 4 provided that, outside Holland and Zeeland, no action against the Catholic religion was to be allowed. The remaining articles dealt with such issues as

1428-407: The royalist side. Because of the dire state of the royal finances, these Spanish mercenaries often went unpaid. They frequently mutinied and pillaged nearby towns, especially following victories. This disaffection with the Brussels government eventually brought about a boil in the summer of 1576. In 1573, meanwhile, Alba had been replaced by Luis de Zúñiga y Requesens as governor-general. Requesens

1470-871: The title prince de Gavere . During his youth, he received a military education in Spain. In 1542, he inherited the estates of his elder brother Charles in Holland . His family's stature increased further in 1544 when, at Spires , in the presence of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and of the Archduke Ferdinand I , he married the Countess Palatine Sabine of Simmern , whose brother became the Elector Palatine Frederick III . By appointment, he

1512-491: The usurpation of the royal prerogatives, had by then been appointed as head of the Council of State by the States General. This made him acting governor-general. This action was comparable to what Orange had done in Holland and Zeeland, in which royal authority had been usurped by rebels pretending to act "in the name of the king". The States General referred to precedent to justify their actions. They had acted similarly after

1554-747: Was Captain General of the Lowlands under Charles V, knight of the Golden Fleece from 1546, and Imperial Chamberlain . In the service of the Spanish army, he defeated the French in the battles of Saint-Quentin (1557) and Gravelines (1558). Egmont was appointed stadtholder of Flanders and Artois in 1559, aged only 37. As a leading Netherlandic nobleman, Egmont was a member of King Philip II of Spain 's official Council of State for Flanders and Artois . Together with William, Prince of Orange and

1596-416: Was able to take over the government in these two provinces under the guise of his old post of royal Stadtholder , and brought them into open revolt against the government in Brussels. This brought about a formal state of war between Holland and Zeeland and the fifteen loyalist provinces. This civil war was mostly fought with mercenary troops on both sides, with Spanish tercios playing a preponderant role on

1638-559: Was also unable to defeat the rebels. He was in bad health and died in March 1576. This caused a power vacuum in the Brussels government, as the slow communications of the day prevented a speedy replacement from Madrid. Philip appointed his younger brother John of Austria governor-general, but it took him several months to take up this appointment. During this interim period, the Duke of Aerschot stepped into power. He had already held inconclusive peace talks with Orange, his former colleague in

1680-645: Was at the head of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Low Countries . Paternally , a branch of the Egmonts ruled the sovereign duchy of Guelders until 1538. Lamoral was born in Château de Lahamaide near Ellezelles . His father was John IV of Egmont , knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece . His mother belonged to a cadet branch of the House of Luxembourg , and through her he inherited

1722-444: Was costly, and a number of cities threatened to defect to the side of the King. With the Satisfactie , Amsterdam joined the rest of the cities of Holland in joining the rebellion. Nonetheless, tensions increased when a conflict arose with the burgomasters of Amsterdam about the control over the schutterij . An important issue with all cities was the question of religious freedom: if at least one hundred Protestant families resided in

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1764-607: Was escorted to the Damrak , where barges had been prepared to take them out of Amsterdam. On May 26, 1578, 24 city-council members were forced to leave Amsterdam. They settled in Haarlem or Leiden or quietly returned later on. The Franciscans , who were hated by the population, were also forced to leave. The remaining monks were allowed to remain in the city, and received a pension. The monks were rich and possessed much land; in some monasteries there were hardly any monks present. As

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