Orange however did not despair, and resolved to throw
in his lot for good and all with the rebel province of the north.
Already at his summons the states of Holland had
met at Dort (July 15) under the presidency of Philip
de Marnix, lord of Sainte Aldegonde, and they had
Orange takes up his residence at Delft.
unanimously recognized William as their lawful Stadtholder
and had voted a large grant of supplies. The
prince now took up his permanent residence at Delft, and a
regular government was established, in which he exercised
almost dictatorial authority.
Alva was now free to deal with rebellion in the north. Malines, which had surrendered to William, was given over for three days to the mercy of a brutal soldiery. Then the army under Alva’s son, Don Frederick of Toledo, marched northwards, and the sack of Zutphen and the inhuman butchery of Naarden are among the blackest records of history. But the very horrors of Don Frederick’s advance roused a spirit of indomitable resistance in Holland.
The famous defence of Haarlem, lasting through the winter of 1572 to July 1573, cost the besiegers 12,000 lives, and gave the insurgent provinces time to breathe. The example of Haarlem was followed by Alkmaar, and with better and success. The assault of the Spaniards was repulsed, Siege of Haarlem and Alkmaar. the dykes were cut, and Don Frederick, fearing for his communications, beat a hasty retreat (August). A few weeks later (Oct. 11) the fleet of Alva on the Zuyder Zee was completely defeated by the Sea-Beggars and its admiral taken prisoner. Disgusted by these reverses, from the in bad odour with the king, and with his soldiers mutinying for lack of a the governor-general resigned. On the 18th of December 1573 Alva, who to the end had persisted in his policy of pitiless severity, Alva withdraws from the Netherlands. left Brussels, carrying with him the curses of the people over whom he had tyrannized for six terrible years of misery and oppression.
Philip sent the grand commander, Don Luis Requesens, as governor-general in his place, and after some futile attempts at negotiation the war went on. The prince of Orange, who had now formally entered the Calvinist communion, was inexorable in laying down three conditions as Don Luis Requesens governor-general. indispensable: (1) Freedom of worship and liberty to preach the gospel according to the Word of God; (2) the restoration and maintenance of all the ancient charters, privileges, and liberties of the land; (3) the removal of all Spaniards and other foreigners from all posts and employments civil and military. In February 1574 the Spaniards by the fall of Middleburg lost their last hold upon Walcheren and Zeeland. This triumph was however far more than counterbalanced by the complete defeat of the army, led by Count Louis of Nassau, at Mookerheide near Nijmwegen (14th March). The gallant Louis and his younger brother Henry both lost their lives. This was a grievous blow to William, but his courage did not fail. The Spaniards laid siege to Leiden, and though stricken down by a fever at Delft The siege and relief of Leiden. the prince spared no exertion to save the town. The dykes were cut, the land flooded, but again and again a relieving force was baulked in its attempts to reach the place, which for more than four months bravely defended itself. But when at the very last extremity through famine, a tempestuous flood enabled the vessels of Orange to reach Leiden, and the investing force was driven to retreat (October 3, 1574). This was the turning-point of the first stage in the struggle for Dutch independence. In honour of this great deliverance, the state of Holland founded the university, which was speedily to make the name of Leiden illustrious throughout Europe.
In the spring of 1575 conferences with a view to peace were held at Breda, and on their failure Orange, in the face of Spanish successes in Zeeland, was forced to seek foreign succour. He sought at first in vain. The sovereignty of Holland and Zeeland was offered to the queen of Death of Requesens. England, but she, though promising secret support, declined.
The situation was, however, relieved through the
sudden death of Requesens (March 1576). The stadtholder
summoned a meeting of the states of Holland and Zeeland to
Delft, and on the 25th of April an act of federation
between the two provinces was executed. By this
Act of Federation between Holland
and Zeeland.
compact the prince was invested with all the prerogatives
belonging to the sovereign. He was made
commander-in-chief of both the military and naval
forces with supreme authority, and in his hands was
placed the final appointment to all political and judicial posts
and to vacant city magistracies. He was required to maintain
the Protestant reformed religion and to suppress “all religion
at variance with the gospel.” He also had authority to confer
the protectorate of the federated provinces upon a foreign
prince.
In June 1576 the long siege of Zierikzee, the capital of
Schouwen, ended in its surrender to the Spanish general Mondragon,
after the failure of a gallant attempt by
Admiral Boisot to break the leaguer, in which he lost
his life. Things looked ill for the patriots, and Zeeland,
The great Spanish Mutiny.
would have been at the mercy of the conqueror had
not the success been followed by a great mutiny of the Spanish
and Walloon troops, to whom long arrears of pay were due.
They chose their leader (eletto), marched into Brabant, and
established themselves at Alost, where they were joined by
other bands of mutineers. The principal fortresses of the country
were in the hands of Spanish garrisons, who refused obedience
to the council. William seized his opportunity, and with a body
of picked troops advanced into Flanders, occupied Ghent, and
entered into negotiations with the leader of the states general
“The Spanish Fury.”
at Brussels, for a union of all the provinces on
the basis of exclusion of foreigners and non-interference
with religious belief. The overtures were favourably
received, the council at Brussels was forcibly dissolved, and a
congress met at Ghent on the 19th of October to consider what
measures must be taken for the pacification of the country.
In the midst of their deliberations the news arrived that the
mutineers had marched from Alost on Antwerp, overpowered
the troops of Champagney, and sacked the town with terrible
barbarities (Nov. 3). This tragedy, known as “the Spanish
Fury,” silenced all disputes and differences among the representatives
of the provinces. A treaty establishing a firm alliance
between the provinces, represented by the states-general,
assembled at Brussels on the one part, and on the other by the
The Pacification
of Ghent.
prince of Orange, and the states of Holland and
Zeeland, was agreed upon and ratified under the title
of the “Pacification of Ghent.” It was received with
great enthusiasm. The provinces agreed first to eject
the foreigner, then to meet in states-general and regulate all
matters of religion and defence. It was stipulated that there
was to be toleration for both Catholics and Protestants; that the
Spanish king should be recognized as de jure sovereign, and the
prince of Orange as governor with full powers in Holland and
Zeeland.
Meanwhile Philip had appointed his natural brother, Don John of Austria, to be governor-general in the place of Requesens. After many delays he reached Luxemburg on the 4th of November (the date of the Spanish Fury at Antwerp) and notified his arrival to the council of state. Don John of Austria becomes Governor-General. His letter met with a cold reception. On the advice receive him as governor-general unless he accepted the “Pacification of Ghent.” Negotiations were entered into, but a deadlock ensued. At this crisis the hands of Orange and the patriotic party were greatly strengthened by a new compact entitled “The Union of Brussels,” which was extensively signed, especially in the southern Netherlands. This document (Jan. 1577) engaged all its signatories to help in ejecting the foreign soldiery, in carrying out the “Pacification,” in recognizing Philip’s sovereignty, and at the same time in maintaining the charters and constitutions which that king on his accession had sworn to observe. The popular “Union of Brussels.” support given to the Union of Brussels forced Don John to yield.
