The Revolt of the Netherlands

The fighting was still not uniformly favourable to the north. In October the Spaniards Mondragon and Ulloa began the recon quest of the islands of Duiveland and Schouwen in Zeeland. But this availed little. On March 5, 1576, Requesens died and the council of state took over the Government. The fighting in Zeeland had used up all the money, so in July the troops there mutinied and marched into Brabant where they established them selves at Alost. Popular opinion turned against the council of state. The States of Brabant had troops in their service, and on Sept. 5 these arrested the members of the council in the name of the States, though not by their order.

The Pacification of Ghent and Its Failure.

William of Orange saw the chances of the moment and, with a picked body of troops, advanced into Flanders, occupied Ghent and entered into negotiations with the States-General. His overtures were favour ably received, the council at Brussels was dissolved, and a con ference was opened at Ghent on Oct. 19. While it was at work the news came of the Spanish Fury at Antwerp. On Oct. 3 the mutinous troops had marched thither from Alost, had over powered the garrison and had sacked the greatest city of the Netherlands with barbarous ferocity. This news silenced all differences among the Netherlanders and on Nov. 8 there was signed the Pacification of Ghent.

This marked in a sense the zenith of the revolt ; but the nobles of Brabant and Hainault were not under William's leadership, and the religious articles left the way open for a later split. The first problem was that of Don John of Austria. This famous man, bastard brother of the king and victor of Lepanto, had been appointed governor and had arrived at Luxembourg on the day of the Spanish Fury. Orange opposed his recognition as governor and persuaded the States-General to recognize him only on condi tion that he should accept the Pacification. Negotiations led to a deadlock. At this crisis the hands of Orange and the patriotic party were greatly strengthened by a new compact, the Union of Brussels (Jan. 1577), which was signed by all the provinces rep resented in the States-General. This engaged its signatories to unite in ejecting the foreign soldiery, in carrying out the Pacifica tion, in recognizing Philip's sovereignty, and at the same time in maintaining the charters and constitutions which the king on his accession had sworn to observe. It added the north-east to the area which had accepted the Pacification; many signatories were Catho lics. Luxembourg was left outside it. Faced by this opposition, Don John had to yield, and on Feb. 12 he signed the Perpetual Edict (ratified soon after by Philip) in which he accepted the pro gramme of William of Orange, except that Catholicism was to be maintained.

On May I Don John made his state entry into Brussels, but only to find that he had no real authority. He wrote to Philip : "The prince of Orange has bewitched the minds of all men.

They keep him informed of everything and take no resolution with out consulting him." In July with some Walloon troops Don John suddenly left Brussels for Namur. This was practically a renewal of civil war. It alienated the States-General and the southern aristocrats, and on Sept. 23 William of Orange trium phantly returned to Brussels after an absence of ten years.

The unanimity on which this triumph was based did not last long : in October the States-General repudiated him as their leader. The prospect of success ended unity. The growth of Calvinism alarmed the Catholics. At the secret invitation of the Catholic nobles of the south headed by the duke of Aerschot there arrived in Brussels the archduke Matthias, brother of the emperor, and afterwards emperor himself. He was 20 years of age. On Jan. 18, 1578, he assumed the title of governor, which he nomi nally held till i581.

Alienation of the South.

Philip, now thoroughly alarmed, sent Alexander Farnese with a veteran force of 20,000. With these Don John at Gemblours near Namur routed the rebel army. He became master of Louvain, Judoigne, Tirlemont, Aerschot, Bouvignes, Sichem, Nivelles, Roeux, Soignies, Binch, Beaumont, Walcourt, Maubeuge and Chimay. The malcontent Catholics now turned from Matthias to the duke of Anjou, formerly Alencon, who had invaded the Netherlands with a French force and seized Mons. At the same time John Casimir, brother of the elector palatine, at the invitation of the Calvinist party and with the secret financial aid of Queen Elizabeth, entered the country at the head of a body of German mercenaries from the east. In Ghent under his protection there were Calvinist excesses which alienated the southern Catholic nobles, the States-General and the town patriciates. Orange prevailed on Anjou to accept the title of "Defender of the liberties of the Netherlands," and Anjou promised, if the provinces would raise an army of io,000 foot and 2,000 horse, to come to their aid with a like force. John Casimir and Anjou both left the Netherlands in the winter of 1578-79, the latter to return at a later stage of events. Mean while Don John had aroused the distrust of Philip by his dreams of invading England and marrying Mary Queen of Scots, and Philip cut off supplies. Don John died on Oct. 1, 1578.