Christian History Institute June 5, 1568 • Counts Egmont and Hoorn Beheaded at Brussels ©2007

enry II of France and Philip II of Spain made a peace treaty in the sixteenth century in which they agreed to put down "heresy" in their realms. Both men were Roman Catholics. The inquisition was already at work in the Netherlands, territory which Philip ruled. With sickening frequency, converts to Reformation ideas were led out after torture and publicly burned.

In order to tighten his grip over the religious life of the little states (which later became the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium), Philip increased the number of bishops to eighteen by creating fourteen new sees. Appointment of these men was under the complete control of the crown. Although the pope agreed to the arrangement, even Roman Catholics resented it, for it robbed them of traditional privileges. There was also a natural resentment against ruthless Spanish troops stationed in the nation.

Three noblemen led a growing resistance to the Spanish king. These were William I, the Silent, Prince of Orange; Lamoral, Count of Egmond; and Phillip de Montmorency, Count of Horn. They succeeded in forcing the Archbishop of Mechelen out of the Netherlands; he was blamed for most of the atrocities by the Spanish government.

But, of course, little changed. The system itself was to blame for it gave too much power to too few people. The inquisition continued its grisly work, despite the demands of lesser nobles that it be withdrawn along with the harshest laws against heresy. Meanwhile, field preachers and other agents of reformation led thousands to adopt Calvinist, Lutheran and Anabaptist beliefs.

Philip's half sister, Margaret of Austria governed the low lands. She decisively crushed a Calvinist revolt and put down rioters who smashed Catholic images. But when the Spanish general, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, the Count of Alva, arrived unexpectedly with a large army in 1567, he took control, making promises to Margaret which she believed. She invited William the Silent and Counts Egmond and Horn back to the Netherlands, promising them safety. William was too cautious to return, but Egmond and Horn took her at her word.

Alva arrested the two leaders. After torturing them many times on the rack, he beheaded them on this day, June 5,1568. These were just two of the many people that Alva slaughtered at that time. He would later boast at table of the thousands he killed; In one of his memorable lines, Thomas Fuller would remark that Alva's cruelty smelled worse than the carcasses ("whose cruelty outstank the noisomness of the carcasses").

This brutality strengthened Calvinist opposition to Spain and prompted William of Orange to finally convert to Calvinism. He led the revolt against Spanish control. Margaret resigned, ashamed of the way she had been used to decoy the two lords to their deaths. Four years later, a confederacy of Protestants captured Brielle and Flushing. After that, the northern part of the Netherlands offered increasing protection to Protestants, strengthened by a rag tag but effective navy called the sea beggars. In 1576 Philip agreed to remove Spanish troops from the low lands.

Bibliography:

1. Fuller, Thomas. "The Life of Duke D'Alva." The Holy State and the Profane State Volume II. New York: Columbia University Press, 1938; p. 435ff.
2. Geyl, Pieter. The Revolt of the Netherlands. London: Ernest Benn, 1958.
3. "Netherlands." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968.
4. Stevenson, William. The story of the Reformation. Richmond, John Knox Press, 1959.

Last updated July, 2007