Dutch Revolt
The revolt of the Netherlands against Spanish Habsburg rule, from the Compromise of the Nobles in 1566 to Spain's recognition of the Dutch Republic in 1648.
Category: Society
- April 5, 1566 – April 8, 1566Dutch nobles petition Margaret of Parma and are called "Beggars"
On 5 April 1566 about 300 nobles march through Brussels to petition the regent Margaret of Parma against the heresy laws. At a banquet on 8 April they toast themselves as "beggars", a name the rebels keep.
- August 10, 1566The Beeldenstorm: Calvinist crowds strip Catholic churches in the Netherlands
From 10 August 1566, starting at Steenvoorde, Calvinist crowds destroy images in Catholic churches across the Netherlands, reaching Antwerp on 20 August. Philip II sends the Duke of Alba with an army in 1567, which leads to the Dutch Revolt.
- August 22, 1567The Duke of Alba arrives in Brussels and sets up the Council of Troubles
Philip II sends the Duke of Alba to crush the unrest. He enters Brussels on 22 August 1567, takes over as governor and sets up the Council of Troubles, which Dutch people call the Council of Blood, to punish heresy and rebellion.
- 1568Dutch rebels win the Battle of Heiligerlee
In 1568 the rebels defeat a Spanish army at Heiligerlee in Groningen, the first Dutch victory of the Eighty Years' War. Spanish forces soon reverse it. The usual day, 23 May, is not given by the pages I checked.
- June 5, 1568Counts Egmont and Horn are beheaded in Brussels
Alba has the Catholic nobles Egmont and Horn, who had opposed the Inquisition, arrested in September 1567. They are beheaded in Brussels on 5 June 1568, and their deaths provoke protests across the Netherlands.
- April 1, 1572The Sea Beggars capture Brielle and Holland and Zeeland rise
On 1 April 1572 the Sea Beggars, exiled rebels turned privateers, take the port of Brielle. Cities across Holland and Zeeland then join the revolt, and William of Orange is reinstated as stadtholder.
- November 1576Mutinous Spanish troops sack Antwerp in the Spanish Fury
In November 1576 Spanish soldiers, unpaid since the governor's death, sack Antwerp. As many as 17,000 people are killed and about 1,000 buildings burned, which pushes most provinces towards the rebels.
- November 8, 1576The Pacification of Ghent unites the Netherlands against Spanish troops
On 8 November 1576, days after the sack of Antwerp, most provinces of the Netherlands, Catholic and Calvinist, agree at Ghent to expel the Spanish troops. The union lasts only a few years.
- January 23, 1579The Union of Utrecht binds the northern provinces together
On 23 January 1579 Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and part of Groningen sign the Union of Utrecht, with freedom of conscience. Southern provinces had joined the Catholic Union of Arras on 6 January. It becomes the basis of the Dutch Republic.
- July 26, 1581The States General depose Philip II in the Act of Abjuration
On 26 July 1581 the States General at The Hague declare that Philip II has forfeited his rule over the provinces of the Union of Utrecht and release officials from their oaths to him. The Netherlands is effectively independent.
- July 10, 1584William of Orange is assassinated in Delft
On 10 July 1584 Balthasar Gérard shoots William of Orange in Delft, four years after Philip II declared him an outlaw with a reward for his death. William led the revolt from the Beeldenstorm onwards.
- August 17, 1585Antwerp surrenders to the Duke of Parma
On 17 August 1585, after a siege begun in July 1584, Antwerp surrenders to Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma. Protestants are given four years to leave, many for Amsterdam, and the city's population falls from about 100,000 to 40,000.
- March 20, 1602The Dutch East India Company is founded
On 20 March 1602 the States General merge rival trading companies into the United East India Company (VOC), largely at Johan van Oldenbarnevelt's urging. It gets a 21-year monopoly in Asia and sells tradable shares.
- April 9, 1609 – April 9, 1621Spain and the Dutch Republic sign the Twelve Years' Truce
On 9 April 1609, at Antwerp, Spain's Habsburg rulers agree to treat the United Provinces as free states for twelve years. Spain sees it as temporary and recognises Dutch independence only in 1648. The truce ends on 9 April 1621.
- August 29, 1618 – May 13, 1619Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is arrested and later beheaded in the Dutch Republic
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, chief architect of the Twelve Years' Truce and protector of the Remonstrants, is imprisoned on 29 August 1618 and beheaded on 13 May 1619, four days after the Synod of Dort closes. Hugo Grotius gets a life sentence.
- September 7, 1628 – September 8, 1628Piet Hein captures Spain's treasure fleet at Matanzas Bay
On 7–8 September 1628 the Dutch West India Company's Piet Hein captures the Spanish silver fleet in Matanzas Bay, Cuba, taking goods worth about 11.5 million guilders. The loss strains Spain's war effort in the Netherlands.
- October 21, 1639Dutch fleet destroys a Spanish armada at the Downs
On 21 October 1639 Maarten Tromp attacks Oquendo's fleet, anchored in neutral English waters, with fireships. Spain loses many ships and its hope of contesting Dutch sea power in the Channel.
- January 30, 1648Spain recognises the Dutch Republic at Münster
On 30 January 1648 Philip IV and the States General sign a separate peace at Münster, ending the Eighty Years' War. Spain recognises Dutch sovereignty; oaths are sworn on 15 May. It is not part of the Westphalian treaties.