Chapter 78

Spain did indeed intend to attack England, but the rebellion in the Netherlands kept Philip II preoccupied before the Armada could be deployed.

In April 1566, the Dutch nobles, who had long harbored resentment against Spanish rule, made headlines with another earth-shattering event.

Led by William van Orange, several nobles who formed a political party openly dressed as street beggars and then led a large crowd to gather in front of the residence of the Governor of the Netherlands. They opened their empty pockets and shouted loudly to the Governor from outside the windows.

They petitioned the female governor, pleading with her in a way that was seemingly begging but actually coercing her to change Spain's policies toward the Netherlands.

Orange demanded that Spanish troops withdraw from the Netherlands, that Spanish officials no longer be allowed to serve there, that the Inquisition cease persecuting heretics, and that taxes levied on the Dutch be reduced!

The governance of the Netherlands should at least involve the Dutch people, so they also demanded an immediate three-tiered parliamentary meeting so that everyone could discuss the situation in the country.

These demands may seem reasonable to the Dutch, but to the Spanish, they are almost synonymous with rebellion.

While Margaret de Palma, the Spanish governor of the Netherlands, had long sympathized with the Dutch and tried to reconcile the conflict between the two sides, she ultimately sided with Spain at crucial moments.

She rejected the petitions of the Dutch and attempted to send troops to drive away the crowds and suppress their acts of violence.

What no one expected was that this almost ruthless behavior would become the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the long-suppressed anger of the Dutch to erupt completely!

In a short period of time, 12 out of 17 provinces, from Amsterdam in the north to Antwerp in the south, were affected.

Countless Dutch people spontaneously formed organizations and, wielding weapons such as pitchforks and clubs from the countryside, stormed into various Catholic churches and monasteries, throwing away the so-called deceptive "holy relics." Some radicals even opened the gates of local prisons and released all the Protestants inside.

Lacking the ability to handle the rebellions that were erupting one after another in the Netherlands, Governor Margaret was at a loss and could only temporarily retreat to the relatively safe castle. She then wrote to Madrid, hoping that Spain would send troops to help quell the rebellion.

...

In the Royal Palace of Madrid, when Philip II heard the news, he had just stood up angrily, intending to summon the court officials to discuss how to handle the situation, when he felt dizzy and involuntarily fell back into his chair.

When the king's personal servants and maids saw that he was unwell, they turned pale with fright and quickly summoned the court physician to examine him. After a treatment, the physician said, "Your Majesty, you should take care of your health. A cheerful mood is more important than anything else, and the future of Spain rests entirely on your shoulders."

future?

Philip II's face darkened, and he almost couldn't contain his anger and it erupted again, but remembering the doctor's instructions, he tried his best to suppress his negative emotions.

He was 39 years old, and his health was declining year by year. He could no longer compete with young and strong men in terms of physical fitness. Not to mention the young king of France and his successors, he could not even compare with Mary Stuart in the prime of her life in England.

Thinking of this, he also thought of his son Carlos, who had almost married Mary Stuart.

He was old, but his only son, Carlos, was hardly a reliable crown prince.

Carlos's childhood wisdom seems to have vanished with age, and in the last two years he has become increasingly erratic and mentally unstable, only causing trouble in matters of state, which often makes Philip II feel the urge to imprison and place Carlos under house arrest!

Thinking of this, Philip II was suddenly overcome with sorrow and murmured, "God, please tell me, where does the future of Spain lie?"

When he ascended the throne at a young age, he was determined to lead Spain to dominate all of Europe, spread the fame of the Habsburg dynasty to every corner of the world, and eliminate all Protestants so that the glory of Catholicism would shine as brightly as the sun.

However, in the past two years, with the domestic finances strained and repeated failures in his attempts to seize England, both Portugal and England have been openly and covertly fighting with Spain at sea, greedily wanting to seize the New World. Now, a rebellion has broken out in the Netherlands, making Philip II feel that the road ahead is difficult and the pressure is enormous.

The King of Spain quickly regained his composure, and after a few minutes, he had returned to calm. After saying goodbye to the doctor, he summoned his most trusted Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo.

The Duke of Alba held a similar position in Spain as the Duke of Guise in France: he was the king's most trusted nobleman and one of his most renowned generals.

“My dear Fernando, you must already know that my useless illegitimate sister Margaret has betrayed my trust in her.”

"With my support, she served as the governor of the Netherlands for many years, but instead of bringing the Netherlands under control, she caused a great deal of trouble."

“The Netherlands is now completely occupied by those damned heretics. They are burning, killing, and looting with impunity, not only trampling on the glory of the Lord, but also trying to overthrow our rule. We cannot tolerate them and must immediately quell them with swift and decisive action!” Philip II said.

The King of Spain showed the intelligence to his duke, making him realize the terrible chaos that was taking place in the Netherlands.

After reading it, Duke Alva was furious. He stood up, waving his arms, and shouted, "This is utterly blasphemous, Your Majesty! We must teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

Like the king, he was also a devout Catholic and would not tolerate the Protestants' rampant behavior!

“That’s it, Fernando. I need you to lead an army of 18,000 men by ship to the Netherlands immediately to quell the rebellion, cut off William van Orange’s head and parade it around, so that the people there will understand what will happen to ungrateful thieves, and tell all the Dutch that as part of Spanish territory, they must never betray Madrid or me!” Philip II said.

William van Orange was the secretary to the previous King of Spain. When Philip II ascended the throne, he trusted him completely, not only making him a member of the State Council, but also appointing him as governor of Holland, Sealand and Utrecht. The King himself awarded him the Order of the Golden Fleece, making him a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

In Spain, this is practically the highest honor.

William van Orange enjoyed so much trust and favor from the King of Spain, yet instead of repaying it with loyalty, he has now become the leader of the Dutch rebels, a fact that Philip II finds utterly repulsive!

The Duke of Alba was about to agree when he remembered something and hesitated before saying, "But Your Majesty, our original intention... is to send troops to England this year and teach Mary Stuart a lesson."

“The Netherlands is more important; its tax revenue accounts for 40% of the entire Spanish treasury, and it cannot be lost in the slightest…” At this point, Philip II couldn’t help but sigh at the Scottish Queen’s good fortune, “…In comparison, England’s sneaky thefts are secondary. Let Mary Stuart and her pirates enjoy their triumphs for a while longer; suppressing the rebellion in the Netherlands is more important.”

...

When Margaret de Palma, the governor of the Netherlands who had been struggling to survive, finally received military support from Spain, she was so moved that she made the sign of the cross on her chest.

“Thank God, my brother the king ultimately did not abandon me. I feel so guilty for not fulfilling my duties,” the governor said tearfully.

In recent days, in an effort to ease the situation, she had no choice but to compromise. She not only halted the Inquisition's arrests of Protestants, but also publicly pardoned William Orange, the Earl of Egmont, General Horn, and others for their offenses against the King of Spain. She also repeatedly met with the leaders of the Protestant groups and granted their demands...

All this patience and sacrifice was for the sake of peace.

Even after she made such huge concessions, William van Orange still insisted on overthrowing the rule of the King of Spain.

Driven by his own selfish desires, he deceived others, claiming that all these compromises were nothing but a Spanish deception and that only through armed struggle could true freedom from oppression be achieved. Thus, he led a large number of fishermen, sailors, pirates, and farmers to roam the Netherlands, hiding in small boats at sea or in forests, secretly ambushing and attacking Spanish troops, causing the female governor a great deal of trouble.

Now, the one who can deal with Orange has finally arrived.

The well-equipped and trained Spanish army landed on the soil of the Netherlands.

Under the leadership of the Duke of Alva, they easily defeated the rebels like puncturing a scarecrow in a field, leaving the latter to flee in panic. Within a month, troublesome figures such as Count Egmont, General Hohen, and the Mayor of Antwerp were all hanged by the Duke of Alva in the city center square to deter the restless populace.

As for William van Orange, the man revered as a hero by the Dutch, he had already fled like a rat.

Whether Spain continues to rule or the Netherlands is no longer oppressed.

The ordinary people living in the cities and fields initially supported the resistance against the Spanish, but as the war progressed, most of them began to harbor resentment and regret.

There are endless bandits, robberies, and wars everywhere. Even if you stay at home, soldiers will come to your door and steal your food and everything else useful...

God, this life is not as good as before. Why did they let themselves be swayed by a few words and foolishly burn down the Catholic church, thus attracting the Spanish army?

So when Spain won, the people of the Netherlands were initially somewhat relieved.

In any case, the storm is finally over, and they can finally escape the war and live peaceful lives as before.

Just then, the Duke of Spain promulgated a new law.

—Starting this year, all property within the Netherlands, from fields and houses to livestock and even jewelry on women's heads, will be subject to a 20% property tax.

—And all transactions, whether it was between farmers buying a needle or a roll of cloth, or the trade of wool and grain in Amsterdam, were subject to a 30% transaction tax.

Anyone who dares to defy this law will be hanged!

This law was leading the people of the Netherlands to hell. Even Margaret, the governor who had been grateful for the arrival of the Duke of Alba, almost wished the Spanish army had never come. She couldn't help but angrily shout at the Duke of Alba, "Your Excellency, please retract your legal order! Even suppressing a rebellion should be done gradually!"

"It's because the Dutch are too rich that they were tempted by the devil, harboring improper thoughts, betraying their king in the secular world, and betraying God in the religious world..." Duke Alva sneered dismissively, "...Don't you understand? I want to purge the devil from this land until its former purity is restored."

“But by doing this, you will only turn the once-beautiful jewel of Europe, the wealthy Netherlands, into ruins!” Governor Margaret roared.

"I would rather leave a poor Netherlands to God than a rich Netherlands to the devil!" Duke Alva stood up and said resolutely.

Because of his actions, the Spaniard's face was filled with pride and self-satisfaction, almost as if he were draped in the glow of faith.

Governor Margaret was stunned for a moment.

The duke from Spain laughed and walked past the female governor, summoning his Spanish soldiers to form a committee to quell the tyranny.

"Even the smallest evil is still evil, and it needs to be eliminated before it can have a bright future as pure as snow. Those Protestants are such evil, and only by eliminating them all can justice be promoted."

“I want to encourage Catholics in the Netherlands to report Protestants hiding around them.”

“The property of those Protestants should be confiscated, their heads should be chopped off, and the devout Catholics should receive a reward,” said the Duke of Alba.