Religious unrest in the Netherlands (1521-1566)

Afbeelding: Hanging of the martyrs of Den Briel (1572) door Peinture de Cesare Fracassini (1838-1868)

Today’s lesson

• Religious persecution 1522-1566 • The ‘Miracle Year’ 1566

• Goals:• Know who persecuted protestants in the Netherlands• Know how Dutch protestants were persecuted.• Understand the social-economic and political background of the religious

conflict in the Netherlands in the mid-16th century• Categorize the different causes of the Smeekschrift and Beeldenstorm• Know the main events of 1566

Remember? Four questions:

• When did Luther announce his 95 thesis?• Why did Luther criticize the Catholic church?• Why did his teachings spread so fast?• Who were the principle opponents of the Reformation?

Answer the questions together with your neighbor (3 minutes)

The Netherlands under Charles V

• Charles ruled over the Habsburg Empire• The Netherlands: 17 autonomous States• These States convened in the State-General• Charles attempted to centralize the government• The Netherlands were a ‘wingewest’

Persecuting Protestants

• Remember: the majority of people in the Netherlands in the 16th century were still Catholic

• Calvinism was the most popular Protestant denomination in especially the Southern Netherlands and among burghers

• Locally religious tolerance prevailed in the Netherlands

• Measures against protestants by the Charles V:

• Publication of placards (plakkaten) • To enforce these placards the inquistion was introduced (1522)• Heresy became treason (1546)• Between 1523-1566 almost 1300 people were executed

The Inquisition

• Inquistion traveled• Hearsay was sufficient for an

investigation• Investigation by torture

• Judges were also prosecutor• No lawyer• Sever penalties for stubborn

heretics

Exercises

Individually, answer the questions 1, 4 & 8 from paragraph 1.14 ‘Persecuting Protestants’

10 minutes

The miracle year 1566The prelude to the Dutch Revolt (1568-1648)

• Compromise of Nobles (Smeekschrift) 5th of April 1566

• ‘Hagenpreken’

• Iconoclasm (Beeldenstorm) August 1566

• First hostilities in the fall of 1566

Causes of 1566

• Religious• Inquisition violated local laws and rights• Growing minority of protestants

• Economic• Economic hardship in cloth industries• Poor harvests in the mid-16th century• Taxation

• Political• Centralization of government infringed ancient local priviledges • Rivalry at court: Granvelle vs. William of Orange • Philips II who succeeded Charles V in 1556 was very unpopular

Philips II (1527-1598)• 1556: Philips II became lord of the Netherlands in 1556• 1557: bankrupcy Spain• 1559: Philips left the Netherlands • Margaretta of Parma became regent• The very unpopular Granvelle became “prime minister”

• 1559: demands and gets 9 years of taxes in advance• 1564: Granvelle retires• 1565 ‘Brieven uit het bos

van Segovia’

The Compromise (Smeekschrift)

Compromise: 200 members of the lower nobility offer Margaret of Parma a petition.

Demands: 1. End of the inquistion2. Inform Philips II of troubles3. Convene the State General Direct cause: ‘brief uit het bos van Segovia’

Indirect cause: centralization of government

Effect: Suspension placards

N'ayez pas peur, Madame, ce ne sont que des gueux

Hagenpreken

Iconoclasm

• Dutch Beeldenstorm started in 10th of August 1566 in Steenvoorde after a ‘Hagenpreek’

• Statues toppled• Paintings burned or scratched• Wine cellars loothed• Monestaries pillaged

• Iconoclasm was not uncommon in Europe after 1517

Iconoclasm as a historic icon….

Assignments

1 Concept-map: Use the cards mentioning the different events leading up to the Beeldenstorm to organize the interrelation between the many events discussed in this chapter.

Groupsize: 3 – 4 pupils

2 Cartoon: draw a cartoon depicting the events of 1566Groupsize: individual

3 Smeekschrift: read the actual ‘Smeekschrift and answer the questions.Groupsize: individual or in pairs