The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1555-59

The Rise of the Dutch Republic,
1555-59

The Project Gutenberg EBook Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1555-59, by
Motley #4 in our series by John Lothrop Motley
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Title: The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1555-59
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4804] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 12,
2002]

Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
DUTCH REPUBLIC, 1555-59 ***

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MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, PG EDITION,
VOLUME 4.
THE RISE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC
JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY, D.C.L., LL.D.
1855

PHILIP THE SECOND IN THE NETHERLANDS
1555-1558 [
CHAPTER II
.]
Sketch of Philip the Second--Characteristics of Mary Tudor--Portrait of
Philip--His council--Rivalry of Rup Gomez and Alva--Character of
Rup Gomez--Queen Mary of Hungary--Sketch of Philibert of Savoy--
Truce of Vaucelles--Secret treaty between the Pope and Henry II.--
Rejoicings in the Netherlands on account of the Peace--Purposes of
Philip--Re-enactment of the edict of 1b60--The King's dissimulation
--"Request" to the provinces--Infraction of the truce in Italy-- Character
of Pope Paul IV.--Intrigues of Cardinal Caraffa--War against Spain
resolved upon by France--Campaign in Italy--Amicable siege of
Rome--Pence with the pontiff--Hostilities on the Flemish

border--Coligny foiled at Douay--Sacks Lens--Philip in England--
Queen Mary engages in the war--Philip's army assembled at Givet--
Portrait of Count Egmont--The French army under Coligny and
Montmorency--Siege of St. Quentin--Attempts of the constable to
relieve the city--Battle of St. Quentin--Hesitation and timidity of
Philip--City of St. Quentin taken and sacked--Continued indecision of
Philip--His army disbanded--Campaign of the Duke of Guise-- Capture
of Calais--Interview between Cardinal de Lorraine and the Bishop of
Arran--Secret combinations for a league between France and Spain
against heresy--Languid movements of Guise--Foray of De Thermes on
the Flemish frontier--Battle of Gravelines--Popularity of
Egmont--Enmity of Alva.
Philip the Second had received the investiture of Milan and the crown
of Naples, previously to his marriage with Mary Tudor. The imperial
crown he had been obliged, much against his will, to forego. The
archduchy of Austria, with the hereditary German dependencies of his
father's family, had been transferred by the Emperor to his brother
Ferdinand, on the occasion of the marriage of that prince with Anna,
only sister of King Louis of Hungary. Ten years afterwards, Ferdinand
(King of Hungary and Bohemia since the death of Louis, slain in 1526
at the battle of Mohacz) was elected King of the Romans, and steadily
refused all the entreaties afterwards made to him in behalf of Philip, to
resign his crown and his succession to the Empire, in favor of his
nephew. With these diminutions, Philip had now received all the
dominions of his father. He was King of all the Spanish kingdoms and
of both the Sicilies. He was titular King of England, France, and
Jerusalem. He was "Absolute Dominator" in Asia, Africa, and America;
he was Duke of Milan and of both Burgundies, and Hereditary
Sovereign of the seventeen Netherlands.
Thus the provinces had received a new master. A man of foreign birth
and breeding, not speaking a word of their language, nor of any
language which the mass of the inhabitants understood, was now
placed in supreme authority over them, because he represented, through
the females, the "good" Philip of Burgundy, who a century before had
possessed himself by inheritance, purchase, force, or fraud, of the
sovereignty in most of those provinces. It is necessary to say an
introductory word or two concerning the previous history of the man to

whose hands the destiny of so many millions was now entrusted.
He was born in May, 1527, and was now therefore twenty-eight years
of age. At the