Dutch Calvinists

The Netherlands was the richest and most industrialized of the countries under the Spanish monarchy. Consequently, it was considered by this one as a supreme milch cow to pay for all the wars needed to keep the empire together.

But the Dutch cities thus also had the resources to defend themselves. Not only money and ships (which could be used offensively if necessary) but also a militant Calvinist church. The Calvinist doctrine means, among other things, that the believers organize themselves closely, and such an organization can be very effective if it is attacked.

And attacks were exactly what the regime did; in accordance with the principles of the 16th century state, it did not tolerate any competing centers of power. At the same time as it introduced a ten percent sales tax, it also banned the Calvinist organizations and began to hang and burn the Calvinists it got hold of.

The tax revolt that followed was one of the most successful ever. After various local uprisings, the conflict took on a national character since the merchant fleet of merchants occupied the city of Brielle on April 1, 1572. The rebels were soon given a stronghold in the province of Holland which was full of canals and lakes and difficult to control with cavalry armies. After a generation of battles, the Spanish monarchy was forced to declare defeat in 1609 and recognize the seven northern Dutch provinces (present-day Netherlands) as independent.

The picture above shows Rembrandt’s painting The Night Watch, a glorification of the armament of the bourgeoisie that may not have directly won the war but in any case retained the political leadership of the uprising. The ordinary people who were allowed to serve as cannon fodder in the armies were granted the right to exist, i.e were allowed to take part in the, by the standards of the time, generous welfare legislation that was introduced. It is from this time that the inclusion of the majority of the people begins to complement violence and coercion as a method of political power in Western Europe.

The uprising paid off well for the bourgeoisie, despite the concessions to the common man. The Netherlands became, after it got rid of the court, Europe’s financial center, a position it held for one hundred and fifty years. A fact that contributed to the spread of its principles – the ruling classes of other countries wanted to be equally rich and assumed that Dutch methods might be effective.

Reading
Geoffrey Parker: The Dutch revolt, Allen Lane 1977
Wayne te Brake: Shaping history, Univesity of California Press 1998.