Precursor to the Dutch Revolt (1550s)

Timeline

1. 1551–1559Antwerp · FlandersPhilip II strengthened Catholic orthodoxy, and in 1559 the pope approved the establishment of new bishoprics in the Netherlands to tighten Church control. Calvinism spread secretly in Flanders, Holland and elsewhere, executions by heresy courts rose, provoking strong resentment among the burgher and merchant classes toward Spanish religious policy.
2. 1555–1560Brussels · NetherlandsAfter Philip departed in 1559, Dutch nobles such as Egmont and William of Orange demanded in the provincial estates a relaxation of religious policy and protection of local privileges. Tensions between Spanish remote rule and local traditions of autonomy continued to rise, laying the political foundation for subsequent armed resistance.