The Founding of the Dutch Republic : War, Finance, and Politics in Holland, 1572-1588

## Abstract In 1572, towns in the province of Holland, led by William of Orange, rebelled against the government of the Habsburg Netherlands. The story of the Dutch Revolt is usually told in terms of fractious provinces that frustrated Orange's efforts to formulate a coherent programme. In this book James D. Tracy argues that there was a coherent strategy for the war, but that it was set by the towns of Holland. Although the States of Holland was in theory subject to the States General, Holland provided over 60% of the taxes and an even larger share of war loans. Accordingly, funds were directed to securing Holland's borders, and subsequently to extending this protected frontier to neighboring provinces that, like Holland, lay north of the great rivers running east to west. Shielded from the war by its cordon sanitaire, Holland experienced an extraordinary economic boom, allowing taxes and loans to keep flowing. The goal—in sight if not achieved by 1588—was a United Provinces of the north, free and separate from provinces in the southern Netherlands that remained under Spanish rule. With Europe increasingly under the sway of strong hereditary princes, the new Dutch Republic was a beacon of promise for those who still believed that citizens ought to rule themselves. Contents 8 List of Maps 10 List of Illustrations 11 List of Tables 12 List of Abbreviations 13 Introduction 14 I. THE HABSBURG NETHERLANDS,1549–1567 22 Prologue: Prince Philip’s Tour of the Low Countries, 1549 24 1. The Habsburg–Valois School of War 37 2. War Finance and Fiscal Devolution 50 3. Holland as a Body Politic, I: The Habsburg Era, to 1567 65 II. WAR IN HOLLAND, OCTOBER 1572–JULY 1576 88 Prologue: Repression, Rebellion, and Revolt, 1567–1572 90 4. Toward a Workable Strategy for Defensive Warfare 101 5. The New Fiscal Regime 114 6. Holland’s Rulers: The Urban Oligarchies 129 III. HOLLAND AND THE ‘CLOSER UNION’, JULY 1576–DECEMBER 1582 146 Prologue: The States General at War with Spain 148 7. Holland’s Garden 161 8. Paying for an Ever More Expensive War 184 9. Holland as a Body Politic, II: Seeds of Discord 207 IV. A NEW REPUBLIC, 1583–1588 226 Prologue: Parma’s Offensive, 1583–1588 228 10. The Securing of Holland’s Forward Frontier, 1583–1588 238 11. Holland’s Pyramid of Credit 255 12. Partisan Strife, 1583–1588: Holland and its Critics 282 Epilogue: The Dutch Republic in Europe’s Republican Tradition, c.1590–1650 310 Bibliography 328 Index 346 A 346 B 346 C 347 D 348 E 348 F 348 G 349 H 349 I 350 J 351 K 351 L 351 M 351 N 352 O 352 P 352 Q 353 R 353 S 353 T 355 U 355 V 356 W 356 Z 356 "In 1572, towns in the province of Holland, led by William of Orange, rebelled against the government of the Habsburg Netherlands. The story of the Dutch Revolt is usually told in terms of fractious provinces that frustrated Orange's efforts to formulate a coherent programme. In this book James D. Tracy argues that there was a coherent strategy for the war, but that it was set by the towns of Holland. Although the States of Holland were in theory subject to the States General, Holland provided over 60 per cent of the taxes and an even larger share of war loans. Accordingly, funds were directed to securing Holland's borders, and subsequently to extending this protected frontier to neighbouring provinces." "Shielded from the war by its cordon sanitaire, Holland experienced an extraordinary economic boom, allowing taxes and loans to keep flowing. The goal - in sight if not achieved by 1588 - was a United Provinces of the north, free and separate from provinces in the southern Netherlands that remained under Spanish rule. With Europe increasingly under the sway of strong hereditary princes, the new Dutch Republic was a beacon of promise for those who still believed that citizens ought to rule themselves."--Jacket Introduction PART I: THE HABSBURG NETHERLANDS, 1549 - 1567 Prologue to Part I: Prince Philip's Tour of the Low Countries, 1549 1. The Habsburg-Valois School of War 2. War Finance and Fiscal Devolution 3. Holland as a Body Politic, I: The Habsburg Era, to 1567 PART II: WAR IN HOLLAND, OCTOBER 1572 - JULY 1576 Prologue to Part II: Repression, Rebellion, and Revolt, 1567 - 1572 4. Toward a Workable Strategy for Defensive Warfare 5. The New Fiscal Regime 6. Holland's Rulers: the Urban Oligarchies PART III: HOLLAND AND THE 'CLOSER UNION,' TO 1582 Prologue to Part III: The States General at War with Spain 7. Holland's Garden 8. Paying for an Ever More Expensive War 9. Holland as a Body Politic, II: Seeds of Discord PART IV: A NEW REPUBLIC, 1583 - 1588 Prologue to Part IV: Parma's Offensive, 1583 - 1588 10. The Securing of Holland's Forward Frontier, 1583 - 1588 11. Holland's Pyramid of Credit 12. Partisan Strife, 1583 - 1588: Holland and its Critics Epilogue: The Dutch Republic in the European Republican Tradition Abbreviations and Bibliography In 1572 William of Orange led a revolt against the government of the Habsburg Netherlands. Here, the author re-evaluates the Dutch revolt and its role in the creation of a new republic. He draws extensively on state records to illuminate the dominant influence of provincial towns in devising a coherent strategy for war