The Dutch Revolt and the English Reformation

Philip II of Spain's attempt to impose stricter religious and fiscal control over the Netherlands, where Calvinism had spread significantly among the bourgeoisie and nobility of the northern provinces, provoked the Dutch Revolt (1568-1648), also called the Eighty Years' War. The 1566 "iconoclastic fury" saw the destruction of Catholic religious images in numerous Dutch churches, and in 1567 Philip II sent the Duke of Alba to crush the dissent; Alba's "Council of Troubles" executed thousands of opponents, including the Counts of Egmont and Horn, radicalizing Dutch resistance further. William of Orange, who had converted to Calvinism, emerged as the principal leader of the revolt, and Dutch Calvinist privateers known as the "Sea Beggars" captured the port of Brielle in 1572, marking a turning point in the armed resistance.