Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
After the Reformation there was a substantial Catholic minority, but I know little about them. The Reformation in the Nettherlands was accompanied by a 80-year war against to resist the efforts of Catholic Spain to wipe out Protestantism and Dutch independedence. The War was finally won in 1576 by Prince William of Orange-Nassau. One interesting question is how they were tolerated by the governing Protestant minority. Unlike the other minorities, they are not ethnically different from other Dutch who are mostly Protestant. In an earlier era of Dutch history, we suspect being Catholic brought with it considerable disadvantage, although we know little about it. Nordo we know about the role of Dutch Catholics in the Dutch War for Independence. The Flemish to the south in Belgium also speak Dutch and are Catholic. Flanders essentially is Catholic because the Spanish succceeded militarily in regaining control of the area afterthe Dutch revolt in the 16th century. A Dutch reader tells us, "As far as the Catholics are concerned, they are not a small minority. According to the latest figures from the archiebiscopal office in Utrecht there are nearly 5 million Catholics in the Netherlands, to be exact: 4, 6 million. The total population in Holland is 16 million. Holland, however, is possibly the most irreligious nation in the world. Lots of churches are empty and are being used for other purposes than religious services. So I really don't know how many people consider themselves Christians (Protestants and Catholics), since they were baptized. In my case, my parents did not belong to any church and I never was baptized."
Erasmus strongly promoted reform of the Catholic church during the years leading to the Reformation. The Netherlands was by the early 16th century a non-German
possession of German Hapsburg Emperor Charles V. The Emperor within the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) attempted to resolve the dispute with Luther and his
followers diplomatically. His approach outside the Empire in the provinces where he ruled directly, he was not prepared to compromise and invoked the full force of
the Inquisition. he University of Leuven (Louvain) condemned Luther's theses (1519). Emperor Charles appointed van der Hulst as the Inquisitor General to supress
the Protestants in the Netherlands (1522). He applied the full force of the Inquisition and within a year there were executions. Count Alva's brutal methods in the
southern Netherlands appered for a time to have succeded in destroying the Reformation in the Netherlands. Imperial forces were in control in the south. Alva when
he left the Netherlands, however, was a hated man as was the emperor (1573). The Count was, however, was unable to completely eliminate Protestantism. To
many people in the Netherlands had cinverted. Despite supression in the south, rebellion flared in the north. The provinces of Holland and Zeeland rose in revolt
(1572). The most repected nobleman in the Netherlands, William of Orange-Nassau, had serious differences ith the Imperial government (1568). The fighting
became a bitterly fought war and excesses and atricities were committed by both sides. The creation of Union of Utrecht brought on one of the longest struggles in
European history--the Dutch War of Independence. It was foiught by the Dutch againt local Catholic forces and the Spanih. (Upon the death of Emperor Charles V,
the Netherlands became a Spanish territory.) Fighting continued until the Peace of Utrecht (1648). The Dutch made Calvinim the sate religion or confession. They
looked on Catholics with great suspission, although they were not arrested for their faith. Other religioins were tolerated, this included not only other Protestants, but
the Jews as well. This made the Dutch the most tolerant people in Europe and the Netherlnds a refuge for those facing religious persecution. This was an element in
the Dutch become the most prosperous people in Europe.
The domestic situation in the Netherlands became explosive after the imperial government refused to negotiate with the Calvanists. Hedge semons increased over a
wide area of the Netherlands. Domestic conditions in the Netherlands became explosive when grain prices rose to high levels. This was unrelated to the Reformation and caused by the outbreak of the Dano-Swedish War (1563-70). Iconoclastic riots occured throught the south. Open rebellion occurred in Tournai (1566). The imperial government prepared to supress treason made more henious in Philip's view because it combined with heresy. Philip issued a new sales tax of about 10 percent to finance the military expenditures.
The Reformation in the Nettherlands was accompanied by a 80-year war against to resist the efforts of Catholic Spain to wipe out Protestantism and Dutch independedence. The creation of Union of Utrecht brought on one of the longest struggles in European history--the Dutch War of Independence. It was foiught by the Dutch againt local Catholic forces and the Spanih. (Upon the death of Emperor Charles V, the Netherlands became a Spanish territory.) The Union of Utrecht upon its establidshment abolished religious persecution (1579). Religion was to be determined by the constiuent territories. Archbishop Frederik van Schenck van
Toutenberg died and at that point the Calvinism was introduced in Utrecht (1580). The seven United Provinces eventually declared their independence from the
Spanish king in 1581 following the Union of Utrecht of 1579. The Dutch in areas they controlled introduced a Calvinist state confession. Dutch speaking areas under
Spanish control (roughly Flanders in modern Belgium--Noord Brabant, Limburg, and eastern Gelderland) experienced conversion at the hands of the Counter
Reformation and were compeled to accept Tridentine Catholicsm. Here we do not yet have details on the actual process. Over the course of the war, control of
these provinces swayed back and forth. The Dutch upon taking any of these areas looked on them as occupied enemy territory. Politically they were established as
Lands of the Generality. They were denied representation in the Dutch Estates General. Catholics were prohibited from holding public office. Jean Taffin published his book Marks of God's Childre (1585). It was a sensation among Dutch and French Protestants. He offered encouragement to those engaged in spiritual warfare. The Dutch Government founded th University of Leiden s a Calvanist institution (1575). It became a noted center of Calvanist teaching. It was also center of a debate which developed among Calvanist threologians. Jacobus Arminius and Gaomarus were leading figures and taught differing interpretations of scripture. The followeres became known as Remonstranten (Arminius) and Contraremonstranten (Gaomarus). Upon the death of Armminius, Calninists split into rival groups (1609). Many of the city councils were Remonstranten. Stadholder, Maurice of Orange-Nassau supported the Contraremonstranten. It was the
Contraremonstranten and Stadtholder Maurice who emerged victorious. Remonstranten supporter Johan Oldembarneveld, Pensionary of Holland, was tried and
executed. The Council of Dordt (Dordrecht) condened the Remonstranten or Arminian interpretatioin. The Canons of the Council of Dordt are today still used by
Calvanist theologiands around the world. The Calvanists punlished their vesion of the Bible, the Statenbijbel (1637). Fighting continued until the Peace of Utrecht
(1648). The Dutch made Calvinim the sate religion or confession. They looked on Catholics with great suspission, although they were not arrested for their faith.
Other religioins were tolerated, this included not only other Protestants, but the Jews as well. This made the Dutch the most tolerant people in Europe and the
Netherlnds a refuge for those facing religious persecution. This was an element in the Dutch become the most prosperous people in Europe. The War was finally won in 1576 by Prince William of Orange-Nassau. We do know about the role of Dutch Catholics in the Dutch War for Independence.
The Calvinists bracing for Imperial military action raised an army. The Imperial forces first restored authority in Tournai (1567). The Imperial forces defeated the Calvinists at the Battle of Mokerhei (1567). The Emperor replaced Margaret of Parma as Governer General with Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, the Duke of Alva. The Duke created the Council of Troubles to root out the Calvanists. The Council known by the Dutch as the Council of Blood acted with great severity. The
Council sentenced about 3,000 suspected Calvanists to death, including nobels like Counts Egmont and Hoorn. Here we do not have details on what happened to
the families involved. We believe that most of those sentenced were men. We do not know what happened to the families. Men were of course the family providers.
Often in such actions, property was also taken. We hope to eventually acquire details on this. It looked like the Reformatioin had been extinguished in the
Netherlands.
After the Reformation there was a relatively small Catholic minority, but I know little about them. One interesting question is how they were tolerated by the governing Protestant minority. Unlike the other minorities, they are not ethnically different from other Dutch who are mostly Protestant. In an earlier era of Dutch history, we suspect being Catholic brought with it considerable disadvantage, although we know little about it. Our Durch readers have provided us differing views of the Vatholic minority. A Dutch reader tells us, "The catholic minority in Holland was very small after the 80-year war with Spain (Peace Treaty of Münster, 1648). Catholics were not allowed to worship in churches anymore; in Amsterdam servies were held in the attics of some Catholic burghers. Iconoclasts removed and destroyed many of the sculptures and art works in the Catholic churches." Anoyther Dutch reader writes, "Roman Catholics in the Netherlands have never been a small minority, not in recent times nor immediately after the Reformation. Their numbers have always more or less balanced those of the Protestants."
Following the Napoleonic Wars, a new kingdom was establish in the Low Countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxenburg). Protestant William I was the first king of the Netherlands. The kingdom at first had a Catholic majority. Revolts in the southern areas resulted in the separation of Belgium (1830).
Catholic Belgium became an independent country in 1830. A German price, Leopold became the first king of independent Belgium. Leopold was a Protestant and had married the heir to the British throne, Proncess Charlotte. After she died , it was Princess Victoria who became queen. Leopold helped introduce Prince Albert to Victoria, beginnin a close association between Belgium and Britain. While Flanders joined Walonia because of their Catholocism, problems eventually developed because of language differences.
Originally the two Catholic provinces Limburg and Brabant were supposed to go to Belgium also, but they became Dutch. The people in these provinces remained Catholic and actually had more in common with their neighbors to the south, the Flemish, than with the Protestant Dutch in the rest of Holland. But this explains why there are so many Catholics in Holland, and, of course, the Catholics had large families, 10-12 children were normal at that time. The reason why the Catholic minority became so large was the addition of the provinces Brabant and Limburg to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1839. Both provinces were 95 percenyt Roman Catholic. They have three bishoprics: 's Hertogenbosch and Breda in Noord Brabant, Roermond in Limburg, while there are only two other bishops and one archbishop for all of the rest of the Netherlands (Rotterdam, Groningen and Utrecht). The There were detinctions beteeen Catholic and Protestants well into the 20th century. There were separate schools. Often villages were either Catholic or Protestant. A Dutch reader writes, "I went to school in a Calvinist village where we used to live in the 1930s. The children of the only Catholic family in the community were not allowed to go to the village school. They had to go (on their bikes) to a Catholic school in a neighboring town. My siblings and I were allowed to attend classes in the Protestant school, although my parents did not belong to any church. I think that the school administrator somehow hoped that we could be converted to the Calvinist religion."
The Flemish to the south in Belgium also speak Dutch and are Catholic. Flanders essentially is Catholic because the Spanish succceeded militarily in regaining control of the area after the Dutch revolt in the 16th century.
A Dutch reader tells us, "As far as the Catholics are concerned, they are not a small minority. According to the latest figures from the archiebiscopal office in Utrecht there are nearly 5 million Catholics in the Netherlands, to be exact: 4, 6 million. The total population in Holland is 16 million. Holland, however, is possibly the most irreligious nation in the world. Lots of churches are empty and are being used for other purposes than religious services. So I really don't know how many people consider themselves Christians (Protestants and Catholics), since they were baptized. In my case, my parents did not belong to any church and I never was baptized." Another Dutch reader writes, "Today, secularization may have
dwindled their numbers but they are still the single most numerous denomination, which is partly due to the Protestants being divided between so many different
groups."
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