Constitutional Point
1st Para – linked to politics: Brederode’s petition asking Margaret to go against Spain – collapse of order, High Nobility withdraw support from Margaret as she does not agree. Lower nobility lead. Vacuum upheld by anti-Spanish magistrates…Calvinists step into gap
2nd Para – evaluation with religion: this vacuum was more politically accentuated through the petition. The fact that the Calvinists seized the advantage comes after – post hoc, ergo propter hoc. The constitutional crisis was not religious, but the fact that such a crisis occurred and the petition emerged was religiously procured.
Finance Point
1st Para – 1565 was bad year for economy: floods and economic downturn. Thus, death and unemployment, low morale. As history dictates, bad social situation means people move to extremist options. Job of Church should be to help in time of need but Dutch Catholic Church was corrupt and inefficient (though Phillip wanted to reform it in a Catholic way). Inability of Church meant rise and return of Calvinism, stepping into the void. Highlighted the ineffectiveness of Catholic Church, so real tension. Much iconoclasm, de-mystification of Church = ideal for Calvinists. Viable alternative for middle-classes.
2nd Para – Evaluation with religion. Well, finance/economics and the general misfortune was important (certainly a revisionist view), but the religious aspect and follow-on from those problems were more important as they highlighted people’s frustrations more and allowed those frustrations to be channelled in one area, causing more problems and being more provocative.
Monarchical Personality Point.
1st Para – Phillip wanted to make decisions on everything, so needed advise on topics he didn’t know about. Hence, factions vying for political power and influence were emerging. See notes on rise of Alva. Phillip was fundamentalist, set in his ways, would not budge. So, naturally, bad for policy change in Netherlands and bad for Margaret.
2nd Para – well, because of his personality, his religious policy was always going to be set in stone, and because of the resoluteness of his religious policy, it was always going to cause problems practically, simply due to the historical and ultimately unforeseeable problems in the Netherlands. So, again, religion more important.
Conclusion.
1st Para – Religion = central ideology of people. In order for ruling classes to have power and to control, they must obviously control the people, but to control the people you need to control religion. The moment this no longer can be applied, rebellion becomes possible. This was the problem in the Netherlands. The issues were all based around religion, if not directly then subtly. Ultimately, there were political problems, social problems, personal-rule problems, fiscal problems – but the problems were usually catalysed in a religion setting: i.e., Phillip taxed The Netherlands quite harshly to fund Spanish (Castilian) military defence in the Med against The Moors and their threat – reconquista: religiously based (Holy War). Another example: The people of the Netherlands did not like the anti-Calvinist Heresy Laws. They rebelled against them through the Petition that ultimately saw the Lower Nobility have greater autonomy and city Magistrates actively work against Royal prerogative. These were political problems, but were borne out of religious issues – the heresy laws were anti-Protestant legislation and with the return of Calvinism (caused by the void as a result of the Church’s corruption - *the bad winter of 1565 and the unemployment/death) – when people needed the Church the most) they did not mutually coexist very well.
2nd Para – Therefore, religion was the MOST important factor. There were other factors (list them), all important, but at the same time ALL were linked to the various religious issues, and not vice-versa. For example, to illustrate the idea, there was not a religious problem because of a political problem, but there WAS a political problem due to a religion one.
