Dutch Declaration of Independence

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The Dutch Declaration of Independence begins with a lengthy exposition detailing the abuses of the Spanish king, Philip II, and the historical circumstances that led to the signing of the document. This is followed by the “declaration of independence” per se, indicating that the duke of Anjou agreed to function as the Netherlands’ monarch, listing specific ways in which Spanish influence was to be eliminated, and outlining provisions for the governance of the provinces.

Paragraphs 1–7

The first seven paragraphs of the declaration effectively constitute a preamble, although the section is not specifically identified as such. In the preamble, the Dutch rebels outline in detail the historical circumstances that led to their renunciation of Spanish rule. After a very brief introduction, the document opens with harsh criticism of Spain’s King Philip. Using traditional Christian imagery, the document compares the king to a shepherd and the Netherlands to his flock. Paragraph 2 argues that a king is supposed to look to the welfare of his flock. In contrast, Philip has subjected the Dutch to oppression, slavery, and tyranny and has infringed upon “their ancient customs and privileges.” Accordingly, the Dutch have decided to “disallow his authority” and choose another prince to rule over them. They have been forced to take this step because their “humble petitions and remonstrances” to the king have been ignored. The paragraph asserts that the provinces accept a ruler only “upon certain conditions, which he swears to maintain”; if the prince violates these conditions, “he is no longer sovereign.”

In a small gesture of political goodwill, the third paragraph casts the blame for the current circumstances less on the king and more on his “evil counselors,” who, according to the document, wanted to exploit the Netherlands for their own gain, as they had in other realms. Nevertheless, the king is culpable because he listened to those counselors and took steps to subdue the Netherlands. The paragraph makes reference to the Spanish Inquisition, which locally was part of a broad effort to subjugate the Dutch by imposing church authorities on them. The fourth paragraph continues this theme, referring to the Inquisition as being “as dreadful and detested in these provinces as the worst of slavery.” The document then makes reference to various petitions for religious toleration submitted by the nobles to Margaret of Parma, Philip’s appointed governor of the Netherlands. Margaret, born in 1522, was Charles V’s illegitimate daughter and became the duchess of Parma, in Italy, when she married Ottavio Farnese, the duke of Parma, who happened to be Pope Paul III’s grandson. (The duke was just thirteen at the time, while Margaret was just sixteen—and this was her second marriage.) Philip responded to the nobles’ petitions with more oppression through the Inquisition, which was charged with enforcing the doctrines enunciated at the Council of Trent—a Catholic ecumenical council that ran from 1545 to 1563 and whose primary purpose was to answer and resist Protestant heresy.

The fifth paragraph makes reference to the events that took place in 1566 and the immediate aftermath. Yet another petition for religious toleration was submitted to Margaret and, through her, to the Spanish king. Envoys were dispatched to seek relief from the king, but the king, rather than receiving them to discuss the matter and find common ground, declared that anyone who had taken part in the effort to remonstrate with him was a rebel and an outlaw, subject to punishment by death and the confiscation of his estates. It was at this point that the king empowered the duke of Alba (spelled Alva in the document), who cruelly enforced the Inquisition and later boasted that he had put to death over eighteen thousand men. Alba’s rule became prominent in the so-called Black Legend, a term coined in 1914 by the Spanish writer Julián Juderías to refer to the reputation of the Spanish during the sixteenth century as cruel, oppressive, tyrannical, and intolerant. Paragraph 6 continues to outline Alba’s abuses. Because so many people had been executed, there would have been little reason to send an invading army into the Netherlands, yet such an army did invade under Alba’s generalship with the purpose of ruling the country as tyrannically as Spain ruled the “Indies,” or its colonies in the New World. The document states that throughout all this turmoil, the people of the Netherlands yet tried to find ways to submit themselves to the king and treat his representative with courtesy. In response, they were subjected to conquest, violence, and executions.

The seventh and final paragraph of the preamble lists numerous other abuses. Dutch nobles, including William of Orange and “diverse gentlemen,” were forced to flee into exile, and their lands were then confiscated by the Spanish. Spanish soldiers were quartered in people’s houses. Dutch citizens were forced to pay taxes for the construction of military posts; the “tenth penny” was a 10 percent tax levied on merchandise. German mercenaries were brought into the Netherlands, again with the purpose of waging war and denying the Dutch their traditional liberties.

Paragraphs 8 and 9

Having catalogued the abuses of the Spanish king, the document states in paragraph 8 that the provinces have “more than sufficient reason to renounce the King of Spain, and seek some other powerful and more gracious prince to take us under his protection.” In paragraph 9, still more abuses are listed. Reference is made to Don Juan of Austria, yet another illegitimate child of Charles V. Don Juan was a military commander who was sent to the Netherlands to fulfill the role of governor-general. Like Alba, he directed a number of campaigns that led to the sacking of various Dutch cities and the execution of large numbers of rebels, until his death in 1578. His mandate in the Netherlands was to disrupt and destroy the alliance created by the Pacification of Ghent of 1576. Again, the document emphasizes that efforts were made to secure peace, particularly through the Congress of Cologne, convened in 1579. Although it was mediated by Pope Gregory XIII, the congress was unsuccessful; again, Spain refused to back down, to the extent that a price was put on William of Orange’s head.

Paragraphs 10–13

Paragraph 10 constitutes the actual declaration of independence from Spanish rule. The authors, representing “the greater part of the United Provinces,” proclaim that the Dutch are renouncing their allegiance to the Spanish king, who “has forfeited, ipso jure, all hereditary right to the sovereignty of those countries.” None of the members of the States-General aligned with the document would thenceforth recognize the authority of the Spanish king. All inhabitants of the Low Countries, including civil servants, the nobility, and the common people, were relieved from their oaths of allegiance to Spain. The document then indicates that the duke of Anjou—François, the youngest son of King Henry II of France—agreed to accept sovereignty over the Netherlands, replacing the authority of Archduke Matthias, a member of the House of Habsburg who had succeeded the duke of Alba but had since resigned his position as governor of the Netherlands (to later become Holy Roman Emperor). The duke of Anjou never proved popular in the Netherlands, holding but limited power; he died in 1584.

The remaining paragraphs outline the specific political steps that the rebellious provinces were taking. Paragraph 11 establishes a council that was to govern the affairs of the Netherlands until the duke of Anjou could assume his responsibilities. Paragraph 12 turns to specific issues of governance, such as the coining of money, justice, financial affairs, and the like. Paragraph 13 gives specifics relating to the establishment, membership, and powers of the president and governing council.