Texts concerning the Revolt of the Netherlands

4 Petition of 5 April 1566 ¹

The text of the Petition was drafted by John Marnix of Tholouse and Louis of Nassau. It was presented to the governess at Brussels by Henry Brederode in the name of the assembled nobles on 5 April 1566.

Madame!

It is common knowledge that throughout Christendom the people of these Netherlands have always been praised for their great fidelity to their seigniors and natural princes, and this is still the case, and that the nobles have always been prominent in this respect, since they have spared neither life nor property to conserve and increase the greatness of their rulers. And we, very humble vassals of His Majesty, wish to do the same and to do even more, so that night and day we are ready to render him most humble service with life and property. And considering the condition of affairs at present, we prefer rather to incur some people's anger than to hide from your Highness something which might afterwards be to the

1 Groen van Prinsterer ed., Archives ou Correspondance inédite de la Maison d'Orange-Nassau, le série, ii pp. 80ff.

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prejudice of His Majesty and undermine the peace and quiet of his provinces. We hope that time will show that of all the services which we have ever rendered or shall in future render to His Majesty, this may be reckoned among the most notable and useful, and we are firmly convinced that Your Highness will highly value our action.

We are not in doubt, Madame, that whatever His Majesty formerly ordained and now again ordains regarding the inquisition and the strict observance of the edicts concerning religion, has some foundation and just title and is intended to continue all that the late emperor, Charles - blessed be his memory - decreed with the best of intentions. Considering however that different times call for different policies, and that for several years past those edicts, even though not very rigorously executed, have caused most serious difficulties, His Majesty's recent refusal² to mitigate the edicts in any way, and his strict orders to maintain the inquisition, and to execute the edicts in all their rigour, makes us fear that the present difficulties will undoubtedly increase. But in fact the situation is even worse. There are clear indications everywhere that the people are so exasperated that the final result, we fear, will be an open revolt and a universal rebellion bringing ruin to all the provinces and plunging them into utter misery. The extent of the danger that menaces us being, in our view, so manifest, we have hoped up till now that eventually either the Seigniors³ or the States of the provinces would draft a remonstrance to Your Highness, with the purpose of remedying that evil by striking at its cause. But since for reasons unknown to us they have not come forward, and the evil is meanwhile daily augmenting, so that open revolt and universal rebellion are imminent, we consider it our bounden duty, incumbent upon us because of our oath of fidelity and homage as well as our zeal to serve His Majesty and our fatherland, to wait no longer but to be the first to come forward and do what we are obliged to do.

We speak the more frankly because we have sufficient reason to hope that His Majesty will not blame us at all for warning him. The matter concerns us more deeply than anyone else, for we are most exposed to the disasters and calamities, which usually spring from such rebellions. Our houses and lands are situated for the greater part in the open fields, and cannot be defended. Moreover, as a result of His Majesty's order to execute the edicts in all their severity, not one of us, or even of all inhabitants of the whole country, whatever his condition, will not be found

2 The king's letters from Segovia of 17 October 1565 (see Document 1).

3 When they met at Hoogstraten in March, the great nobles could not agree upon combined action, mainly because Egmont refused to take part.

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guilty and sentenced to forfeit his life and property, as all of us will be subject to the defamatory testimony of whoever might like to accuse us on the pretext of the edicts in order to obtain part of our confiscated goods. Only thanks to the duplicity of the responsible officer shall we be able to escape this fate and our lives and property will be entirely at his mercy.

Because of this we have every reason very humbly to implore Your Highness, as we do in this petition, to put these matters right and to dispatch a suitable courier to His Majesty as soon as possible to inform him and entreat him most humbly on our behalf,⁴ that he be pleased to take measures to prevent this happening now and in the future. This will never be possible, if the edicts are left in force, for they are the source and origin of all difficulties; thus His Majesty should be asked kindly to repeal them. This is not only very necessary to avert the total ruin and loss of all his provinces, but is also in keeping with reason and justice. And so that he may have no reason to think that we, who only seek to obey him in all humility, would try to restrain him or to impose our will on him (as we don't doubt that our adversaries will say to our disadvantage), we implore His Majesty very humbly that it may please him to seek the advice and consent of the assembled States General for new ordinances and other more suitable and appropriate ways to put matters right without causing such apparent dangers.

We also most humbly entreat Your Highness that while His Majesty is listening to our just petition and making his decisions at his good and just pleasure, Your Highness may meanwhile obviate the dangers which we have described by suspending the inquisition as well as the execution of the edicts until His Majesty has made his decision. And finally we declare with all possible emphasis before God and men that in giving this present warning we have done all we can do according to our duty, and state that if there should occur disasters, disorder, sedition, revolt or bloodshed later on, because no appropriate measures were taken in time, we cannot be criticised for having concealed such an apparent abuse. For which purpose we call God, the king, Your Highness and the members of your council together with our conscience to witness that we have proceeded as becomes the king's good and loyal servants and faithful vassals, keeping within the bounds of our duty. Therefore we are entitled to implore Your Highness to assent to this, before further evils ensue and to do what is right.

4 John Glimes, marquis of Bergen, and Florence Montmorency, baron of Montigny were very shortly entrusted with this mission.

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Apostil of the governess

Her Highness has noted the contents of this request and is firmly determined to despatch a courier to His Majesty, to present it to him. Her Highness wants to use her good offices to induce His Majesty to grant the request of the petitioners who may expect a reaction worthy of and in accordance with his innate and customary benignity. Before the arrival of the petitioners, Her Highness, with the assistance and the advice of the governors of the provinces, knights of the Golden Fleece and the members of the State and Privy Council who are with her,⁵ had already drafted a plan to be laid before His Majesty for moderating the religious edicts. Her Highness hopes that this plan may be found to give everyone reasonable satisfaction. As the authority of Her Highness (as the petitioners will consider and understand well) does not allow her to suspend the inquisition and the edicts and as it is not becoming to leave the country without law in religious matters, Her Highness is confident that the petitioners will be satisfied with her decision to send a special envoy to His Majesty and, while awaiting the answer, to order the inquisitors, wherever they and the officers respectively are at present, to proceed discreetly and modestly in their office, so that no one shall have cause to complain. Her Highness expects likewise that the petitioners on their part will so conduct themselves that there will be no need to take other measures. There is room to hope that by reason of Her Highness's good offices, His Majesty will agree to stop the inquisition in the provinces where it has been established. The answer given to the request of the chief towns of Brabant that the inquisition should not be introduced there makes this not unlikely.⁶ Her Highness is most willing to use her influence with His Majesty to this end, because she takes it for granted that the petitioners are firmly determined to make no innovation at all in the ancient religion of these provinces but will maintain and conserve it with all their power. Written by Her Highness at Brussels, the sixth day of April 1566, before Easter. Margarita.

5 This assembly of stadholders, knights of the Golden Fleece and members of the Council of State and the Privy Council took place at the end of March.

6 On 24 March 1566 in answer to the protest of the four towns of this province of 22 January the Council of Brabant stated that the king did not intend to introduce any novelty and therefore they would not be oppressed by the inquisitors contrary to the prevailing privileges.