Duke of Aquitain Holland and that part of East-Friezland from Dockum to Laâ—vin to defend and protect them from the Invasions and Devastations of the Danes and Normans who notwithstanding their general opposition at his entrance for they were then impatient of Government their joynt Conspiracy against him six years after his settlement when the Pope intimating how he should govern them by cutting the top of his Garden-Plants as he walked there with his Embassadors bestowed that Country upon him a second time by a breve as Lewis of Germany did Zealand by a Royal constitution left it to his son Thierry the Second who subdued the Frizons after two rebellions in behalf of their Liberties granted them as they pretended by Charti magni to entire obedience in such sort as he constrained them to make their doors and entries so low that they must bend their backs and stoop very much in sign of humility before they could enter and committed them upon his death to his second Son Arnold as he did Holland and Zealand to his eldest Son Egbert having entred to a Monestery at Triars by whom a Revolt was made from his bounden duty to the French to a submission to the Empire of whom he would needs hold his Earldom in Fee which lost him his life in a Battel against the Friezlanders who opposed that dishonourable submission and with the assistance of the French and the conduct of their Protestat or Governor defeated him in open field whose Son and Successor Thiery the 3d dissembling the affront a while until â—he had conquered the stout Bishop of Vtrecht who would needs maintain that Holland belonged to his Bishoprick his Vtrecht being in old time as he urged what with his Army and what with his Reason the Capital City of Holland and relieved the German Auxilianies revenged his Fathers death and settled the Countrey on his younger son Floris who his elder Brother Thiery being slain at a Tournament at Leige say some 1048 or as others by the Marquesse of Bradenburgh's Forces who came to revenge the Germans disgrace at that Tournament as far as Dort which by Treason or a Popular Tumult he surprized and kept till Earl Floris hearing of the League between the Marquesse of Bradenburgh Count Albert of Lovain Wickard Advocate General of Gelders and Hermar Earl of Curike gathered the whole Countrey to Dort to make Ditches and Pit-falls along South-Holland wherein the Enemies fell in heaps submitting at last to his mercy whose Family yet he leaving an Infant behind him was dispoyled of the Earldom of Holland by the Bishop of Dort's application to the Emperour H. 4 who resenting the late Onslaught of the Germans gave the Reverend Father his claimed Earldom which he colluted on Godfrey the 9th Earl thereof who yet lost it to Thierry the 5th whom the Friezlanders helped to his Predecessors honour in Holland as he did afterwards himself when they would neither acknolwedge him nor obey the Bishop to be Seigneory over them as his Heir Thoris the Second and the Earl did when they would needs bid him Battel to try as they said for their Liberties to whose Son and Successor Thierry the 6th Lothiar the Emperour restored Oastergoe and Westergoe in Friezland formerly given 1080. by H. 4 to Conrade Bishop of Vtrecht notwithstanding the rebellious attempts of the Frizons against it and the fatal Divisions made by that unhappy people between him and his Brother whom at last after six bloody Battels the Emperour reconciled settling Friezland and Holland anew upon his Son Floris the 3d who married Ada Daughter to the King of Scotland and had the Isle of Walâ—â—rin where they built Dur by accord with Philip Earl of Flanders for the Land of Waes in whose Reign the Hollanders set up the first Herring-fishing in the Mase and the Brittish-Seas along the Coast of Holland Zealand and Friezland in small Barkes called Subards those of Zerexes being the first that did fish and pack them up in Barrels Those of Bieruliel a small Isle on the Coast of Flanders the better to preserve them being salted invented the way to Gill them and pull out the Garbage Thierry the 7th his Son succeeded him and brought the Flemmings to an accord about Trade and the Frizons to Reason when they were in the mood to acknowledge no Soveraign but the Emperour and being reconciled to the Earl of Gelders joyned with him against the troublesom Bishop of Vtrech and his Brother William Earl of Friezland succeeded him likewise deposing his Daughter from Holland and reducing the Zealanders both which Provinces he left to his Son Floris the 4th whose Daughter Margaret Countess of Hennebergh had 365 Children at a Birth that is to say for so many dayes in the year After him was William the Second Earl of Holland of that name and King of the Romans who enlarged his Earldom towards â—landers in a Quarrel with Margaret Counâ—â—ss of Flanders who in vain sought the Pope and St. Lewis of France his aid while Earl William was alive who died unfortunately in Ice in an onset upon his restless Subjects of Friezland which was reduced by Floriâ— 5th who after the allaying of the Factions raised in Holland during his minority built four Castles that utterly subdued that Countrey made a League with Flanders that brought within his Earldom Amstel and Worden threatned a War with Scotland in right of his Grandmother Ada that with King Edward of England mediation was accorded in a marriage between his son Iohn and Elizabeth the Daughter of that Kingdom whence arose a great friendship between England Scotland and Holland And the Flemings suddenly breaking their League by a Surprize of Zealand by the Isle of Welchrin he subdued them so farr with the loss of so many Knights that he made 40 to possess and maintain his Conquests which yet prospered not when he for deflouring Count Gerund's Lady was murthered in a Ditch and the Frizons sent to the King of Denmark to be their Protector especially when upon Count Iohn's absence in England Floris his son and now the 20th Earl of Holland reigning the Government of Holland was divided between the Faction of Count Hedier of Clevis who governed North-Holland of Guy the Earl of Henaul's Brother who possessed South-Holland and of Berfold Surrogate to Zirich Bishop of Vtrich who revived the old Quarrel about Holland till King Iohn with a mighty Fleet of his Father in Laws the King of Englands 1297 defeated the Frizons twice with the Bishop that had preached a 1000 years Pardon to every Person that could kill a Hollander rased Mour Mount and settled the Faction at Dort But dying suddenly 1300 and leaving his Wife childless who returned to England and married the Earl of Oxford Gillis Brecht of Amstel seized and fortified Amsherdam The Factions of Scheirlingen and Ven Coopen brake out in Friezland and both maintained their Franckises and Liberties against the Emperours Lieutenant Albert D. of Saxony who came
to compose their differences and in the Inter regnum to settle their Government the Male Line of Thierry of Aquitane failing in Floris the fifth's son Iohn the Government fell to Iohn Earl of Henaut Nephew to William King of the Romans and Earl of Holland by Alix his Sister who now the 2 d Earl of Holland gave to his Brother Guy the Seigniories of Amsterdam upon which he conferred many Freedoms Rights and Priviledges with design to reduce Seignior Rhenez of Zealand to Reason with its assistance and this is the first time that Amsterdam gave Law to Zealand who presumed upon the Flemish and Imperial assistance so far as to overrun Holland till William the 22th Earl of Holland Iohn of Henault's son with the Lord of Humpstead's assistance reduced them and with 320 Ships of France confined Guy of Flanders to his own Bruges This good Earl William as they called him having married Charles de valois his Daughters Neece to Philip the Fair of France settled his Brother Iohn of Beaumont in Goud and Schoonborn and strengthened his Uncle Guy Bishop of Vtrech by a Fort he raised at Skellingwerf to bridle the unquiet Frizons adding to Holland the Seigniories of Amstel and Woerden while Charles the Fair of France was buâ—ie with the Flemish and the Emperour Lewis of Bavaria as busie with the Pope which he left to his son William the 23th Earl of Holland and Zealand who being allyed to Edward the 3d King of England troubled France and brought the troublesome West-Frizons 1345 to Reason and dying without lawful Issue returned his Government to his Sister Margaret then Empress and Wife to Lewis of â—avaria who being confirmed in the Earldom by her Husband in a full Diet solemnly taking the Earldoms Homage depute her son William under her Governour of Holland who being defeated by the Bishop of Vtrech and instigated by the Holland Faction of Cabillaux and Hoecks falls out with his Mother who her Husband being dead returned to the Government and after various successes in four Battels with her son gave it him upon condition he should reduce Vtrech and its Bishoprick which had troubled Holland with its pretensions for 260 years together as he did but dying childless left all to his Brother Albert of Bavaria who put the Towns and Castles in good hands reduced Delf and Gelders built Gildenburgh-Castle to secure the Sluices Weakned the Frizons reduced Vtrech defeated the Frizons again brought the Groeningeois to do Homage and Fealty Forced the rebellious Lord of Arleche to an accord married his 3d Daughter Margaret to Iohn Duke of Burgundy Earl of Flanders and Artois by whom she had Philip the good Duke of Burgundy Earl of Holland and Flanders and among many other children Joane Dutchess of Austria by whom came these Earldoms to the Emperour and the King of Spain After his death William af Bavaria his son and the 27th Earl of Holland and Zealand succeeded who was much troubled with the Lords of Arguel father and son and the Duke of Gelders to whom they had resigned their Interest until the Lord of Arguel being taken discovered all the Conspirators and particularly Count Egmond who thereupon yielded up his strong Fort Iselstein and retired till Jaqueline of Bavaria succeeded her father Albert the Factions called home Egmond contrived to displace Jaqueline and put in Iohn of Bavaria and Bishop of Leige in her place till the Pope dispensing with it she is married to Iohn Duke of Brabant by whose assistance she recovereth Gornchom of Count Egmond perswades the Hollanders and Zealanders to refuse Iohn of Bavaria and his pretended Grant from the Emperour insomuch that he was glad to come to termes with her Husband to hold some Lordships in Fee and quit all his Titles and Pretensions who after his death is declared Earl of Holland in right of his Wife in whose right he subdueth the old Faction of Cabillans and Hoeckins strengthneth Harlem takes Schoonhooen and brings the unhappy woman who had married now four times to declare Philip Duke of Burgundy Governour of Holland and after her death Earl which Earldom she resigned to him in her life time to ransom her 5th well-beloved Husband the Lord of Borselle from his hand Philip the first Duke of Burgundy and 20th Earl of Holland succeeding as right Heir by father and mother to the Government of Holland helped the Hollanders and Zealanders to chase the Easterlings now Lords at Sea in sign whereof they bear to this day a little Besom atop of their Main-mast to shew they had swept the Sea of all competitors 1431 and with much adoe composed the Tumults raised in Amsterdam Harlem and Leyden upon an intollerable imposition by the Faction of the Hooks and Cabellans whom at last he reconciled and awed by the institution of a first President the Earl of Nassau by promoting his Bastard David to the Bishoprick of Vtrech by suppressing the factious Family of Brederode By his League with the English and seasonable Resignation of his Government to his discontented son the Earl of Charolois during his sickness who subdued the Ligeois razed Dirvant succeeded his Father and Margaret Sister to Edward the 4th King of England in whose time printing was first invented at Harlem and as he had the name of warlike so he goes on bringing the tumultuous Ganthois to his mercy the mutinous Town of Macklyn to a Ransom the Leigeoix to a submission notwithstanding that it was the French Kings Embassadour that had incited them to rebel upon a promise of 30000 men at a mouths warning for which neighbourly part he was even with that King by assisting the Duke of Brittain against him and taking him Prisoner He resolves to ruine the House of Brederode to which purpose he brings many of them to the Rack He makes the sullen Frizons bring him white Paper wherein he should write his own termes He refuseth to answer King Lewis the 11th of France his Citation 1470 to Paris He brings that King to a Truce gets the Dukedom of Gelders resigned to him defies the Emperour Sigismond at Nevis and brought hâ—m to an advantageous Peace prospering in all his undertaking but that against the pitiful Swiâ—â—â— whose whole Countrey he said was not worth the Bits of his Bridle nor the spurs of his Army After which he was slain at Nantes leaving all his Dukedoms Earldoms and Lordships to his Daughter Mary who the King of France neglecting the marriage of the Dalphin to her was Contracted according to former Treaties in her Fathers life time to Maximilian of Austria the Emperour Frederick's Son by whom she had Phillip Arch-Duke of Austria who undertaking the Government in her Right after an Assembly held at Bruges reduced the revolted Gelders settled such Governours in Harlem Rotterdam Leyden and elswhere as might over-awe Egmond and the ancient Factions of Hoecks and Cabillaux subdued Vtrech and the trajectings as Guardian to his son Philip of Austria with whom he goeth
Princes and the Earl of Egmont's Government who indeed underhand encouraged them to break Images and all Church Utensils to counterfeit and act the Preachers to disturb all Church-meetings with their Tumultuous cry Vive le Gueux which so lighted the Governess to deal plainly with his Majesty That the Prince of Orange the Earls of Egmont Horne and Hoochstrate had betrayed the Government which nothing but his Presence and an Army could settle Though in the mean time she was so much a woman as to dissemble her fears and enter to a â—â—â—emn promise of Protection of the Conâ—ederates which had accorded the differences for the present but that the Prince of Conde Admiral Coligni and other noble Protestants of France interposed their jealousies of that accord with fair overtures of assistance Whereupon the Seditious keep in and engage some of the Kings Forces whom the Earl of Egmont sent on purpose to widen the difference to an irreconcilableness to provoke them upon pretence of secret Instructions they said were given to the Kings Officers to murther them at the League and turn the Provinces to an absolute Monarchy in two most bitter Letters of Francisco de Allanas the Spanish Agent in the Court of France to the Lady Governess directing the cutting off of the Kings leaders of the Sedition meaning Orange Egmont c. one by one very privately and so examplarily that the Rebellion it self may be odious to all Christendom And concluding that the Riot could not be without the Intelligence and Supports of some Great men and namely of those three that carries so good a shew meaning Orange Egmont and Horne Passages da ed Aug. 1566 which with the intimation of seizing the Marquess of Berghes and the Baron of Montigny in Spain of chusing De Alva Governour and many more sent to Egmont from his Brother Montigny then in Spain amazed the Nobility into an Assembly Oct. 3. at Duremond where the Resolutions were so high for a Defensive War and the natural way of opposing Force with Force that they break up in discontent Arm themselves seize several strong Holds and upon assurance of the Warlike Preparations in Spain Alarm the excellent Governess to Arms. CHAP. III The Hollanders War against their own Sovereign begins VAlenciens of Henault a place very Zealous for the free exercise of Religion Cambresa Haysel Mastricht and many other Towns refused the Kings Garisons till forced by a greater Power after the Decollation of the Herlins Father and Son with other Ring-leaders of the Revolt the reducing whereof staggered the Faction to humble supplications to his Majesty who by the mediation of some Princes of Germany for liberty of Conscience for which fears and jealousies upon their late defeats having divided their Leaders they offered three Millions of Florens an ostentation of their riches as the Spanish Council judged it rather than an Argument of their submission But in vain the Dutchess forbidding the Confederates any approach to her Court and attaching all Passes Forts strong Holds while the Reformers spend 6 Months in Petitions Remonstrances Replies and Protestations watching a fair opportunity to appear especially against the new Oath upon that occasion introduced which they had upon the Edict That the Confederates and all their Adherents should appear before the Governess within â—0 dayes upon pain of being declared Rebels when those that fled not to England took the Field in Troops now desperate under the Seigniour of Tholouse who hovered about Antwerp but disowned by the Prince of Orange till he was surprized at Austerweel where 1590 were slain and excluded the Town of Antwerp being it self in an uproar for two days but with so little success that the Confederacy seemed to be broken the Lord of Brederode and his followers being commanded 5 miles out of Amsterdam with a severe injunction to behave himself there so as to give the Governess or his Majesty no further cause of discontent an injunction the Burgemasters of Amsterdam took so ill that they guarded their dear Lord by Hundreds protested against the present proceedings especially when the Prince of Orange with a formidable retinue of Gentlemen retyred in discontent first to besiege his Town of Breda and then to his County of Nassau advertising the confederate Gentlemen to prepare themselves for â—light or resistance and leaving this with the Earl of Egmont who met him to take his leave at Willebrouke viz That seeing he would not resolve with him and others to stop the entry of the Duke of Alva into the Netherlands as it had been propounded in their Assembly at Druremond he should be the Bridge whereon the Spaniards would first march to plant their Tiranny in these parts With which words Brederode whose word was God save my soul and my Honour with the other Confederates retyred into forreign Parts save that a Party made Head at Vianen two or three days where they and all their Confederates were defeated Antwerp Amsterdam and all other places yeelding to Mansfield and his Walloons who Levelled their Gates and reduced them to an absolute subjection to the King of Spain and Ferdinando de Alvarez Duke of Alva not a Confederate appearing but either in Prison on the Scaffold or in Beggars habit truly Geux now so dreadful a thing it is to meddle with them that are given to change for suddain is the ruâ—ne of them both He that is of a rebellious spirit a cruel Messenger shall be sent to him And such was the Duke of Alva with 8638 Foot and 1200 Horse mustered June 2. 1567 at a place called Rhethees in Piemont between Germany France and Spain and Marched in three Squadrons into Holland where the report of them no sooner arrived than the French the Switz and the Genevians were by the Confederates allarmed to a dreadful posture of defence Especially considering that the Duke advanced his Power and his March both together improving his 8000 to 32000 men and as the Confederates gave out looked sternly on all even moderate Persons saying upon the approach of Egmont as they reported Behold that great Lutheran A word that was laid hold of to enjealous the whole Nation quartering his Souldiers round about him as one that designed that disorder a fair occasion to make the Netherlands an absolute Monarchy setting up a Council of Twelve instead of the Council of State and acting with a full power to dispose of all places Civil and Military to judge of all Cases Publick or Private no respect being had to the Priviledges Customs Lawes Jurisdictions or Appeals of that Countrey in former times which he managed so severely that Executions and Banishments swept away half the Countrey the Keys of most Towns were taken the Gates of several Cities were taken down the Earls of Egmont and Horne the most eminent subscribers of the late undutiful Petition were Imprisoned Count Charles of Mansfield and many others escaped the former Garrisons were displaced New Citadels were built whereof the most eminent at