An additional key aspect to consider while discussing the revolt in the Netherlands is the amount of time it took. The revolt is often referred to as the Eighty Years War. Wars during the early modern Europe always came down to money; whoever had the most money usually was victorious. In the case of the war in the Low Countries, the Dutch economy was prospering while the government of S

The previously mentioned aspect of Philip's disconnection with his subjects in the Low Countries deserves brief attention. He visited the Netherlands in 1555 and was to never return. Although it might seem menial to the average person, it influenced his subjects greatly. They were suffering from political, religious, economic and social oppression at the hands of a King who was never in sight. It is not that the Dutch rebels would not have revolted if the King's palace was in Holland, but if they were able to link their hardships with a face the revolts might have been able to be prevented or their severity lessened (Harrison 219).

In Philip's defense, he did eventually realize that he was in dire need for money. He told his closet councilors that:

It all began when Philip Habsburg inherited the Low Countries from his father Charles V in 1555. He alienated his subjects and lost control of his territories by the 1560's. He alienated his Dutch subjects in five different ways: first, he demanded extreme and heavy taxes; secondly, he visited the provinces in 1559 and was to never re-enter the Low Countries; thirdly, he put into power the hated Archbishop Granvelle; fourthly, he started an unpopular program of ecclesiastical reform; and finally, he demanded the enforcement of strict heresy laws by the Inquisition in the Netherlands. Through all these incidents Philip dug his own grave in the Low Countries. He alienated himself from his people, as well as outraged them (Adams 3). Responses to these forms of alienation were immediate, and through the leadership of William of Orange, the Dutch were able to remove Granvelle and the ecclesiastical reforms were temporarily ended. However, an example of Philip's poor decision making abilities came into play when he still insisted on religious conformity. He was a staunch Catholic, although he did not see eye to eye with the Pope, and would fight to the death in order for the Netherlands to be a Catholic state. Because of this poor judgment on his behalf, the Calvinist middle class in the Low Countries participated in the Iconoclastic Fury. Calvinists entered into Catholic churches and massively destroyed church property such as paintings and stained glass windows (Darby3). In response, Philip actually made a great decision in sending in Alva to crush the rebels with physical force. The result of the Iconoclastic Fury was the disenfranchisement of many of the Dutch moderates, leading them to join sides with the Calvinists. Philip saw this vulnerability and sent in Alva to crush the rebels when he had the chance (Parker 210).

One of Philip's first major mistakes was putting Dutch printing under the scrutiny of the Spanish Inquisition. Records show that over four hundred different book titles were burnt and outlawed by the Inquisition. Books by Protestant supporters such as Martin Luther were outlawed, although a few versions of his works were still in circulation. The Spanish Inquisition sentenced people to death for heresy, which involved practicing any religion that deviated from traditional Catholicism (Parker 36). A linked aspect of Philip's poor judgment involved his appointments of church offices, which outraged Dutch citizens. He set up archbishops in different regions of the Dutch provinces, regardless to previous or current leadership and religious beliefs in the particular area.

For the most part Philip believed that he was successful in neutralizing his European enemies for the time being. He did however fear that this was only temporary, and that the favorable international situation might not last. He greatly feared that the Turks would attack Italy, and that the French would unite to stop Spanish interests in England (Geyl 296).

"Finding money is so important that all of us must concentrate only on that and on nothing else, because whatever victories we may win, I do not know what will come of them without money, unless God provides us wit

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Approximate Word count = 2937
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)