The Low Countries

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Discussion Topics

What was the political geography of the revolt?
Which provinces broke away to form the United Netherlands? Which remained under Spanish control? Why were some able to break away and others not?
What was the religious geography of the revolt?
What were the important religious factions involved in the Dutch Revolt? Make sure to consider all sides and factions.
What role did physical geography play in the revolt?
Sure, the flooding trick, but there's more to discuss here than only that.
Compare Jensen's treatment of the Revolt with Tracy's treatment. Then go find someone else's account and see if you can find another perspective. Probably the most important historian to consider is Pieter Geyl.
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The Netherlands under Charles V

Immensely rich, reliant upon trade, the Netherlands always pressed Charles for peace, but he saw them as vital income. A significant part of the nobility resented Charles' autocratic ways, and rebellion broke out in the 1520s, led by Charles of Egmont. Egmont's marshal was Maarten von Rossem, whose tactics earned him the nickname "Black Martin". Egmont was duke of Guelders. He fought until his death in 1538. He was succeeded by William of Clevs. Charles V was able to defeat William in 1543 and to annex Guelders.

Royal proposals in the Netherlands had to be reviewed by the provinces and towns. Charles systematically tried to remove those towns from the process. When Brussels rebelled in 1528, he revoked its right of review.He did the same with Ghent after a rebellion there in 1540. He also installed patrician governments in place of democratic ones, where he could. Despite this, the Netherlands enjoyed the right of redress of grievances before any discussion of financial requests. This was, they never tired of pointing out, in sharp contrast to conditions in France.