Eighty Years' War

The revolt of the Low Countries against Habsburg Spain, fought from 1568 to 1648 and ending with Spanish recognition of the Dutch Republic at the Peace of Münster.

Dutch Revolt: The political and religious uprising in the Low Countries against Habsburg rule during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The war grew from this broader revolt, whose origins preceded its conventional starting date.
Habsburg Netherlands: The collection of Low Countries territories ruled by the Habsburg dynasty before the Dutch Republic emerged. These provinces formed the political setting for the revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule.
William the Silent: The prince of Orange who led the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule until his assassination in 1584. He organized provincial resistance and became its most influential early leader.
Dutch Republic: The independent confederation of northern Netherlands provinces that existed from the late sixteenth century until 1795. It emerged from the revolt and received formal recognition at the war's end.
Spanish Fury: The 1576 sack of Antwerp by mutinous Spanish troops in the Low Countries. The sack intensified opposition to Spanish rule and helped prompt the Pacification of Ghent.
Philip II of Spain: King of Spain from 1556 to 1598 and ruler of the Habsburg Netherlands when the revolt began. His efforts to enforce royal authority and Catholic uniformity intensified provincial opposition.
Duke of Alba: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, the Spanish commander and governor sent to suppress the revolt in 1567. His harsh campaign of repression widened the conflict he was sent to end.
Spanish Netherlands: The southern Low Countries territories that remained under Spanish Habsburg rule after the Dutch Republic separated. The peace confirmed the division between the independent north and Spanish-ruled south.
Pacification of Ghent: The 1576 agreement by provinces of the Low Countries to expel Spanish troops and cooperate against persecution. It briefly united northern and southern provinces against Spanish military authority.
Margaret of Parma: The Habsburg governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and a half-sister of Philip II. Her regency faced the early unrest that preceded open rebellion.

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