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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS
From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce—1609
By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 61
History of the United Netherlands, 1590(a)
Effect of the Assassination of Henry III.—Concentration of forces for the invasion of France—The Netherlands determine on striking a blow for freedom—Organization of a Dutch army—Stratagem to surprise the castle of Breda—Intrepidity and success of the enterprise.
The dagger of Jacques Clement had done much, and was likely to domore, to change the face of Europe. Another proof was afforded thatassassination had become a regular and recognised factor in the politicalproblems of the sixteenth century. Another illustration was exhibited ofthe importance of the individual—even although that individual was inhimself utterly despicable—to the working out of great historicalresults. It seemed that the murder of Henry III.—that forlorncaricature of kingship and of manhood—was likely to prove eminentlybeneficial to the cause of the Netherland commonwealth. Five yearsearlier, the murder of William the Silent had seemed to threaten itsvery existence.
For Philip the Prudent, now that France was deprived of a head, conceivedthat the time had arrived when he might himself assume the sovereignty ofthat kingdom. While a thing of straw, under the name of Charles X. andshape of a Cardinal Bourbon, was set up to do battle with that livingsovereign and soldier, the heretic Bearnese, the Duke of Parma wasprivately ordered to bend all his energies towards the conquest of therealm in dispute, under pretence of assisting the Holy League.
Accordingly, early in the year 1590, Alexander concentrated aconsiderable force on the French frontier in Artois and Hainault,apparently threatening Bergen-op-Zoom and other cities in South Holland,but in reality preparing to invade France. The Duke of Mayenne, who hadassumed the title of lieutenant-general of that kingdom, had alreadyvisited him at Brussels in order to arrange the plan of the campaign.
While these measures were in preparation, an opportunity was likely to beafforded to the Netherlanders of striking a blow or two for liberty andindependence; now that all the force that possibly could be spared was tobe withdrawn by their oppressors and to be used for the subjugation oftheir neighbours. The question was whether there would be a statesmanand a soldier ready to make use of this golden opportunity.
There was a statesman ripe and able who, since the death of the Taciturn,had been growing steadily in the estimation of his countrymen and whoalready was paramount in the councils of the States-General. There was asoldier, still very young, who was possessed of the strongest hereditaryclaims to the confidence and affection of the United Provinces and whohad been passing a studious youth in making himself worthy of his fatherand his country. Fortunately, too, the statesman and the soldier wereworking most harmoniously together. John of Olden-Barneveld, with hisgreat experience and vast and steady intellect, stood side by side withyoung Maurice of Nassau at this important crisis in the history of thenew c