Eighty Years’ War

The history of the Netherlands’ fight for independence from the Spanish Empire.

During the 16th century, The Netherlands was in turmoil.

The 17 independent States were ruled by the Lord of the Netherlands, King Felipe II of Spain. During his inauguration, Felipe had sworn to uphold each of the States’ constitutions, but he hadn’t.

Felipe had appointed Spanish scholars to local and state governments, undermining the Dutch Nobility. And the King had sent Spanish bishops to the Netherlands to hunt down and convict Protestants to be burnt at the stake as heretics.

The Dutch were very angry about this. After an illegal Protestant sermon, a small group of believers broke into a monastery and destroyed the much-hated statues and other objects used in a Roman Catholic service.

The brutal rebellion spread throughout the Low Countries and many churches were destroyed. It gave rise to a war for independence that would last eighty years.

For sources, click here.

For Music, click here.

The series has 17 episodes, released in three parts. Part II is now available on YouTube.

Part III will start airing in the Summer of 2022.

Part I: 1544 – 1584

Part II : 1584 – 1600

Part III: 1600 – 1648 (Currently airing)