OTL Questions: Dutch Revolt

Hey Guys,

I'm doing an essay on what the Dutch may've wanted to have achieved from the Dutch Revolt, I've gone on, at length, about the religious reasons of getting religious freedom for the Calvinists etc.

However now I'm looking at centralisation of the Low Countries in the Empire and I'm looking at the issue of taxation. I was hoping someone may have examples of how Philip II had tried to centralise the Netherlands as well as any information on the level of taxation he imposed on the Dutch. My lecturer said it was 80% but I can't find any numbers, so any help would be appreciated.

Also if you could include any references that'd be great!
 
Hey Guys,

I'm doing an essay on what the Dutch may've wanted to have achieved from the Dutch Revolt, I've gone on, at length, about the religious reasons of getting religious freedom for the Calvinists etc.

However now I'm looking at centralisation of the Low Countries in the Empire and I'm looking at the issue of taxation. I was hoping someone may have examples of how Philip II had tried to centralise the Netherlands as well as any information on the level of taxation he imposed on the Dutch. My lecturer said it was 80% but I can't find any numbers, so any help would be appreciated.

Also if you could include any references that'd be great!

I've got a huge book on the history of the republic here at the base, i'll check it tonight for you in the relevant chapters. But the 80% could be close, but as I said it i'll have to check it.
 
the revolt was primerilly about maintaining the age old medieval traditions and rights of the cities and the provinces. Philips II started a centralisation policy that removed more and more rights from the provinces and the cities. They did not like it.

Furthermore the Netherlands at the time was based on trade, as it still is now. And to have trade, people need to be liberal. Then when the IJzeren Hertog Alva came he started to suppress freedom and there for trade. All in all the Netherlands fought to maintain their medieval traditions and later on their faith.

An interesting thing though is that conversions away from Catholicism started after Philips II turned into a tyrant and because John Calvin preached that one should be allowed to dispose of one's King if he was no longer a King but a Tyrant.
 
I concur with Vnix. Those medieval traditions included a sort-of common-law agreement about the separation of power between the Lord and the Estates; the Lord (Burgundian, later Hapsburg) would not meddle with local affairs and the Estates would deliver their taxes, which were rather slight. Philip II ignored that and wanted the same policy of control and taxation in the Netherlands as was done in Spain. Indeed, under Philip II's rule, Spain was also subjugated to a more unified rule, and many of the tax measures forced upon the Dutch were 'imported' from Spain.

I'm interested in your use of the word 'Empire' here, NordicBrit. I take it you are referring to the Spanish realm?
 
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ah damn it, ninja'd, the posters above have the truth of it. Wasn't able to find any solid numbers on taxation however, the heavy taxation was merely a result of the increasing centralisation and the Habsburg-France rivalry.

The religious tensions were adding even more fuel to the fire of discontent. and when the duke of Alva arrived the situation escalated even further.
 
ah damn it, ninja'd, the posters above have the truth of it. Wasn't able to find any solid numbers on taxation however, the heavy taxation was merely a result of the increasing centralisation and the Habsburg-France rivalry.

I believe the taxation was 10%. At least I can remember a libertrian complain that we revolted against Spain when they introduced a 10% tax, while we now accept a 50% tax.
 
the tax was the "Tiende Penning" which was added on top of the already existing taxes. These taxes were forced by the central government from Brussels.
 
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