OTL, Willem of Nassau (a.k.a. William the Silent) took off out of Brussels in 1568 and urged his friend, Lamoral, Count of Egmond, to do the same. Egmont refused, and, alongside the Count van Hoorne, was arrested by order of Felipe II, and later executed (despite pleas for amnesty for both Egmont and Hoorne from all corners). Felipe refused and the Council of Blood (the nickname the Council of Troubles acquired for its ruthless manner of dealing with those brought before it, IIRC) had both executed. This led to a public outcry in the Netherlands, and Felipe's actions essentially threw a lit match into a powder keg.
Some context:
before execution, Egmond was a major landowner in the Netherlands, as well as stadtholder of Flanders and Artois.
When he died, that title (foremost landowner) devolved to Willem the Silent. Which meant that while Wim might've been put-out by his friend's execution, he
did benefit directly from the situation (since most of Egmond's property was confiscated to the bishop of Liège).
So, what if Egmond decides to either listen to Willem of Nassau's advice to get the Hell out of dodge in 1568? Or even if he doesn't do
that he somehow escapes capture (Egmond seems like an inherently noble character, so I don't think he would escape
after jail, since he'd probably regard that as making him look guilty) - perhaps to his brother-in-law's court in Heidelberg?
@pompejus @Janprimus @Parma @Vitruvius @HJ Tulp @anyone else knowledgeable about Dutch history