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King Charles’ son Philip lived in the Netherlands, overseeing his father’s interests and trying to maintain Spanish authority. The local aristocracy got along well with him, but when Philip became King Philip II in 1559, that amity began to wane. Philip came to believe that Protestants just could not be loyal subjects, and his increased taxes on Dutch cities certainly provoked disloyalty. Believing the Church to be the most secure avenue of wealth and popular control, Philip began distancing himself from the Dutch aristocracy while creating a stronger Church hierarchy in the Netherlands. When Dutch Protestants forced Philip’s regent (his half-sister Margaret of Anjou) to ease the laws against “heresy,” Philip responded by sending in the duke of Alba to restore control. Between 1567 and 1572 Alba crushed revolts and executed leaders, but could not convince the population to accept absolute Spanish authority and the resulting high taxes.

Alba raised an army of 30,000 men, but they were primarily German mercenaries, who also served as the bulk of William of Orange’s army. With deeper pockets (at least for the time being), Alba waited until William’s hirelings left him for want of pay. Alba then began taking a series of fortresses necessary to exercise control over the Netherlands. He continued to build his army until it reached 80,000, but that proved too expensive for Philip to maintain. When Alba’s army took Antwerp in 1575, the unpaid mercenaries pillaged the city (the “Spanish Fury”), leaving some 8,000 dead in their wake.

Philip replaced Alba with his nephew Alessandro Farnese, the duke of Parma. With increased silver reserves coming in from the western hemisphere, Parma had fewer financial worries, but the Dutch proved difficult enemies. In 1584 William of Orange was assassinated, and Parma began a major offensive hoping to take advantage of the loss of that stubborn leader. He besieged Ghent, Brussels, and Mechlin, but the key to controlling the southern Dutch states was Antwerp.

After the Siege of Antwerp :
Parma had a habit of treating defeated cities generously, and Antwerp was no exception. The peace terms called for a return to loyalty to King Philip and the reestablishment of the Catholic faith. Protestants were allowed four years to remove themselves. No Spanish garrison was stationed there, but the citadel was destroyed, to be rebuilt upon the total conquest of the Netherlands. Antwerp’s fall gave Spain control over all the southern Dutch states, which had been heavily Catholic anyway (with some exceptions, like Antwerp). This region became the basis of the modern nation of Belgium, while the northern states ultimately formed the nation of Holland. Many in the region and throughout Europe expected Parma’s ultimate conquest would be completed. It did not happen. The northern states strengthened their hold on the rest of the country’s rivers, and Parma could not force his way across them. Further, the Dutch navy (after the Spanish Armada’s defeat at English hands in 1588) controlled the coastal waters. “The town which Parma, thanks to his indomitable spirit, his military genius, and his knowledge of human nature, had succeeded in conquering, now withered, as it were, beneath his hand” (Geyl, The Revolt of the Netherlands, pp. 200–201).

By the end of the four-year grace period Parma allowed the Protestants, almost all of them had left for the northern states. Primarily merchants, they left when the blockade strangled the city’s trade, as well as to exercise their own religion. Antwerp’s loss proved Holland’s gain. “The peace and order which Parma gave to [the states of] Flanders and Brabant very much resembled the stiffening of death. On the other hand all the best vital forces of the Netherlands people drew together in the small area north of the rivers” (Geyl, The Revolt of the Netherlands, p. 201). Source :[link]

England aph, Spain aph, Egypt aph & Netherlands aph belonged to Himaruya H.
Spice Islands is Maluku Islands in Indonesia.
Indonesia aph, Malaysia aph & Portugal aph based on Himaruya's sketch. ([link])
Timor Leste OC by
Phillippines OC by
Brunei Darussalam OC by
Scotland aph & Luxembourg aph from Hetawiki : [link]