The Dutch Revolt, c1563-1609 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

The Dutch Revolt, c1563-1609

160 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 2: the depth study, one option of sixteen
Paper 2

A Paper 2 depth study of the revolt of the Netherlands against Spain, covering the seventeen provinces and their privileges, the grievances that produced noble and Calvinist opposition, the failure of Alva and Requesens, Parma's reconquest of the south, and the emergence of the United Provinces as an independent commercial power..

It covers the Habsburg Netherlands, the situation c1563, opposition of the Dutch grandees, the impact of Calvinism, alva’s rule, orange’s failure, the role of the Sea Beggars, orange’s triumph, the failure of Requesens, 1573–76, reasons for the success of Parma, 1577-84, foreign intervention in the Netherlands, the growing independence of the northern provinces, maurice of Nassau, reasons for Spanish failures, the growing power of the United Provinces and the declining power of Spain in the Netherlands.

Sample questions from The Dutch Revolt, c1563-1609

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The Habsburg Netherlands

What were the privileges of the provinces?

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Charters guaranteeing that taxes required consent, that natives held office, and that subjects could be tried only under local law, which Philip's policies appeared to breach.
Opposition of the Dutch grandees

By what nickname were the petitioning nobles and rebels known?

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The 'Beggars' (Gueux / Geuzen).
Alva’s rule

Which hardline Spanish commander did Philip II send to the Netherlands in 1567?

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The Duke of Alva (Alba).
The role of the Sea Beggars

Why did Elizabeth expel the privateers from her harbours in 1572?

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She was seeking better relations with Spain and did not want to be accused of harbouring pirates, so she expelled them from Dover and other ports.
The failure of Requesens, 1573–76

In what year was the unpopular Alva recalled to Spain?

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1573.
Foreign intervention in the Netherlands

Who was the Duke of Anjou?

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Brother of the French king, invited in 1578 and made sovereign in 1581 under strict constitutional limits, in the hope of bringing French support against Spain.
Maurice of Nassau

Why did drill matter so much in his system?

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Constant repetition allowed complex manoeuvres and continuous fire from ranks countermarching, which gave smaller forces greater effect and discipline under pressure.
The growing power of the United Provinces

What was the Dutch East India Company?

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The VOC, chartered in 1602 as a joint-stock company with powers to make war and treaties, which broke into the Asian spice trade and became enormously profitable.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The Habsburg Netherlands	Recall questions on how the provinces came to the Habsburgs, their separate laws and States, the Joyous Entry, the grandees, and why the region mattered economically.	10
The situation c1563	Recall questions on Philip II's policy after 1559, the new bishoprics, Margaret of Parma's regency, Granvelle, and the presence of Spanish troops.	10
Opposition of the Dutch grandees	Recall questions on the alliance of Orange, Egmont and Hoorn, the Compromise of the Nobility, the name Beggars, and why noble opposition failed.	10
The impact of Calvinism	Recall questions on why Calvinism spread, Huguenot migration, hedge preaching, the Iconoclastic Fury, and how small a minority the Calvinists were.	10
Alva’s rule	Recall questions on why he replaced Margaret, the Council of Troubles, the execution of Egmont and Hoorn, and the resistance to the Tenth Penny.	10
Orange’s failure	Recall questions on his power base in the north, the invasions of 1568, the victory at Heiligerlee, why the campaign collapsed, and his religious position.	10
The role of the Sea Beggars	Recall questions on Louis of Nassau and the privateers, why Elizabeth closed her ports, the seizure of Brill, and how quickly Holland came over.	10
Orange’s triumph	Recall questions on the invasion of 1572, control of Holland and Zeeland, the Religious Peace, and the sieges of Haarlem, Alkmaar and Leiden.	10
The failure of Requesens, 1573–76	Recall questions on his attempt at conciliation, the bankruptcy of 1575, the mutinies, the Spanish Fury at Antwerp, and the Pacification of Ghent.	10
Reasons for the success of Parma, 1577-84	Recall questions on his methods, the Union of Arras, how he exploited religious division, the sieges, and the significance of Antwerp's fall.	10
Foreign intervention in the Netherlands	Recall questions on why help was sought, the Anjou experiment and the French Fury, the Treaty of Nonsuch, and why Leicester's governorship failed.	10
The growing independence of the northern provinces	Recall questions on the Union of Utrecht, the Act of Abjuration and its contractual argument, the Ban of 1580, and the assassination of Orange.	10
Maurice of Nassau	Recall questions on his military reforms and the use of drill, his siege strategy, the towns he took, Nieuwpoort, and his influence on European warfare.	10
Reasons for Spanish failures	Recall questions on distance and cost, the repeated bankruptcies, the Spanish Road, the French wars, the Armada, and the effect of mutinies.	10
The growing power of the United Provinces	Recall questions on Oldenbarnevelt, how the Republic was governed, the VOC, the rise of Amsterdam, and the financial institutions that funded the war.	10
The declining power of Spain in the Netherlands	Recall questions on the bankruptcy of 1607, the armistice, the terms of the Twelve Years' Truce, what it left unsettled, and who opposed it.	10

The Dutch Revolt, c1563-1609 is 160 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.