Netherlands

In the sixteenth century, the Netherlands were a group of small principalities in northwestern Europe. They were claimed by King Philip II of Spain as part of his Empire, and the militantly Catholic Philip persecuted the Dutch Protestant majority. A rebellion against Spanish rule was led by William of Orange, involving Spain in a costly and difficult counrterinsurgency. Queen Elizabeth of England, herself a Protestant, supported the Dutch rebels, giving Philip casus belli to go to war with England. In 1588, the Spanish Armada invaded and conquered England in the prosecution of this war.