Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga
Biography
Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga was born at
His early career was that of a government official and
In 1572 Philip named him
In 1573 he was called by Philip II to succeed the
He was rather moderate in comparison to Alba, requesting Philip to grant a general amnesty to all, with the exception of persistent heretics, and to permit the emigration of those who would not comply.
The king wished to pursue a more conciliatory policy, without, however, yielding any one of the points in dispute between himself and the revolting Dutch. His situation was aggravated by the empty Spanish treasury. Requesens came to Brussels on 17 November 1573 and launched a new military campaign. In February 1574 the rebels had conquered the port of Middelburg, but Requesens's army obtained a victory against the troops of Louis of Nassau at the Battle of Mookerheyde, during which William the Silent's two brothers died.
However, at this point the money for funding his troops was exhausted; Requesens had to find an agreement with William the Silent, the leader of the Flemish opposition, with the mediation of the Emperor Maximilian II. The negotiations were held in Breda. Requesens declared himself ready to remove his troops from Flanders, but in exchange Catholicism was to be the only religion accepted. However, by now Protestantism had gained deep roots in the Netherlands, and therefore the proposal was rebuffed by the Dutch. Requesens restarted the military campaign and his troops occupied much of Zeeland, but when Philip II stopped payment to the Flemish troops, they mutinied and military operations were halted for one year.
Requesens died suddenly at Brussels in 1576, to be replaced in the now totally chaotic Netherlands by John of Austria, half-brother of King Philip II of Spain. His body was brought to Barcelona and buried in his family palace.
See also
References
- ^ "Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga". Britannica. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 180. .