THE REIGN OF THE ARCHDUKE ALBERT AND ISABELLA (1598-1633)
Finally, convinced after a long and painful experience that peace was
to be restored to Belgium only by new means and other methods than
those heretofore employed, and that by waging war he would not be able
to win back the northern provinces, Philip II tried another plan. He
thought that by giving national sovereigns to the Catholic provinces
he might induce the Protestants of Holland to return to their former
allegiance and thus restore the lost unity of the Netherlands. In 1598
he decided, shortly before his death, that the Netherlands should be
erected into an independent state, whose crown he gave to his daughter
Isabella, after she had married Archduke Albert of Austria. If she and
her consort should have no children, the Belgian provinces were to
return to Spain. This was an important decision, although nobody in
Europe believed in the real independence of Belgium. The country was
practically under Spanish influence. But autonomy, at least, existed.
Strange to say, the satisfaction felt by the Belgians was at first
mingled with some disappointment. As Albert and Isabella were obliged,
as sovereigns of “the Netherlands,” to continue the war against the
northern provinces in order to unite them with those in the south
already under their power, the Belgians feared that they would be
charged with the heavy burden of war, and this time without the aid
of the Spanish finances and of the Spanish army. But Philip II had
foreseen the difficulty. He sent the famous general Spinola to their
assistance, with an army of excellent Spanish troops.
At first Archduke Albert initiated negotiations with the United
Provinces, but his proposals were received with contempt. He was
forced to make war. A bloody battle was fought at Nieuport, where the
Archduke courageously led his troops against the Dutch under Maurice
of Nassau. Although not victorious, Albert decided to besiege Ostend,
the only Belgian city left in the hands of the rebels. The siege of
Ostend lasted three years, from 1601 to 1604. On both sides deeds of
heroism were numerous. Three rings of fortifications had to be taken
and every trench was stormed at the cost of many lives. At length
Ostend, continuously battered by artillery, could no longer resist the
energetic assaults of the soldiers of Spinola. It surrendered, but only
its ruins were left in the hands of the victor.
After the fall of Ostend, the Archduke, wishing to put an end to this
war of exhaustion, again opened negotiations with the United Provinces,
and succeeded in concluding a truce for twelve years (1609-21). During
that time Albert and Isabella did their best to heal the wounds of
their people. Their reign was one of peace and of reconstruction.
The sovereign power was even stronger than before the crisis of the
sixteenth century. No revolt troubled the happy years of the Archduke’s
rule. National institutions were not disturbed, the re-establishment
of order was attempted by law rather than by force. In 1611 a meeting
of magistrates and lawyers was called in order to codify the judicial
provisions and to inaugurate a reform of civil and criminal law. The
fruit of that attempt was the _Édit perpétuel_, a judicial monument of
great importance. At the same time the old customs, the unwritten law
of the Belgian principalities and cities, were reduced to writing and
published in definite form by order of the sovereign.
In addition to the respect they manifested for the customs of the
country, Albert and Isabella showed the utmost interest in the
restoration of every kind of social activity. Zealous for the welfare
of Catholicism, they undertook to restore the religious life of the
country. Three hundred churches and convents were rebuilt or founded.
The religious orders of the Jesuits, the Carmelites, etc., found in
the sovereigns hearty and generous protectors. The lost treasures
of the churches had to be replaced, and the restoration of worship
brought about the revival of the goldsmith’s art and of painting. The
Flemish school of painting again became as famous as in the time of
the Burgundian dukes. The head of this school was Peter Paul Rubens;
and among his pupils he counted artists like Van Dyck, Teniers,
and Jordaens. Public education was encouraged and many colleges
and academies were opened for the teaching of Greek and Latin. The
University of Louvain was accorded special protection. In 1607 Drusius,
abbot of the abbey of Parc, near Louvain, and Van Craesbeke, councilor
of Brabant, were appointed to inspect the University. Another delegate,
the Nuncio Caraffa, was sent by the Pope. The system of “visitation,”
as it was called, lasted, with interruptions, till 1617, when a
complete scheme of regulations was enacted. The jurisdiction of the
academic authorities, the privileges of the University, the interests
of teaching and of the various colleges, the rights and duties of
professors, the granting of degrees, the discipline and conduct of the
students--everything was carefully dealt with. The visitation of 1617
established the authority of the University of Louvain and gave it a
legal status.
The excellent results of the new rules were immediately apparent.
At this time seven or eight thousand students, among them Dutchmen,
Frisians, Flemings, Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, and Italians, were
in attendance at the University. The faculty of law became especially
notable, and professors such as Peckius, Coursèle, Tulden, Perez, and
Gudelin were regarded as eminent authorities. In letters the humanists
Justus Lipsius and Erycius Puteanus, Valerius Andreas and Nicholas
Vernuleus were famous. Albert and Isabella showed clearly their lively
interest in the institution by attending one of the lectures of Justus
Lipsius.
Although artistic, literary, and scientific interests flourished
during the reign of Albert and Isabella, the trade and industry of
Belgium enjoyed no such revival. Antwerp was closed and had no access
to the sea, as the Dutch blocked the Scheldt, and all commerce with
the colonies of the New World was forbidden to the people of Belgium
by Spain. Moreover, the peace and safety necessary to the development
of trade were continually threatened by France in the south and by the
United Provinces in the north.
The private life of Albert and Isabelle was modest and simple. Their
court at Brussels was an example of morality and seriousness, although
they were not given over to bigotry. Isabella was a cheerful princess;
she liked to mingle sometimes with the people and to take part in
their rejoicings and their sports. Both sovereigns were very popular.
Sorrow filled the souls of the Belgians when the Archduke died in
1621, without issue. According to the testament of Philip II, Belgium
was held obliged to return to Spanish rule. Indeed, Spain immediately
took possession of the country and, although Isabella remained at
Brussels, she was no longer a sovereign, but a simple regent in the
name of the King. When she died in 1633, the universal mourning in town
and country proved how well she had succeeded in winning the sympathy
of the Belgians.[16]