ping
Some points that the author of the article has forgotten:
1) Many habitants of the Low Countries - and the German Empire - were Protestants as a way of establishing their independence from the German Emperor (whose official title was Holy Roman Emperor): that is, the problem was political -for power- not religion.
2) Unwillingly by the Spanish Catholic kings, the Spanish crown happened to be inherited by the German Emperor Charles V, born in “Ghent”.
3) German Emperor and Spanish King Charles V -a german- came from the first time to Spain when he was 18. In the terms the Castillian parliament established to him to become king, he was ordered to learn Spanish and to stop appointing foreigners to posts in Spain.
4) After facing two revolts, he fell in love with Spain, and soon made it the center of his territories. Nevertheless, before dying, he made swear his son Phillip II to preserve the Catholic faith in his birth-land.
5) The Low Countries were by then the manufacturing area of the extensive Spanish territories in Europe and America: they got huge economic privileges, in some cases monopolies on some products. That avoided the growth of the industry in Spain.
6) In spite of getting those privileges, they refused to contribute not just to their self defence. Any attempt in that direction was tackled by revolt against the “oppressors”.
7) Although bloody, the actions of the Duke of Alba were easily surpassed by many other massacres during the so-called wars of religion. Tens of thousands starved in Paris during sieges, and aroung 10,000 Huguenots were killed in France in a few hours.