Oldenbarneveld in his old ageby the Staff or associates of Christian History Institute.
John Oldenbarnevelt was a hero in the long struggle between the Netherlands and Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was he who convinced England and France to the side with the Dutch. He was also a firm supporter of William the Silent, the strong Dutch leader who won crucial victories against Spain.
Barnevelt in his old age.
After William was assassinated, Oldenbarnevelt threw his influence behind Maurice of Nassau to become the new Captain General of the Netherlands. The states agreed. John Oldenbarnevelt then negotiated a peace treaty with Spain by which Spain agreed to recognize the Netherlands as a separate nation for twelve years. So why did Maurice engineer a coup, arrest Oldenbarnevelt, try him for treason and execute him when he was seventy years old?
Religious and political issues were at stake. First and foremost, Oldenbarnevelt was an Arminian. Arminianism is an interpretation of Calvinism that says that our destiny is not completely fixed by God in advance. A man has some choice in whether or not he is saved, if no more than to say "yes" or "no" to God's offer of salvation. Salvation is not entirely by God's command. For years the strict Calvinists and the Arminians fought word battles over this issue.
Politics often mirrors faith. Oldenbarnevelt, champion of man's spiritual freedom, favored a freer nation and a more liberal government. He was for state's rights. The strict Calvinists preferred a centralized government and fewer state's rights.
The two positions could not be reconciled without much generosity on either side. Alarmed that the Arminian states were going to be suppressed, Oldenbarnevelt urged them to arm to defend themselves, a move Maurice viewed as treason. The Arminian states were Oldenbarnevelt's allies. It was they who had supported his peace plan when Maurice wanted to fight on.
Maurice declared himself on the side of the strict Calvinists, who were the majority in the Netherlands. Eventually the Calvinist states gave him complete authority to deal with the situation. Maurice arranged a meeting with the Arminian political leaders. As each one stepped into Maurice's apartment, he was arrested. The man Oldenbarnevelt had raised to power now had to seek his death.
Oldenbanevelt was brought to trial. The same men were both accusers and judges. Although he defended himself well, the nation's grand old statesman was found guilty of high treason. On this day, May 13, 1619, he was led to the scaffold and beheaded.
Resources:
"Arminianism." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. (Oxford, 1997).
Bangs, Carl. Arminius. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971).
Motley, John Lothrop. Life and Death of John of Barneveld. (London: John Murray, 1904).
Various encyclopedia and internet articles
Oldenbarneveld in his old ageAnd I thought it was the Calvinists that did it.