[MR] Execution of Egmont and Horn

Garth Groff and Sally Sanford mallardlodge1000 at gmail.com
Tue Jun 5 01:22:45 PDT 2018


Noble Friends,

An invitation to a friendly dinner has many times been used cover for an
arrest or assassination (we Scots have the Black Dinner, when King James II
offed the 6th Earl of Douglas and pitched his body out a window at Stirling
Castle). One of most tragic was the betrayal of Lamont, Count of Egmont and
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn (or Hoorne):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamoral,_Count_of_Egmont .

Egmont and Horn were among the most respected local rulers in the Habsburg
Netherlands and Egmont represented his country to King Phillip II of Spain.
He and Horn tried to steer a middle course despite rising religious and
nationalist tensions against Spanish Rule. Egmont was a staunch Catholic,
but was strongly opposed to the introduction of the Inquisition in the
Netherlands.

The fanatical Phillip would not brook any opposition to his policies or the
Inquisition, and sent the Duke of Alba, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo to
regain control. Alba invited Egmont and Horn to a dinner to "discuss" the
situation. They were immediately arrested, probably without even getting to
the *hors d'oeuvres*. Condemned as heretics for opposing the Inquisition,
both men were beheaded on 5 June 1568 in Brussles.

The deaths of these two popular leaders cemented opposition to Spanish
rule, sparking the Eighty Years War (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighty_Years%27_War ) which eventually
brought independence to the Dutch portion of the Netherlands.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆


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