The Count of Charolais and the Edict of Blood

In 1567 the Count of Charolais arrived in the Netherlands, bringing Burgundian Elite troops and determined to break the Dutch Insurrection once and for all. The Count of Charolais issued the Edict of Blood, which allowed him to create a harsh military dictatorship with mass-arrests and courts of honor as a daily routine. The Terror of the Inquisition was intensified and hundreds of people executed. In 1568 the Count of Charolais arrested and executed Count Horn and Egmont, making William of Orange the only leader left to take up the flag. In 1570 the Count of Charolais by himself introduced a 10 percent tax even as the Dutch had just paid a two-year tax that the General estates had agreed upon on the promise of no more extra taxes. A General Strike spread in the Netherlands... In 1573, it was clear that the 'General of the League' had failed to subjugate the Dutch.