Truce With Spain
The opening of negotiations by Albert and Isabel in 1606 for a peace or long truce led to a great division of opinion in the Netherlands.
The archdukes having consented to treat with the United Provinces as free provinces and states over which they had no pretensions, Oldenbarnevelt, who had with him the States of Holland and the majority of the Regenten patriciate throughout the county, was for peace, provided that liberty of trading was conceded.
Maurice and his cousin William Louis, stadholder of Friesland, with the military and naval leaders and the Calvinist clergy, were opposed to it, on the ground that the Spanish king was merely seeking a repose to recuperate his strength for a renewed attack on the independence of the Netherlands.
For some three years the negotiations went on, but at last after endless parleying, on 9 April 1609, a truce for twelve years was concluded. All the Dutch demands were directly or indirectly granted, and Maurice felt obliged to give a reluctant and somewhat sullen assent to the favorable conditions obtained by the firm and skillful diplomacy of the Advocate.
Read more about this topic: Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt
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