80 Years of War

Episode Synopsis

Catholic or Protestant, that is the question during the Eighty Years' War. Although William of Orange has the idea that he can unite both parties. And that seems to work for a while with a treaty in which the various believers join forces to march together against the Spanish monarch. The motto is: tolerance. But that fraternization doesn't last long. In Ghent, fanatical Protestants seize power, with the Catholics having to pay the price. Amsterdam, which remained Roman Catholic for a relatively long time, succumbed to the Protestants in 1578. And that has resulted in an enormous stream of Catholic refugees, including the mayor who is seeking refuge in Kalkar, Germany. Living together in peace turns out to be more difficult than expected. And then in 1584 William of Orange is murdered, of course by a fanatical Catholic.