The Wars of Religion 629 the Council of Blood, for its aim was not justice but butchery. The Council Alva's administration from 1567 to 1573 was a veritable reign of terror. The Netherlands found a leader in William, Prince of Orange William of and Count of Nassau. He is a national hero whose career called the bears a striking resemblance to that of Washington. Like the ^^^3"^' ^5^^~ American patriot, he undertook the seemingly hopeless task of freeing his people from the oppressive rule of a distant king. To the Spaniards he appeared to be only an impoverished nobleman at the head of a handful of armed peasants and fisher- men, contending against the sovereign of the richest realm in the world. William had been a faithful subject of Charles V and would William the gladly have continued to serve his son after him had the iect?an°army oppression and injustice of the Spanish dominion not become intolerable. But Alva's policy convinced him that it was use- less to send any more complaints to Philip. He accordingly collected a little army in 1568 and opened the long struggle with Spain. William found his main support in the northern provinces, Differences of which Holland was the chief. The Dutch, who had very northern, generally accepted Protestant teachings, were purely German J^utch in blood, while the people of the southern provinces, who provinces adhered (as they still- do) to the- Roman Catholic faith, were southern more akin to the population of northern France. The Spanish soldiers found little trouble in defeating the William troops which William collected. Like Washington, again, he governor of" seemed to lose almost every battle and yet was never con- fe^'aland ^""^ quered. The first successes of the Dutch were gained by the 1572 mariners who captured Spanish ships and sold them in Protestant England. Encouraged by this, many of the towns in the northern provinces of Holland and Zealand ventured to choose William as their governor, although they did not throw off their allegiance to Philip. In this way these two provinces became the nucleus of the United Netherlands.
