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Who were the Gueux, or Beggars, in the Netherlands revolt?

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Portrait of William I, Prince of Orange, by Adriaen Thomasz Key. He wears a dark embroidered coat, a white ruff collar, and a black cap, with a trimmed beard and mustache. — William I Portrait of William I, oil on panel by Adriaen Thomaszoon Key, c. 1579; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

The Gueux, or Beggars, were a confederation of lesser nobles and gentlemen in the Netherlands who emerged in the 1560s as a primary opposition force against Spanish rule.12

The term was initially applied derisively to a group of nobles who petitioned Margaret of Parma in 1566 to relax religious persecution against Protestants. The nobles, led by Hendrik van Brederode, embraced the label as a badge of honor. While the great lords, including William I, Prince of Orange, initially kept their distance, they sympathized with the movement's opposition to the strict religious policies of King Philip II.12

Following the arrival of the duque de Alba in 1567, many dissidents fled abroad. These exiles returned to form guerrilla and privateering forces—often called Sea Beggars—that became the primary military resistance against Spain until 1576. Composed of common Calvinist troops led by noble commanders, they successfully secured the maritime provinces of Holland and Zeeland.13