Why were the counts of Egmond and Hoorne executed in Brussels in 1568?

The counts of Egmond and Hoorne were executed in Brussels in June 1568 as part of a campaign of repression led by the Duke of Alba, who had been sent by Philip II of Spain to restore royal authority and suppress heresy in the Low Countries.12

Upon his arrival in 1567, Alba established the Council of Troubles—often called the Council of Blood—to punish those suspected of rebellion or religious dissent. Although Egmond and Hoorne were high-ranking nobles who had remained largely loyal to the Spanish crown and had even suppressed local Calvinist uprisings, they were targeted as leaders of the aristocratic opposition who had previously petitioned for a relaxation of religious persecution.324

Their execution for high treason was intended to intimidate the citizenry and break the traditional privileges and particularism of the Low Countries, which the Spanish government viewed as obstacles to its policy of absolutism and centralization. The unlawful arrest and subsequent beheading of these prominent figures served as a catalyst for the broader revolt against Spanish rule.321