How did the Geuzen gain control of towns in Holland and Zeeland after taking Brielle?

After the Geuzen (Sea Beggars) captured the port of Brielle on April 1, 1572, their success acted as a catalyst for a widespread popular uprising across Holland and Zeeland.21

The Geuzen gained control of towns primarily through the support of local Calvinists, who functioned as a radical minority within these communities. This group was instrumental in forcing more conservative town magistrates to either cooperate with the rebels or resign their positions. As a result of this pressure, most towns in the region declared their support for the Prince of Orange, effectively shifting local governance to the rebel cause.12

Following these takeovers, the Calvinists often secured the use of principal town churches for their services, closed monasteries, and eventually prohibited Roman Catholic worship. By July 1572, the provincial States of Holland met at Dordrecht to formalize this new political reality, recognizing the Prince of Orange as their stadtholder and assuming an active role in the government of the rebelling provinces.12