A 1577 agreement granting Haarlem's Catholics equal rights with Protestants in exchange for loyalty to Willem the Silent over Philip II of Spain.
Key Facts
- Treaty signed
- 1577
- Signing location
- Veere, Netherlands
- Sealed by
- Godfried van Mierlo
- Spanish occupation endured
- 5 years (since 1572 siege)
- Treaty breached
- 29 May 1578 (Haarlemse Noon)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Haarlem had surrendered to Spanish forces after the Siege of Haarlem in 1572 and endured five years of Spanish occupation. Willem the Silent sought to consolidate loyalty among towns under his rule, offering religious concessions to draw Catholic communities away from Philip II of Spain.
Godfried van Mierlo sealed the Satisfactie van Haarlem at Veere in 1577, one of multiple treaties by which Willem the Silent secured town allegiances. The agreement pledged that Haarlem's Roman Catholics would transfer loyalty to Willem rather than Philip II, in return for retaining the same rights as Protestants.
The treaty held for roughly a year before the Haarlemse Noon on 29 May 1578, when Roman Catholicism was disrupted and outlawed in Haarlem, directly breaching the terms of the agreement and ending the promised religious parity for Catholics.
Political Outcome
Haarlem's Catholics pledged loyalty to Willem the Silent over Philip II of Spain in exchange for equal rights with Protestants; the treaty was breached in 1578 by the Haarlemse Noon.
Haarlem under nominal Spanish authority (Philip II) following 1572 siege
Haarlem's Catholics formally aligned with Willem the Silent's rule