Martyrs of Gorcum
| The Martyrs of Gorkum | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Born | 16th century |
| Died | 9 July 1572, Brielle, County of Holland, Holy Roman Empire |
| Martyred by | The Watergeuzen |
| Means of martyrdom | hanging |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church (Netherlands and the Order of Friars Minor) |
| Beatified | 14 November 1675, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Clement X |
| Canonized | 29 June 1867, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Pius IX |
| Major shrine | Church of St. Nicholas, Brussels, Belgium |
| Feast | 9 July |
| Notable martyrs | Nicholas Pieck; Hieronymus of Weert; Theodorus van der Eem; Nicasius Janssen; Willehad of Denmark; Godefried of Mervel; Antonius of Weert; Antonius of Hoornaer; Franciseus de Roye of Brussels; Godefried van Duynsen of Gorkum, Joannes van Hoornaer, Jacobus Lacops of Oudenaar, Adrianus Janssen of Hilvarenbeek, Andreas Wouters of Heynoord and Joannes Lenartz of Oisterwijk |
The Martyrs of Gorkum (Dutch: Martelaren van Gorcum) were a group of 19 Dutch Catholic clerics and friars who were hanged on 9 July 1572 in the town of Brielle (or Den Briel) by militant Dutch Calvinists during the 16th century religious wars - specifically, the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule, which developed into the Eighty Years' War.
In the first half of the Sixteenth Century, various forms of Protestantism - particularly, Lutheranism and Calvinism - were spreading through a great part of Europe. In the Low Countries, then under the rule of staunchly Catholic Spain, Emperor Charles V and his son King Philip II instituted a systematic campaign to root out such "heresies", including the introduction of the Inquisition and the public execution of Protestants. This caused much bitterness and hatred towards the Catholic Church.
As of 1572, the Netherlands were in a situation of open revolt against Spanish rule, while in the internal rivalry among the Protestant denominations, Calvinism was victorious over Lutheranism. On 1 April of the next year, Calvinist forces and a rebel group called the Watergeuzen (Sea Beggars) captured Brielle (Den Briel) and later Vlissingen (Flushing).
In June, Dordrecht and Gorkum fell, and at the latter the rebels captured nine Franciscans: Nicholas Pieck, guardian of Gorkum; Hieronymus of Weert, vicar; Theodorus van der Eem of Amersfoort; Nicasius Janssen of Heeze; Willehad of Denmark; Godefried of Mervel; Antonius of Weert; Antonius of Hoornaer, and Franciscus de Roye of Brussels. To these were added two lay brothers from the same friary, Petrus of Assche and Cornelius of Wijk bij Duurstede. At almost the same time the Calvinists arrested the parish priest of Gorkum, Leonardus Vechel of 's-Hertogenbosch, and his assistant.
...
Wikipedia