The Spanish Period
During the Spanish period (16th and 17th century), Namur received a bishopric's seat. The Spanish king Philip II wanted to turn Namur into a catholic bastion that would function as a bulwark against the rising Calvinism. This is why Philip II required several religious orders to establish themselves in Namur. As a consequence the city got a specific catholic character. Philip II also managed to make considerable reïnforcements to the Citadel of Namur. In 1577, Philip II sent Don Juan of Austria to the Netherlands as the new governor. In Namur, Don Juan received Margaret of Valois (the sister of the French king), and organised a magnificent celebration in her honor.
Read more about this topic: County Of Namur
Famous quotes containing the words spanish and/or period:
“The Bermudas are said to have been discovered by a Spanish ship of that name which was wrecked on them.... Yet at the very first planting of them with some sixty persons, in 1612, the first governor, the same year, “built and laid the foundation of eight or nine forts.” To be ready, one would say, to entertain the first ship’s company that should be next shipwrecked on to them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Not only do our wives need support, but our children need our deep involvement in their lives. If this period [the early years] of primitive needs and primitive caretaking passes without us, it is lost forever. We can be involved in other ways, but never again on this profoundly intimate level.”
—Augustus Y. Napier (20th century)