13 May 1619 A.D. Arminian John Barneveld Executed
13 May 1619 A.D. Arminian John Barneveld Executed
Graves, Dan. “John Barneveld
Executed.” Christianity.com. Apr
2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/john-barneveld-executed-11630068.html. Accessed 12 May 2015.
John Oldenbarnevelt was a hero in the long struggle between the
Netherlands and Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was he who
convinced England and France to the side with the Dutch. He was also a firm
supporter of William the Silent, the strong Dutch leader who won crucial
victories against Spain.
After William was assassinated, Oldenbarnevelt threw his influence
behind Maurice of Nassau to become the new Captain General of the Netherlands.
The states agreed. John Oldenbarnevelt then negotiated a peace treaty with
Spain by which Spain agreed to recognize the Netherlands as a separate nation for
twelve years. So why did Maurice engineer a coup, arrest Oldenbarnevelt, try
him for treason and execute him when he was seventy years old?
Religious and political issues were at stake. First and foremost,
Oldenbarnevelt was an Arminian. Arminianism is an interpretation of Calvinism
that says that our destiny is not completely fixed by God in advance. A man has
some choice in whether or not he is saved, if no more than to say
"yes" or "no" to God's offer of salvation. Salvation is not entirely by God's command. For
years the strict Calvinists and the Arminians fought word battles over this
issue.
Politics often mirrors faith. Oldenbarnevelt, champion of man's
spiritual freedom, favored a freer nation and a more liberal government. He was
for state's rights. The strict Calvinists preferred a centralized government
and fewer state's rights.
The two positions could not be reconciled without much generosity on
each side. The Arminian states were Oldenbarnevelt's allies. It was they who
had supported his peace plan when Maurice wanted to fight on. Alarmed that the
Calvinists appeared ready to suppress the Arminian states, Oldenbarnevelt urged
them to arm to defend themselves, a move Maurice viewed as treason.
Maurice declared himself on the side of the strict Calvinists, who were
the majority in the Netherlands. Eventually the Calvinist states gave him
complete authority to deal with the situation. Maurice arranged a meeting with
the Arminian political leaders. As each one stepped into Maurice's apartment,
he was arrested. The man whom Oldenbarnevelt had raised to power now sought his
death.
Maurice put Oldenbanevelt on trial. The same men were both accusers and
judges. Although he defended himself well, the unfair proceedure found the
nation's grand old statesman guilty of high treason. On this day, May 13, 1619,
the politicians sent Oldenbarneveldt to the scaffold where an executioner
beheaded him.
Bibliography:
"Arminianism." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
Bangs, Carl. Arminius. Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1971.
Motley, John Lothrop. Life and Death of John of Barneveld.
London: John Murray, 1904.
Various encyclopedia and internet articles
Last updated May, 2007.
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