Page "Eighty Years' War" Paragraph 60

Oldenbarnevelt supported Grotius in this policy ( though it could be seen as an assault on the autonomy of the Public Church ) and together they managed to drive the placard through in 1614 against opposition from many sides.

Initially, and superficially, the policy seemed to work, but eventually it ended in the ruin of the Oldenbarnevelt regime.

This was due to the following factors.

First, Oldenbarnevelt failed in maintaining unity on his policy in the States of Holland ( Amsterdam opposed him ), and thereby weakened the hegemonic position of Holland in the Republic as a whole.

Secondly, though the States put their thumb in the scales in favor of the Remonstrants with this policy ( as those, being a minority, were in danger of being driven out of the public church ), the Counter-Remonstrants maintained their strength among dominees and schoolmasters, and so indirectly among the common people.

Finally, the social unrest as a consequence of deteriorating economic circumstances for the staunchly " strict " Calvinist ex-Flemish laborers ( who opted en masse for the Counter-Remonstrants ) destabilized the State in 1617 – 18.