The Counter-Reformation in the Netherlands

By way of introduction to this Thesis I would like to retell the story of the funeral services for Charles V in Brussels. On December.29, 1558 the procession of three thousand monks, priests, nobles, and bishops passed through the streets of Brussels. There were banners, flags, and floats representing the emperor's achievements. Also the quiet symbol of departed power, twenty-four riderless horses bearing the arms of a kingdom or a duchy over which the dead man had reigned.