iRock said:
What the .. watergeuzen were the guys who defeated us, right?
Eh, no? Watergeuzen were those that followed the original Gueux (the ones that presented the
Smeekschrift) and fled to the waters when Margaretha of Parma took control more tightly, because she didn't want Alva to take over. They began pirating Spanish and pro-spanish (or rather, Habsburg) vessels and sold the goods in British ports.
When eventually the British queen of that time decided the watergeuzen were no longer welcome in her ports because she wanted to improve her relationship with Filips II they Geuzen ran out of supplies. In desperation, they raided den Briel for food, but they more or less accidently took complete control of it with support of the citizenry. They then decided to give it to William (of Orange). And that's kinda the starting point where Spain started losing control.