Geuzen Geuzen ( French : Les Gueux , English : the Beggars ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles and other malcontents , who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands . The most successful group of them operated at sea , and so were called Watergeuzen ( French : " Gueux de mer " , English : Sea Beggars ) . In the Eighty Years ' War , the Capture of Brielle by the Watergeuzen in 1572 provided the first foothold on land for the rebels , who would conquer the northern Netherlands and establish an independent Dutch Republic . They can be considered either as privateer s or pirates , depending on the circumstances or motivations . Origin of the name . The leaders of the nobles who signed a solemn league known as the Compromise of Nobles , by which they bound themselves to assist in defending the rights and liberties of the Netherlands against the civil and religious despotism of Philip II of Spain were Louis , Count of Nassau , and Henry , Count of Bréderode . On April 5 , 1566 permission was obtained for the confederates to present a petition of grievances , called the Request , to the regent , Margaret , Duchess of Parma . About 250 nobles marched to the palace accompanied by Louis of Nassau and Bréderode . The regent was at first alarmed at the appearance of so large a body , but one of her councillors , Berlaymont , was heard to exclaim , " What , madam , is your highness afraid of these beggars ( " ces gueux " ) ? " The appellation was not forgotten . At a great feast held by some 300 confederates at the Hotel Culemburg three days later , Bréderode in a speech declared that if need be they were all ready to become beggars in their country ' s cause . The name became henceforward a party title . The patriot party adopted the emblems of beggarhood , the wallet and the bowl , as trinkets to be worn on their hats or their girdles , and a medal was struck having on one side the head of Philip II , on the other two clasped hands with the motto " Fidèle au roy , jusqu ' à porter la besace " ( " Loyal to the King , up to carrying the beggar ' s pouch " ) . The original league of Beggars was short - lived , crushed by Alva , but its principles survived and were to be ultimately triumphant . In the Dutch language the word " geuzennaam " is used for linguistic reappropriation : a pejorative term used with pride by the people called that way . Sea Beggars . In 1569 William of Orange , who had now openly placed himself at the head of the party of revolt , granted letters of marque to a number of vessels manned by crews of desperadoes drawn from all nationalities . Eighteen ships received letters of marque , which were equipped by Louis of Nassau in the French Huguenot port of La Rochelle , which they continued to use as a base . By the end of 1569 , already 84 Sea Beggars ships were in action . These fierce privateer s under the command of a succession of daring and reckless leaders , the best - known of whom is William de la Marck , Lord of Lumey , were called " Sea Beggars " , " Gueux de mer " in French , or " Watergeuzen " in Dutch . At first they were content merely to plunder both by sea and land , carrying their booty to the English ports where they were able to refit and replenish their stores . However , in 1572 , Queen Elizabeth I of England abruptly refused to admit the Sea Beggars to her harbours . No longer having refuge , they made a desperate attack upon Brielle , which they seized by surprise in the absence of the Spanish garrison on 1 April 1572 . Encouraged by this surprising success , they now sailed to Flushing , which was also taken by a " coup de main " . The capture of these two towns prompted several nearby towns to declare for revolt , starting a chain reaction that resulted in the majority of Holland joining in a general revolt of the Netherlands , and is regarded as the real beginning of Dutch independence . In 1573 the Sea Beggars defeated a Spanish squadron under the command of Admiral Bossu off the port of Hoorn in the Battle on the Zuiderzee . Mixing with the native population , they quickly sparked rebellions against " the Iron Duke " in town after town and spread the resistance southward . Some of the forefathers of the great Dutch naval heroes began their naval careers as Sea Beggars , such as Evert Heindricxzen , the grandfather of Cornelis Evertsen the Elder . Geuzen symbols . As part of a propaganda campaign including prints , pamphlets and much else , many Geuzen medals were created as badges of affiliation , using a wide range of symbolism , including that associated with the Ottoman Empire . William I of Orange sought Ottoman assistance against the Spanish king Philip II . The " Geuzen " were expressing their anti - Spanish and anti - Catholic sentiments . They considered the Turks to be less threatening than the Spaniards . During the years between 1579 and 1582 , representatives from Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Paşa travelled several times from Istanbul to Antwerp . The slogan " Liever Turks dan Paaps " seems to have been largely rhetorical , and their beggars medals in the form of a half moon were meant symbolically . The Dutch hardly contemplated life under the Sultan . Moreover , there was no direct contact between the Geuzen and the Turkish authorities . The Turks were considered infidels , and the heresy of Islam alone disqualified them from assuming a more central ( or consistent ) role in the rebels ' propaganda .