<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Abjuration" id="mwPw" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Act of Abjuration">Plakkaat van Verlatinghe (Act of Abjuration)</a>: The northern <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Countries" id="mwQA" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Low Countries">Low Countries</a> declare their independence from the Spanish king, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain" id="mwQQ" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Philip II of Spain">Philip II</a>.