ALBA, FERNANDO ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, DUKE OF

(1507–1582)

   Spanish commander-in-chief sent by King Philip II to put down the Revolt in the Netherlands in 1567. The following year he was also appointed governor. Alba tried with all military and judicial means to suppress dissent and revolt and to further centralize government in the Netherlands. He introduced a general tax, the tenth penny (tiende penning), which became a new incentive for revolt. In 1573, he was recalled by the king. In contemporary reports and in Protestant historiography, the name of Alba has long remained synonymous with atrocious tyranny.