Aan de frontiere gelegen
Located on the frontier. Reformation and struggles in Eemland 1520-1650
The Reformation was particularly chaotic in the sixteenth century for the inhabitants of Eemland in the northeast of what is now the province of Utrecht. The main reason for this was that Eemland was a fronline area during this period. From the 1520s onwards, this area was ravaged by the struggle between Charles V and the Dukes of Guelders, who both wanted to add the Nedersticht to their possessions, and later by the struggle in the Dutch Revolt from 1572 onwards.
The consequences for the population were disastrous. Villages were destroyed and residents were regularly forced to flee. Until 1572, there were hardly any Protestant groups in Eemland, with the exception of Bunschoten, where the Baptist movement gained some support. Around 1600, the situation became somewhat more livable. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, which was then established, recognized only the Reformed Church as the privileged church. But in Eemland, untrained ministers occupied the pulpits while priests traveled around to attract followers.
After 1600, some order gradually returned to church life, both on the Roman Catholic and Reformed sides. But in 1619, almost all Reformed ministers in Eemland were removed from office because they were Remonstrants. Once more, in 1629, Eemland was ravaged by an imperial army, which disappeared again after a few weeks. When the dust of battle had finally settled in 1650, it appeared that the Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church had developed in roughly equal numbers in Eemland.