The battle of Gemblours was its death-blow, and before the end of a month, the union thus hopefully constructed was shattered for ever.

The Netherland people was never united again.

By the Union of Utrecht, seven states subsequently rescued their existence, and lived to construct a powerful republic.

The rest were destined to remain for centuries in the condition of provinces to a distant metropolis, to be shifted about as make-weights in political balances, and only in our own age to come into the honorable rank of independent constitutional states.
The Prince had, moreover, strengthened himself for the coming struggle by an alliance with England.

The thrifty but politic Queen, fearing the result of the secret practices of Alencon--whom Orange, as she suspected, still kept in reserve to be played off, in case of need, against Matthias and Don John--had at last consented to a treaty of alliance and subsidy.
On the 7th of January, 1578, the Marquis Havre, envoy from the estates, concluded an arrangement in London, by which the Queen was to lend them her credit--in other words, to endorse their obligations, to the amount of one hundred thousand pounds sterling.