What were the names of the Dutch rebels during the Eighty Years’ War?, Dutch insurgents during the Eighty Years’ War were often referred to as “beggars”. The name “Geuzen” was initially a term of abuse used by Spanish troops to describe insurgents, but the Dutch later adopted it as an honorary name. The Geuzen were a collection of nobles, peasants, and urban citizens who resisted Spanish rule and fought for the independence of the Dutch provinces from the Habsburg Empire. Their revolt began in 1568 and lasted until the signing of the Twelve Years’ Truce in 1609. The Eighty Years’ War finally ended in 1648 with the Peace of Münster, which officially recognized the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands as an independent state.