The success or failure of the Reformation in a particular region often depended on whether the ruler of the region supported or opposed it. However, the Dutch Reformation was an exception to this tendency. Though bitterly opposed by the Habsburg monarchs, Protestantism attracted a large following in the Low Countries. As religious and political tension led to upheaval and war, the courage and persistence of the Dutch people prepared the way for a free Dutch Republic and the rise of the Dutch Reformed Church.