1577704 Council of Blood special tribunal; (add.info.: The Council of Troubles (Raad van Beroerten) was the special tribunal instituted on 9 September 1567 by the Duke of Alba, governor-general of the Habsburg, Netherlands, to punish the ringleaders of the recent political and religious "troubles" in the Netherlands. Due to the many death sentences pronounced by the tribunal, it also became known as the Council of Blood.); Universal History Archive/UIG; out of copyright.