thumb|A portrait of Philip
Philip de Montmorency (ca. 1524 – 5 June 1568 in Brussels), also known as Count of Horn, Horne, Hoorne or Hoorn, was a Dutch nobleman executed for treason by Spain.
Biography
De Montmorency was born as the eldest of four children of Josef van Montmorency, Count of Nevele and Anna van Egmont the Elder, who had married shortly after 26 August 1523, and lived at Ooidonk Castle. His father died early in 1530 in Bologna, Italy, where he was attending the coronation of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor. His mother remarried to Johan II, Count of Horn, one of the wealthiest nobles of the Netherlands, who, in 1540, left the County of Horne to his wife's children on condition they assume his name.
In 1559, De Montmorency commanded the state fleet which conveyed Philip II from the Netherlands to Spain, and he remained at the Spanish court until 1563. On his return, he joined the Prince of Orange and Lamoral, Count of Egmont, at the head of the faction which opposed the imposition of the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands by Cardinal Granvelle and ultimately forced his resignation. When Granvelle retired, the three nobles continued to resist the introduction of the Inquisition and of Spanish rule in the Netherlands. In April 1566, the Council of State sent Philip's younger brother, Floris of Montmorency, to Spain in a last attempt to avoid war. However, Floris was arrested, kept under house arrest, and later secretly executed.
Although Philip II of Spain appeared to give way, he had made up his mind to punish the opponents of his policy. He replaced the regent, Margaret, duchess of Parma, with the Duke of Alba, who entered the Netherlands at the head of a veteran army.