The delegates met in the first week of October 1576. The rebels were represented by Paulus Buys, Grand Pensionary of Holland, and Philips of Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde; the States General sent Elbertus Leoninus, a professor at Leuven University, among others. These negotiators had already met during the abortive negotiations at Breda the previous year and therefore knew what the main stumbling blocks for reaching agreement were. They also knew that speed was of the essence because the arrival of the King's brother, Don Juan, was imminent (he was to arrive in Luxembourg in early November), and it would be easier to reach agreement if the "royalist" side was not encumbered by his control.